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Subject:Re: Tire choce for vanagon with 14 inch wheels
From:The Bus Depot
Date:Thu, 4 Sep 2008 12:58:03 -0400

> > 185R14C was standard for narrow steel wheels but many 86+ came with
> > wider alloy wheels.

> Hmmmm, am I gonna have a problema w/ the Haakka 185's on my alloys?

No. 185R14's are appropriate for 5.0 to 6.0 rim widths, and both the steel
wheels and the alloys fall within that range.

Actually I recommend the Hankook RA08 185R14's for Vanagons with or without
factory alloys. In fact I have run them on my own Westies, with alloys, for
15 years now. The difference between a 185R14 and a 205/70/14 is width; both
are the same height but the 205 is slightly wider. All things being equal, a
slightly narrower tire such as the 185R14 will be better on wet roads, as it
will be less prone to hydroplaning.  A slightly wider tire will sacrifice
wet weather traction in favor of better dry-weather traction. Personally,
it's during severe driving conditons where I am most concerned about my
tires' handling; my Vanagon feels very surefooted on dry roads regardless.
So the 185R14 is the better solution for me.  Also it happens to be a heck
of a lot cheaper than a comparable 205/70/14 tire.

My Tires page has a lot of information on choosing the right Vanagon tire,
and dispells a lot of myths:

http://busdepot.com/details/tires.jsp

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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Toll-Free for Orders by PART # :  1-866-BUS-DEPOT

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