To add a bit of context/story to the discussion.  Back in 1974 when I
had my first bus, a 1966 SO-42, I had new cheap passenger radials on
it.  Cool I thought.

One of my strongest memories driving the bus was crossing the Bay Bridge
into San Francisco in a stiff side wind.  I was in the lane just in from
the right lane.  Suddenly, I found myself driving in the right lane.  It
only took a fraction of a second to get hit broadside with a gust of
wind and be blown sideways a full lane over.  To this day I am haunted
the the thought that I usually travel in the right lane - roll of the
dice...  I have a better understanding from the numerous tire threads
why this happened...

Jeffrey Olson
martin, SD

John Rodgers wrote:
> To add to Ron's comments --
>
> One of the big issues with tire for Vanagons is that of Sidewall
> stiffness. Vanagons are trucks,not automobiles. Vanagons are slab sided,
> non-aerodynamic vehicles prone to being pushed all over the place in any
> winds, plus they tend to be a bit top heavy unless there is a load
> sitting on the floor inside. So a stiff sidewall is a necessity. The old
> Michelin MXT's had stiff sidewalls and the vehicle handled well. I'm
> currently running a Michelin 205 75/R14 Commercial Truck Tire on steel
> rims and the side walls stand up when there is little air in the tire.
> Darnedest thing I ever saw. But on the road it handles like it was on
> rails - except in very wet conditions. When it is pouring down rain,
> they tend to lose traction easily. But this is typical of truck tires
> when there is no heavy load on them. After all, truck tires are designed
> to perform  differently than automobile tires.
>
> But again, a key element in selecting a tire for a Vanagon is the
> sidewall stiffness. Without that stiffness, the van's handling will be
> squirrelly and  in wind will be all over the road in inclement weather.
>
> John Rodgers
> 88 GL Driver
>
> The Bus Depot wrote:
>>>> 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
>>
>> _____________________________________________
>> Toll-Free for Orders by PART # :  1-866-BUS-DEPOT
>>
>>
>>
>
>