Welcome to the list, Pat-You have just reopened the proverbial tires/
shocks thread!  Be prepared for days of opinions expressed on the
subject!  Congratulations you are now an official member of the tire
thread contributers list! grin

Pax,

Tom B.

On Oct 17, 2006, at 4:58 PM, Pat Little wrote:

> I recently bought a nice 91 Westy and have been driving it around
> on short and medium trips. Now I'm
> preparing for longer jaunts and want to get better tires before I
> set out. I plan on driving a lot
> of driving dirt roads and probable mountain snow conditions.
>
> The tires I have now are Jupiter SV-820 185R14 C,
> and the spare is different - a Michelin MXL 205/70R14
>
> The symptoms I have which I would like to change are:
>  - van sways in crosswinds or behind large trucks
>  - tread noise when on smooth surfaces
>  - lots of noise traveling on dirt roads or Seattle's badly eroded
> concrete highways
>
> From what I can gather online the Michelin Agilis is highly
> recommended, although it has poor snow
> traction. Bus Depot says the Hankook RA08 is way better than the
> Agilis (suggesting the Agilis is
> the standard to beat?). I can get the Agilis for $127 and the RA08
> for $75. So I'm thinking the RA08
> is the one to go for.
>
> My questions:
>  - how "bad" are my current tires (i.e. will switching tires fix
> some or all of my problems)?
>  - any thoughts on RA08 vs Agilis? especially in snow/mud (I'll be
> carrying chains, of course)
>  - is it important to have a spare that is the same type of tire as
> the main ones? (is driving with
> 3 of one and one of another safe?)
>  - what pressures should I use - VW recommended or can I go lower
> for a smoother ride, if I buy
> "good" tires with stronger sidewalls?
>  - is 185R14 the 'best' size for my needs or would I be better
> looking for a 205/70R14 (the other
> "official" size according tot he tire pressure plate inside the
> driver's door)?
>  - do I need to consider upgrading my shocks as well? (no idea what
> is on it, but I expect is
> original factory gear)
>
> Regards,
> Pat Little
> Seattle