Oh Sweet Fanny Moses...

How about this, folks purchase the best tires they are willing to buy and/or
afford...

To be honest, I really don't understand why folks have to argue about
tires...if one doesn't agree with Ron or anyone else, fine...but this back
and forth gets tiresome...(<----yeah, I think I'm funny)

Have a nice day...

Jim
Wilmington, NC

On Wed, Mar 9, 2011 at 2:42 PM, Mike S <mikes@flatsurface.com> wrote:

> At 11:52 AM 3/9/2011, The Bus Depot wrote...
>
>> > Maximum load != normal load. Do you always drive your Vanagon
>> > loaded to full weight capacity? The regulations certainly
>> > don't expect that to be the case, and that's not what they apply
>> to.
>>
>> Exactly. What the D.O.T. is saying is that there should be a safety
>> margin -
>> that "maximum load" means just that, maximum, not typical. They are
>> saying
>> that while the vehicle can be driven periodically with the maximum
>> load that
>> the tire can handle (if it is an LT rated tire - otherwise 9% below),
>> on an
>> ongoing basis its NORMAL load should be at least 6% BELOW the tire's
>> rated
>> capacity.
>>
>
> Or derated capacity, in the case of a passenger car tire. So, you take
> a Load Index 97 passenger car tire, which is rated for a maximum load
> of 1609 lbs. Divide by 1.10 and you get a rating of 1463 lbs when used
> on a Vanagon. That's suitable for a normal, non-Synchro, Vanagon,
> including Westys, which have a rear GAWR of 2866.
>
> The regs say the "normal load" has to be 6% under the tire rating (2 x
> 1463 = 2926). The regs also define "normal load" to include a single
> 150 lb passenger in the rear.
>
> It's been previously reported here that the actual rear axle weight of
> a standard Westy is ~1920 lbs (
>
> http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0110C&L=vanagon&P=R9822&m=164259
> ). Add 150 for the "normal load" occupant, and you're at 2070, a full
> 29% below maximum capacity. Some other places say a Westy can weigh as
> much as 2420 lbs in the rear, which with a 150 lb passenger still puts
> you more than 10% under the maximum rated load. The 6% simply doesn't
> apply on a Vanagon, ever.
>
> Additionally, the maximum capacity rating for P-Metric tires is
> standardized to an inflation pressure of 35 psi. VW never spec'd an
> inflation pressure that low for the rear (minimum was 40), and higher
> pressures = more load capacity, which only increases the margin.
>
> Finally, in the final years of the Vanagon, the OE tires were, guess
> what, 205/70R14 97R. Your "you need 99's" contradicts what VW actually
> used.
>
>  Bear in mind that VW Campers were sold by Volkswagen as "unfinished
>> vehicles" and the GWVR is based on that designation. That is why a
>> Westy and
>> a Non-Westy have the same rated GWVR.  So a Westy will NEVER operate
>> at
>> "normal load" - rather, it approaches "fully laden" at all times.
>>
>
> All the Westy owners will be disappointed to hear they can't carry much
> more than a couple of sleeping bags and pillows, since they start out
> "fully laden." Unless by "fully laden" you mean 1000 lbs below the GVWR
> (not "GWVR"), which is reality.
>
> GVWR is the same because they're the same vehicle, with the same
> suspension components. Finished or unfinished has nothing to do with
> it. You simply can't load as much additional weight into a Westy,
> because there's more weight in it to start with. But again, based on
> actual measurements, there's still ~900 lbs you can load in the rear of
> a Westy and be within spec.
>
> Since you're still arguing that this additional 6% derating is
> required, why does your website say Load Index 99 is sufficient? A
> Synchro would need Load Index 103 tires.
>