Hi all. With all the talk of taller tires and different wheels, I
thought the following chart might be of interest. Use a fixed-width
font to line up the columns, or import to your favorite spreadsheet
or database program. Tires with sufficient load ratings are available
for all sizes listed - whether the tires would be appropriate for or
even fit on the Vanagon is another matter...

Spec      Wheel Tread Sidewall Diameter Circumference  Rev  RelativeMPH
--------- ----- ----- -------- -------- -------------  ---  -----------
185/75-14 14    7.2   5.5      24.9     78.3           809  70
195/75-14 14    7.6   5.8      25.5     80.2           790  71.6
205/70-14 14    8     5.6      25.3     79.5           797  71.0
205/70-15 15    8     5.6      26.3     82.6           767  73.8
205/75-15 15    8     6.1      27.1     85.2           744  76.1
215/70-15 15    8.4   5.9      26.9     84.4           751  75.4
215/75-15 15    8.4   6.3      27.7     87             728  77.7
225/70-15 15    8.8   6.2      27.4     86.1           736  76.9
225/75-15 15    8.8   6.6      28.3     88.9           713  79.4
235/70-15 15    9.2   6.5      28       87.8           722  78.4
235/75-15 15    9.2   6.9      28.9     90.7           698  81.1
205/80-16 16    8     6.5      28.9     90.8           698  81.1
215/70-16 16    8.4   5.9      27.9     87.5           724  78.2
215/85-16 16    8.4   7.2      30.4     95.5           664  85.2
225/70-16 16    8.8   6.2      28.4     89.2           710  79.7
225/75-16 16    8.8   6.6      29.3     92             689  82.1
235/70-16 16    9.2   6.5      29       91             697  81.2
235/75-16 16    9.2   6.9      29.9     93.9           675  83.8
235/85-16 16    9.2   7.9      31.7     99.7           636  89.0

Dimensions are in inches. "Rev" is revolutions per mile. "RelativeMPH"
refers to the speed you'd be going at the engine RPM required to go
70 MPH with the "stock" 185R14 tire. "RelativeMPH" is simply a
calculated value based on "Rev". Dimensions are calculated, not
observed and will vary in real life based on wheel width, psi, etc.

And now the question...does anyone know *for sure* if 15" Mercedes
steel wheels will fit a Vanagon properly without modification - i.e.
not need to be milled to clear the hub, correct offset, etc? If they
do fit, I think I'm off to the junkyard!

Doug Fitz-Randolph
Yarmouth, ME
'90 Syncro