Warren,
I had those rims on my van for about 2 1/2 years. They are heavy in order to
be stout. I had their tire too, that preceded the Hydroedge, which was a
regular passenger car tire with a 65 series sidewall. I took them off
(tires) after blistering both right-side sidewalls on a wet canyon road
going into Durango. Rocks had fallen on the road .. not huge, just rocks. I
hit one.

I've had Nokian 65 series sidewall tires since but those are C and D rated
and you can inflate them to 70 psi if you want, not remotely the same as a
passenger car tire.

I would not recommend putting Hydroedge passenger care tires on any Vanagon,
let alone a camper. To quote Michelin:
"The HydroEdge radial is Michelin's premium Passenger All-Season tire
designed to meet the needs of the drivers of family coupes, sedans and
minivans."

Notice that on the Tire Rack site, the only 70 series tire is in 15"(
215/70-15 one), which has a 1653 max load rating and 44 psi, both good but
still A and B rated, not C or D. The taller sidewall would give a little
more tolerance in the conditions that I got the blistered sidewalls. I was
lucky those didn't blow out, which on that steep, wet downhill grade would
not have been a good thing.

If your committed to the rim that Go Westy has you can just get them from
either GW or Tire Rack and get a tire that is rated for your Subie/Westy,
listed at: http://www.roadhaus.com/tires/guideline.html

Happy shopping ;-)

bob
'87 Syncro Westy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/syncronaut/sets/72157615490910502/

On Thu, May 28, 2009 at 9:44 PM, Warren Lail <wklail@gmail.com> wrote:

> I am on the verge of ordering a set of the 16 inch GoWesty wheels and
> Michelin Hydroedge tires.  However, before I plunk down a sizeable chunck
> o'
> change, I wanted to check with those of you who have experience with their
> tire and wheel combo.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Warren in Santa Fe
> 88 Westy 2.2 Subie
>