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Subject:Re: Vanagon OEM tire report Yes, I am still using a 22 year old tire
From:John Bange
Date:Thu, 7 Dec 2006 08:02:59 -0800

On 12/6/06, roger sisler <rogersisler2000@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Risking life and limb, I have been road testing this old tire from Germany. It came over on the boat with the 85 Vanagon(my old parts van), it claimed as home. A Continental tire. It is OEM  because ,for one, it is mounted on a silver steel wheel that was in good condition, with almost  perfect paint.It had been stored in tire pan for decades. Never even used.Still has the little rubber molding nubs on the tread,or did. The build date on the tire shows 1985.

Heh. I had one of those too, under the nose of my '90. Literally had
not been used, with little rubber "injection sprues" still all over
the road contact surface. I decided not to trust mine, though, as when
I mounted it and GENTLY set it down, I saw HUGE cracks open up in the
sidewall. Of course, living where my van did out in the smoggy high
desert of southern california, it got exposed to a LOT of heat and a
LOT of rubber-eating NOx, so that's not entirely surprising...

--
John Bange
'90 Vanagon - "Geldsauger"
"I will buy your Syncro!" - poptophell.com