> Part of the tire selection process has to include intended
> use. If you drive at moderate speeds in fair weather than a
> skinny rib type truck tire will suffice. If winter and/or
> high speeds are part of the plan than there are better
> choices.

Actually the opposite is largely true. All things being equal, a wider tire
will hydroplane at lower speeds than a narrower one (sources:
PopularMechanics.com, Tire Rack Technical Articles, et. al.), and will also
have inferior snow traction (sources: MotorTrend.com "Tire Myths and
Reality", et. al.).

Therefore, a narrower tire like a 185 will be more "sure footed" when
driving at highway speed in rain or snow than an otherwise identical 205
tire.  The 205 tire, by comparison, will have a bit more traction on dry
roads, but suffer during adverse weather conditons. So the decision process
would actually be the opposite of what you suggest. If you are primarily
concerned with fair-weather driving, a 205 tire would theoretically be your
better choice. But if you are most concerned about your Vanagon's handling
during adverse driving conditions such as rain or snow, a 185 tire would
theoretically handle those road conditions better.

Of course we are not talking a huge difference in width between these two
particular sizes - only 3/4 of an inch - so the variation is likely to be
relatively small anyway. Also this assumes that the tires are otherwise
identical, which is not always the case. Otherwise, other factors such as
tread design and compound also come into play. If we were comparing two
all-season tires, such as the Hankook and the Altimax, the above comparison
might largely hold true. But if we were comparing a summer-only 185 series
tire like a Yokohama or Continental to an all-season 205 series tire, that
would be apples and oranges.

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

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