Hi Don,
perhaps it was on of the Continental original equipment tires.
I've had a failure or two on those when even only a few years old.
at the age of that tire for you ..
some 26 yrs or whatever...
it's good to know they can only be good for a quarter mile.
I see quite a few of those on vanagons still, as a spare.
That and the Michelin XZX too ..all 20 + years old.

Don't me started..
I commonly see where people get four brand new tires at a tire store..
and no one ever thinks to check the spare..
very often people would go for a new one, or a much newer used one,  if
the tire store would just advise them about it.

That was a pretty scary story about a tire store messing up a whole set
of TPMS sensors.

if you're down south still..
it's not 'all that sunny and warm in the NW' lately.

Scott

On 2/26/2012 4:43 PM, Don Hanson wrote:
> A 50mile spare...that's a joke.  In my world, 50miles would get me nowhere,
> and when I got there, there certainly would not have a tire I could use.
> If I were an Urban Dude and rarely ventured out of town, if I normally
> traveled where cell phones work, and tow truck response time was quoted,
> rather than getting "Oh, maybe Jim Bob can get his rig running tomorrow.."
> then I might be ok without a spare....
>     I did find the spare under my 84, it was the factory original when this
> van came to me.   It looked new and I didn't check the date....drove on it
> for about a quarter mile....till it split down the center...
>
> On Feb 26, 2012 3:09 PM, "Scott Daniel - Turbovans"<
> scottdaniel@turbovans.com>  wrote:
>> my 30 year old motorcycle tires irons are in my road kit.
>> I break the tire down off the rim using the stock jack ....weight of the
>> van does a fine job of breaking down both sides of the tire.
>> I have a special trick with a hammer to get the tire fully off the rim
>> when necessary.
>> it's fun.
>> I haven't had to do this on the side of the road in 30 yrs..
>> but I easily could.
>> Don't tell anyone ..
>> but sometimes I mount and balance my own vanagon tires entirely by hand.
>> Most of the time I take about 8  tires and wheels to my tire store and
>> it's 'mount these on these rims, throw these two tires away' etc..
>> I never let any tire shop touch any of my vehicles.
>> I just let them to their sometimes hurried, sloppy work on just my rims
>> and tires.
>> I also tell them I am willing to pay extra for a careful nice good job,
>> not a quickie job.  That helps.
>> Now they know me personally anyway after 8 years in my area...
>> that helps get good work done for you too.
>>   There is one very popular NW tire chain ..I swear, they never act like
>> they know me when I go there. I think they must have a policy against
>> it.  Four years in grim PT, Wa state ...they never once acted like they
>> knew who I was in that 'only tire store' for an hour's drive to
>> somewhere else .     Sure glad I escaped that place !
>>
>> I do like to have a full size spare .  It might be hours and many miles
>> before I can get to a tire store..
>> I don't want to be stuck anywhere due to lack of a spare that can go
>> safety at 60mph.
>> And generally ...flat tires are not all that common it seems anyway, but
>> it sure is nice to be prepared. when it does happen.
>>
>> Scott
>>
>>
>> On 2/26/2012 10:58 AM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
>>> ---- Loren Busch<starwagen@GMAIL.COM>   wrote:
>>>>   RE:  Spare Tires
>>>> In addition to the spare tire/wheel how many carry a tire repair in
> their
>>>> Vanagon?  And is it new enough that the glue will even come out of the
>>>> tube?  I ask that because while writing this it dawned on me that the
>>>> repair kit in my rig is over ten years old!  Maybe time to check
> it/replace
>>>> it?
>>>> Someone mentioned the 'little' spare tires provided on some new cars,
> good
>>>> to get you 50 miles or so.  Well, according to a news segment on a
> local TV
>>>> station last week some new cars are coming with NO spare!  They showed
> one
>>>> new car that had only a small battery powered air compressor and a tire
>>>> repair (plug) kit.
>>> Well, for in town, on pavement driving, which is what most do all of the
> time, the small spare is probably perfectly adequate.  Fact is, tires have
> gotten so good, that if maintained reasonably, failure is very rare.  The
> last time I had to change a tire because of a failure while driving was in
> 1997.  I remember, because it was a Bridgestone tire that was fairly new,
> and that experienced a tread separation.  Had a lengthy process getting
> Firestone to honor their warranty.  Had to send the tire to a location in
> Memphis, TN to have it evaluated.  Eventually did get the new tire paid
> for, damage to my car (the tread damaged the wheel well when it flew off)
> paid for, and the cost of a hotel and meals for my delay.  That was in
> Kingsville, Texas.  But it took several months of back and forth.  Why do
> corporations get bad names?
>>> the repair kit and compressor?  Well, plenty of people would be
> completely incapable of managing that beside the road.  A few years back
> one new car was coming with a "spare" that required inflation at the time
> of use.  I don't remember what car it was, or how inflation was provided.
>>> mcneely
>>>
>>> --
>>> David McNeely
>>>