Steve, why not just get a new set of 14” tires in Canada ?  Much less problem and expense.  Yes, they are sometimes hard to find but they are out there.  Continental Vanco 8 are good and should be available from any Continental dealer in Calgary.   Here are a few other options:

http://www.germansupply.com/home/customer/home.php?cat=446 <http://www.germansupply.com/home/customer/home.php?cat=446>

> On Apr 18, 2015, at 8:53 AM, Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> Yes, more tire questions!
> 
> I currently have tires on 14 inch steel rims on my 1991 Westfalia. They
> need replacing and after having read the email list, multiple vendor
> sites, and the (lack of) availability for 14 inch tires, I am leaning
> towards getting 15 inch rims.  Part of my concern would be tire
> replacement when travelling... I don't want to have to wait weeks for
> someone to order in a specific 14 inch tire!  I feel the chances of
> getting a 15 inch replacement on the road are much better.
> 
> I feel that an All Season would be best for me as I don't drive in the
> winter, but fall in the Rockies can have unexpected snow storms & I've
> been caught more than once.
> 
> I haven't priced out ordering from the US, but with the current exchange
> rate, shipping, GST, etc it seems like a fairly expensive option.  If I
> absolutely have to, I will order out of the US because I feel that tires
> are "cheap insurance" and a very important piece of safety equipment on
> my vehicles.
> 
> I would like to keep as close to stock size as possible as I do park in
> my garage and I have minimal clearance to get through the garage door.
> 
> Kal Tire carries Nokian, but their computer shows them totally out of
> stock (with no ETA) on the WRC (Van) tire in the 205/65/R15 size that
> I'm leaning towards.  Load Rating, Load Range & Diameter & "All Season"
> rating are kind of my deciding points.
> 
> It's not a crisis as I won't have "Ruby" on the road until mid-June, but
> I'm trying to plan ahead.  Ordering a 14" Nokian through Kal Tire came
> up with a bill over $1000 for them installed & balanced (shipping from
> US warehouse).  The kicker was the 4 week delivery period!  If I destroy
> tires somewhere, I can't wait 4 weeks for a tire to show up!.
> 
> Of course, I need 15 inch rims as well.  What have other people done in
> Canada for tires & Rims?   I don't have the patience to try to find
> something used on Kijiji or Craigslist.
> 
> I saw on the Van-Cafe website that they tried to get together a pallet
> shipment last xmas to ship to Calgary, but it didn't quite come together
> in the end.  That might be one option... if we could revive that?
> 
> Cheers,
> Steve Williams
> 1991 Westfalia "Ruby"
> Calgary, Canada

      Please note that I will be away from my business travelling from December 01 until April 30, 2015.  Parts orders will be processed although not as quickly as usual.  I will always be available for contact by E-mail.  If you phone your call will be addressed by Darrell or Carol and they will either call you back or advise you to contact me directly by E-mail. Details of this adventure are on our Travel Blog: http://frankcondelli.com/travels/ <http://frankcondelli.com/travels/>

Cheers, 
   
Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 VW Westy, '00 Kawasaki 250 Sherpa, "98 Ducati 750 Monster & Lionel Trains (Collection for sale <http://frankcondelli.com/trainsal.htm>)
Frank Condelli & Associates <http://www.frankcondelli.com/> - Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
BusFusion <http://www.busfusion.com/> a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 04 ~ 07, 2015