John,

The wife and I have talked of doing that trip next summer also.  We had considered it this year, but could not schedule the time.  I will need new tires before then, is it time for another tire thread?:-)

Mark in AK

----- Original Message -----
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Date: Monday, October 31, 2005 1:48 pm
Subject: Re: Wheels/tires for travel
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM

> Dennis,
>
> I expect to be on that Alaska Haul Road next summer with Michelin XCA
> 205-75-14's. How do you think the tire will cope with that road.
>
> John Rodgers
> 88 GL Driver
> Chelsea, AL
>
> Dennis Haynes wrote:
>
> >Actually, unless you are going to a larger overall diameter tire,
> a 15
> >or 16 inch makes the available selections even worse. The major
> >attributes of a tire that sets the capacity is overall diameter
> and the
> >volume/pressure combination of air. As the rim size increases, the
> >capacity for a tire of a given outside diameter and width decreases.
> >This can only get offset by increased air pressure. 215/70-14 is a
> >readily available size and it's capacity is extremely close to
> the so
> >called reinforced 205-70 the VW placed on the alloy wheels. It
> traveled>to Alaska and drove the haul road with 215-70-14
> Bridgestone Potenzas
> >back in 1993. The rear tires had most of the tread wear off but no
> >flats.
> >
> >Dennis
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> Behalf>Of John Reddick
> >Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 10:18 AM
> >To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >Subject: Wheels/tires for travel
> >
> >Avoiding the whole tire issue, Gowesty makes a great point about
> wheel>size in their write-ups.  I have had real world
> experience/buffoonery>with
> >exacly what they said.
> >    Driving south on the Haul Road in Alaska in my 14" MXT shod
> Westy,>on
> >rock completely destroyed both tires on one side of the van.  I
> had one
> >spare. I limped into Fairbanks in search of proper tires.  Their
> was a
> >VW
> >Rialta RV with the same problem.  I called/checked every tire
> shop in
> >Alaska for proper tires.  No joy.  If I had been on 15 or 16 inch
> wheels>I
> >could have purchased properly rated light truck tires at any
> local shop.
> >    If you need new tires anyway, a wheel upgrade makes a huge
> >improvement
> >in performance and you ability to source proper tires locally, as
> well>as
> >your choice of tires.  If you plan to adventure far and wide in
> you van,
> >I
> >would definely think about this.  It ruined the last couple weeks
> of my
> >road-trip-of-a-lifetime.
> >
> >John
> >
> >
> >
> >
>