At  10/6/2005 08:45 PM, Larry Chase wrote:

>If you use passenger car tires, consider selecting ones that meet or exceed
>the following specs,
>
>* XL or RF designation.
>* Load Range 100
>* Max Load Capacity: 1604 lbs (after derated load capacity by 9%)
>* Max Inflation Pressure:: 40 psi
>
>- Don't load your vehicle to capacity
>- Stay on those freeways and better secondary roads
>- Keep your speed down
>- Keep your air pressure at the proper level
>- Inspect the sidewalls frequently for early signs of failure.
>
>Be Safe.

FWIW the only other Vanagon I owned was an '86 Syncro (there were a
number of earlier type 2's). We bought it in Hawaii in 1990 and sold
it in Michigan in 1997.
We drove that sucker all over the place, freeways, dirt & gravel
roads with a full load of people and 'stuff' (a real full load). All
that time I never had anything on it besides passenger car tires, not
top line ones either. I never had a tire problem.
Not all of us can afford top of the line for our hobby, for some of
us the Vanagon is "The" car rather than a hobby and we work at
staying alive from day to day.
Passenger tires will do the job and that's the best some of us can do.
On a side note I REALLY appreciate the report on the tires, thank you.

Rob
becida@comcast.net
Western WA state with an '87 Vanagon in the driveway!