Agreed, Alistair.  And are we really to believe that a vehicle with the
driver and front passenger so exposed had engineers mounting a spare tire
UNDER those persons as "crash protection"?

On Sat, Apr 3, 2021 at 9:47 AM Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:

> Do we have documentation for that claim?
>
> Does the owners manual warn you that a fully inflated tire is needed at
> all times?
>
> What happens when you have a flat and use your spare? Does the un inflated
> tire now in the carrier reduce the crash worthiness?
>
> Does the Vw supplied rear swing away tire carrier come with a notice that
> it makes the van unsafe?
>
> It seems to me, that any crash protection structure that is owner
> removable would come with many warning stickers.
>
> Alistair
>
>
> > On Apr 3, 2021, at 8:42 AM, Stacy Schneider <vwcrewman@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >         Do we need to remind people that part of the crash worthiness of
> > these vehicles is the spare tire?
> >        If you’re going to take the spare out you may as well not wear a
> > seat belt either.
> >       Both of these item are an engineered  safety item of the van.
> >
> >                                 My .02
> >                                          Stacy
> >
> >
> >> On Sat, Apr 3, 2021 at 6:42 AM Peter Cobb <careyid1@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> I have converted to 16 s . whats wrong with removing the spare and loose
> >> some weight.  If need to replace tire , have vehicle towed to nearest
> shop,
> >> all of my driving is on paved roads
> >>
> >> On Fri, Apr 2, 2021 at 9:57 AM Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> The GoWesty steel wheels use the common 60 degree cone nut as used on
> >> many
> >>> aftermarket wheels. You may still need to check for length if using
> bolts
> >>> or closed end lug nuts.  For the screw in stud conversion kits be
> >> extremely
> >>> careful especially anytime the tires are re0installed. I have seen them
> >>> fail at the threads where screwed into the rotor.
> >>>
> >>> Dennis
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com> On Behalf Of
> >>> Richard Smith (Smirby)
> >>> Sent: Friday, April 2, 2021 12:40 PM
> >>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >>> Subject: Re: Spare tire location
> >>>
> >>> For those who will be running alloy wheels but keep a steel wheel as a
> >>> spare, consider also carrying a set of appropriate / previous lug
> >>> nuts/bolts. The shoulders (and sometimes the diameter) of the lug
> >>> nuts/bolts vary from the alloy to the steel.
> >>>
> >>> My new alloy wheels came with new nuts and I converted the fronts from
> >>> bolts to studs that take the nuts (came in the kit). These have a
> >> slightly
> >>> different size, too, so I have a different wrench for them.
> >>>
> >>> In my jack bag - still have the original plastic bag that came with the
> >>> van, which seems incredible to me that a plastic bag would last 34
> years
> >> -
> >>> I keep a set of the old nuts (from the rear, which was always studs) so
> >>> that I can use my old steel spare.
> >>>
> >>> …r
> >>>
> >>>> On Apr 2, 2021, at 9:29 AM, Jack R <jack007@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> I keep a tire puncture repair kit handy, as well as a compressor, and
> >>> have never had to put my spare on since I bought my van in 1987!  I've
> >> put
> >>> over 120k miles on it.
> >>>>
> >>>> The only tire issue I had was in 1992, when I hit ice on the highway,
> >>> was blown off the road, and my tire was knocked off the rim and
> deflated.
> >>> Needless to say, a tow truck was needed, and the tire was remounted and
> >> was
> >>> driving again using the same tire.  The HD multi-ply tires tend to hold
> >> up
> >>> very well.  Frankly, I'd rather keep a 185/R14 in the clam shell, for
> >>> safety and short drives.
> >>>>
> >>>> I've upgraded to 16" rims, and as Dennis said, the diameter is close
> >> and
> >>> I have 2WD, so I'm glad to have it set up this way.
> >>>>
> >>>> Jack R.
> >>>> 84 Westy
> >>>>
> >>>> -----Original Message-----
> >>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> >>>> Behalf Of Chris S
> >>>> Sent: Thursday, April 1, 2021 8:33 PM
> >>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >>>> Subject: Re: Spare tire location
> >>>>
> >>>> I recently engaged in same conversation on FB Vanagon group because I
> >>> thought so too. I’m not so sure now because there does not seem to be a
> >> lot
> >>> of structure behind the spare.  After 21 years of Vanagon ownership put
> >> me
> >>> in the “plausible” club.
> >>>>
> >>>> Chris.
> >>>> Wysłane z iPhone'a
> >>>>
> >>>>> Wiadomość napisana przez Rob <vwrobb@gmail.com> w dniu 4/1/21, o
> >> godz.
> >>> 18:05:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> The vanagon spare tire laying flat right up front like that is there
> >>>>> to absorb energy when you run into something.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Rob
> >>>>> Vwrobb@gmail.com
> >>>
> >>
> > --
> >   1989 Swedish Tristar with Aluminum gates and Atiwe 16" Wheels.
> >    Oldest son is an Eagle scout.
>