Well,

I just got 5 Michelin MXT's from my FLATS.  As the FAQ says, most dealers
cannot find them in their computer or catalogs, but if you tell them that it
is Michelin part # 73568, they miraculously appear in the computer.  The
ones I received were "special order" and took a week to show up.  They were
very dusty, as if they were laying around in a warehouse for a long time.
It was fun watching the employees and manager standing around gawking at the
tire mounting machine because of the incredible amount of pressure required
to set the beads.  (The alignment guy drives an 85 Golf Diesel!  Smart man!)
Anyway, these tires are incredible quiet and smooth.  They feel strong on
the exit ramps, and you aren't afraid that they will explode when you hit a
pothole.  I haven't had the opportunity to try them in wet weather, and we
almost never get any significant amount of that white precipitation down
here.  I am not a tire expert, just another happy customer with a bleeding
credit card.  If it wasn't for this list, I would never have heard of "load
range C," and there is no telling what I would have ended up with.

Michael Townsend
townsend@rtp.ericsson.se

btw, my FLATS (Ingold Tire, Durham NC) said that someone else called asking
for this type of tire, after mine were received before I went to get them
mounted.  The other customer offered to buy them if I did not show up.  I am
curious if this other customer is on this list -- it wouldn't surprise me.
The tire vendor was extremely surprised to hear two requests in the same
week for these tires.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Fritz <jfritz@DECORAH.K12.IA.US>
To: vanagon@VANAGON.COM <vanagon@VANAGON.COM>
Date: Thursday, October 22, 1998 8:32 PM
Subject: I'm confused/frustrated

Volks,
Well, this tire issue is bringin' me down (can't you hear the steel guitar
in the background?!?)