Jim Davis wrote:
>

> that even the low gear on the Syncro isn't low enough for many off-road
> adventures.  I'll stick with the 14" wheels until a pile of cash lands in my
> front yard enabling me to change the differential gears to compensate for the
> larger wheels.
>
> Jim Davis

Hi: Of course the wheel diameter doesn't make the ratio change higher or
lower, it is the tire diameter. The Michelin Agilis 51 tires are exactly
the same diameter as the OEM MXL tires and they fit 15" rims. The extra
bonus is that they are rated over 1700 pounds of load per tire. The
shorter sidewall should mean a more stable tire on the road (someone
mentioned that awhile back). I will find out as soon as I get the alloy
studs for my Syncro. I am having a set of Agilis tires mounted on some
new alloy rims I just recieved from Kyle at Volks Cafe. Wow! you should
see these alloys. They are eye poppers! They are a extreamly well built
wheel with a flawless painted silver finish. The offset is correct for
the Vanagon although they are about a inch wider than stock. One thing
that I can't figure out is that they seem to be VW OEM as they have the
Official VW logo cast in the back of the wheel along with what appears
to be a VW part number. These alloys look great on the Syncro (I already
mouned one). When I finish everything up I will get a picture and post
it somewhere so everyone can access it. If you want to see a wheel, Kyle
has a good JPEG of it that he sent me that I bet he would be willing to
send you.
--
Todd Francis           Ridgefield, Washington USA
'86 Westy Syncro
'91 Tristar