I agree "in principle", and personally, I always run properly rated
tires on my T3s as well.

That being said, GoWesty sells a boat load of these tire/wheel
combinations (you should see their warehouse) and I've yet to hear of
any catastrophic failures.

Cheers,

Jeff

On Fri, May 29, 2009 at 10:27 AM, Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@comcast.net> wrote:
> I agree with Ron, I would never put a car rated tire on a Westy
> Vanagon. �You might be able to get away with it on a passenger Van but
> not on a Westy. �I always run at least load range C tires on my Carat
> Vanagon. �To sell and recommend tires that are not properly rated for
> the Van is just asking for not only an accident but also a lawsuit. �You
> can see how careful the Tire Rack is about matching the tires they sell
> with the vehicles they are meant for. �This is not only to keep their
> customer's from having a tire related accident but also from keeping
> themselves from being sued for recommending an improper tire
> application. �It has always made me scratch my head why Go Westy, a
> company that prides itself on knowing so much about Vanagons and Westys
> in particular, would recommend and sell a tire that is not properly
> rated for a Vanagon. �People trust them because of their reputation, but
> this recommendation is a poor one at best.
>
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> www.vanagain.com
>
> The Bus Depot wrote:
>>>
>>> I am on the verge of ordering a set of the 16 inch GoWesty
>>> wheels and Michelin Hydroedge tires.
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Michelin Hydroedge tires do NOT meet either Volkswagen or U.S. D.O.T.
>> specs
>> for safe use on a Vanagon. �Please see the archives, read
>> http://busdepot.com/details/tires.jsp , and think VERY VERY carefully
>> before
>> putting ANY underrated tires on your Vanagon (regardless of what any
>> retailer, who of course has a profit motive because he sells underrated
>> tires, may claim). �Those claims directly contradict VW's own engineers,
>> as
>> well as the government's safety standards.
>>
>> Sure you will hear anecdotal experience from people who use various
>> underrated tires and "never had a problem." �(Especially since they want
>> to
>> justify their own decision to do so.) Similarly, 5 out of 6 people who
>> play
>> Russian Roulette don't have a problem, most people who smoke don't die of
>> cancer, and most people who never wear a seatbelt live to tell about it.
>> During average daily driving your underrated tire will probably handle
>> just
>> fine, because it's not being pushed to its limits. The stress test will be
>> when you can least afford it - during emergency evasive maneuvers when a
>> disproportionate amount of weight is transferred to a single tire. �At
>> that
>> point, if the tire fails (and VW and the D.O.T. have already warned you
>> that
>> it may!!!) �the consequences could easily be deadly.
>>
>> There are properly rated 16" tires out there, although I do not sell them.
>> (Many of my Eurovan customers use a 16" Kumho tire, although I don't carry
>> it and have not tried it personally. I do, however, carry 14", 15", and
>> 16"
>> Vanagon alloy wheels, and 14" and 15" tires.) �Why play Russian roulette,
>> when there are plenty of alternatives out there that meet VW specs?
>>
>> - Ron Salmon
>> �The Bus Depot, Inc.
>> �www.busdepot.com
>> �(215) �234-VWVW
>>
>> _____________________________________________
>> Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : �1-866-BUS-DEPOT
>>
>>
>