From time to time the tire talk flares up again. There is a lot of
discussion and information at Vanagon.com and in the archives, see tires (my
summary) and re: tires (my summary) and diverse tire topics. The
recommendations come quick and are based on personal experience. What we do
not consider is where and how the tires of the other person are being used.
The choice is influenced by local road conditions, off road driving, weather
conditions and temperature.

Most people are looking for a good highway tire with good wet traction, good
durability and comfort. We all know that we need an LT type tire with a
stronger sidewall for the vanagon. Some people go for wider or higher tires.
Wider tires have a little more resistance and are really only useful if you
are driving a lot on soft or sandy ground. The Vanagon does not have the
power that you have to consider melt-down of rubber components. Higher tires
will give you a little more clearance which is only useful in off road
conditions. Otherwise you lose climbing ability. The size regular size for
most Vanagons is 195/74 14 (LT or D load rating).

Winter conditions change things rapidly. For soft snow you need deep tread
and yet coarse tire treads are usually not very good on ice. Fine groves
which keep snow on the tire can be helpful in some conditions which allows
for snow to snow grip. (In Europe there once was a tire which had little
plastic beads embedded which would create a crater like surface allowing for
good snow grip - and for fast wear on dry roads.)

Someone else should tackle the rubber compound question but basically the
softer the tire the faster it wears, however it will have better grip in
cold conditions where rubber tends to become hard and brittle.

I have had the Michelin LTX M/S and was very happy with it in all aspects of
dry and wet road travel and it did reasonably well in snow. It is also sold
as Michelin XC LT4 by Sears. Costco is now selling a Uniroyal Tire which
looks like it could be a good highway tire. The Yokohama 370 has been
praised by many people on the list as another good all season. The wider
Bridgestones are good off road tires but have their limits in comfort and
handling in highway (and also in icy) conditions. I am currently testing the
Yokohama SD05 Superdiggers on my Syncro. So far they perform very well on
and off the road where they have good grip. However, I would chose other
tires if you are considering mostly highway driving and I don't have any
idea yet about their durability.

Other considerations are availability and price. What is the use of a tire
that does everything you dream of doing but never do which costs a fortune?
So consider your own driving habits and most likely weather and road
conditions before entertaining a tire choice.

That's just my couple of (Canadian) cents.

Bj�rn Ratjen

Mill Bay, B.C. 

1987 Syncro Est Alia (self camperized)
1995 Passat TD
(1982 Vanagon Diesel)
1979 VW Bus (self- camperized)