It sounds like you will be on unpaved back roads.  Despite very
knowledgeable personnel recommending large wheel sizes, I dissent.  To get
the required package diameter, you would need low profile tires.  They will
be subject to road hazard damage to a much greater degree, and also to
wheel damage, than the higher profile tires that are stock recommendation.

That is a part of why I run 195R14.  Yes, given the D load rating, they
have a very stiff sidewall and therefore a "rough" ride.  This is not my
father's Oldsmobile.  But then my father's Oldsmobile did not require a
truck tire for safety, and it did not spend time on rough back roads to any
extent.

On Sun, May 1, 2016 at 7:22 AM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:

> I've kept 14" steel stock wheels on my topless westie.  Aftermarket alloy
> wheels can be broken easily when using your van on bad roads or off road.
> I've been running Asian tires (14") on both the Vanagon and my 5000# Astro
> AWD van....Go Form brand, got mine from a Tire Factory, one set, and from
> Tires easy, online.
>    The Goform ad  copy says they used Hankook technology... The tires are
> essentially like the Hankook rao8 that is Vanagon appropriate, but
> half-price.  Hakkapellita are noisier and rougher.
> On Apr 30, 2016 11:37 PM, "Stephen Edwards" <chibicyclist@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> Can someone point me to a concise explanation of the pros and cons of 14”
> versus 15” wheels & tires?
>
> Having lurked on this list for years, I know there have been many
> discussions about this, and I don’t mean to start a whole new one, but I’m
> having difficulty navigating the archives (there are such a LOT of them!)
> and TheSamba’s tire threads tend to be either uber-technical or just
> unsupported opinion, with not enough in between to be really helpful.
>
> I’ve always run either 185 or 195 R14’s, and gotten decent mileage and
> handling, but on the highway the ride is hard and unforgiving. My wife and
> I are planning some very long trips after she retires (including, we hope,
> from here to the other end of Canada’s famous Dempster Highway, as well as
> some logging roads in Northern Ontario) and I’m wondering if it’s time to
> invest in some 15” wheels to soften the ride.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve Edwards - currently running a 91 GL with Subaru 2.2 engine, rolling
> on Nokian Hakkapellitas in Chicago, IL
>