In a message dated 98-05-01 20:30:19 EDT, prbrrh@PROAXIS.COM writes:

<<  anyway my
 question is some list members are putting aftermarket 16" alloy wheels
 with tire size 215/65R16 on a van that came with 14's , is it the same
 overall tire height and if not does this affect the power (rob power)
 i.e.,  need more power to get bigger tires rolling ?   and also what is
 the best size tire to run on the factory steel wheels.  thanks for the
 help
  >>
 I have 215-65-16 tires on my syncro. The ride hight increased about 2.5 to 3
inches. The car looks great, like a real 4X4 should. The only problem I'm
having now is to figure out what to do with my spare tire. I have a 14" spare
. I also have a 15" rim that fits vanagon. I'm trying to figure out what tires
size on the 14" or the 15" rim will match the diameter of the tires on the 16"
rim. That's something to think about. Michael.
P.S. On the 16" set up you don't loose power, you gain fuel milage and a
little more top end speed. On the factory wheel and tire set up, (at least
with my car) with an actual speed of 70 MPH, the speedo indicated 66 MPH, now
with my 16" set up, it fixed my actual speed and indicated speed, it is
perfect.  70 MPH indicated is really 70 MPH. To check your speedo, time how
long it takes you to travel one mile , compared to the mile markers on the
freeway. Compare with a few mile markers while mantaining a perfect speed.
Take your average time and divided by 3600 seconds, lets assume you were
traveling at an indicated speed of 70 MPH,  your time should of been 51.4
seconds to travel one mile. If your time was lets say, 54 seconds ( 3600
divided 54 = 66.6 MPH ) you now know your true speed. Michael.