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  View original topic: What TIRES fit? The ultimate tire thread! Page: Previous  1, 2, 3 ... 16, 17, 18 ... 55, 56, 57  Next
joetiger Thu Apr 14, 2016 5:22 pm

I picked up my Geolandars from TireRack's warehouse this morning and went to Big O Tires and had them mounted up. $396 for the tires, $112 for mounting, then to the mountains for a hike.

I really do love these tires; they're stable in the wind, quiet, soft over bumps, and they look great.



I had Big O put one of the better old Geo's on this cheesy black-and-chrome Ronal R9 as a spare (got the wheel on Ebay for $60 a while back. :shock: )



Now I need to figure out how to mount it in the tray, so I'm looking at the different threads on that topic now.

I'm glad I decided to dance with the date that brung me.

bobbyblack Thu Apr 14, 2016 6:47 pm

JoeTiger: if my calculator says you have a 26.9" diameter. Do you agree?

I have been wondering for a while about a near 27" tire in the spare pan. What is the deal with that pan idea? Why aren't people trying a crank up rig like most trucks use? Like my Suburban has a cranky thing that pulls the spare up with a cable. Put the pan part on top to keep the tire from impacting the steering, etc.

joetiger Fri Apr 15, 2016 8:54 am

bobbyblack wrote: JoeTiger: if my calculator says you have a 26.9" diameter. Do you agree?

I have been wondering for a while about a near 27" tire in the spare pan. What is the deal with that pan idea? Why aren't people trying a crank up rig like most trucks use? Like my Suburban has a cranky thing that pulls the spare up with a cable. Put the pan part on top to keep the tire from impacting the steering, etc.

Yep, it's 26.9". My wife's Highlander has that same crank-up contraption. I don't know why it hasn't been tried; I've never looked closely enough at how it works to see if it's feasible based on coolant pipes, shifter box, etc. that's in that space above the spare. This thread has some good info about other options;

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=248213&highlight=spare++tire++cafe

bobbyblack Wed May 04, 2016 10:42 am

Having a heck of a time finding rubber for my C230 / C240 rims (seen in today's Ult Wheels thread)
batekush wrote:
Would these wheels work on my 1982 2wd Vanagon and, if so, what kind of tires should i be looking at? The listing has them as 16x7s for a 2003 Mercedes C240.

I'm getting closer to figuring rubber. I would love to use the BFG's but can't go as far as 27"

Advice welcome for 26" to 26.5" rubber for these rims (or any 16" X 7" wide, I guess)

So far, I see these at 26.5"

MICHELIN
X-ICE XI3
Studless Ice & Snow
Size: 205/65R16 99T XL
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
UTQG: None

or
CONTINENTAL
WINTERCONTACT SI
Studless Ice & Snow
Size: 205/65R16 99H XL
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
UTQG: None

I see these in a 26.2" tire:

DUNLOP
WINTER MAXX
Studless Ice & Snow
Size: 215/60R16 99T XL
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
UTQG: None

or

MICHELIN
X-ICE XI3
Studless Ice & Snow
Size: 215/60R16 99H XL
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Low Rolling Resistance: Green X
UTQG: None

or

SUMITOMO
HTR A/S P02 (H- OR V-SPEED RATED)
High Performance All-Season
Size: 215/60R16 99V XL
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
UTQG: 600 A A

geodude Wed May 04, 2016 12:59 pm

Check out Nokian tires, they have several 205/65R16 tires that will work and I have yet to meet anyone who didn't like theirs. I have that size on my 90 and they work very well with my Subie 2.2. Mine are Hercules Power C/V, but I'm not sure they are being produced now, but if they are its been a great tire. Load Range D with deep tread.

I'm not sure if the 185/75R16 size can fit on that width rim, but the diameter is about the same as the 205/65R16 and there are several that meet the load requirements we need.

bobbyblack Wed May 04, 2016 1:58 pm

geodude,

Thanks!!!! Considering that the original tires on the C230/C240 rims were 195's I can't imagine 1 cm less being a problem.

I will take a look at the 185's

levi Wed May 04, 2016 6:47 pm

I have the clk 16, same 16" by 7"

If you look on tires-easy.com they have quite a few in the 26" to 26.5" range with 99XL or better.

I picked up some Accellera alpha about a year back ( 26.1" 215-60-16 ) that I'm happy with but there's lots of choices for you.

One thing to keep an eye on with that site is shipping charges, they range anywhere from from free to 100 $

crazyvwvanman Wed May 04, 2016 7:21 pm

If 99 XL street tires will work for you there are some Nokian closeout deals going on.
Here is a set of 4, no tax, free shipping, $311

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-New-215-60R16-Nokian-Ent...mp;vxp=mtr

Mark

bobbyblack Thu May 05, 2016 6:05 am

levi, crazyvwvanman,

The 215/60/16's fit in the spare pan? Or are you on a rear carrier? (syncro, etc.)

I still have to find another rim to match for the spare, so I'm not quite there yet, but I do like the look of the C230/240 rims. I do admit tho, the CLKs are better looking. I just happened to find the C230/240 first, and got the hardware for them from Christopher.

levi Fri May 06, 2016 6:32 pm

215/60/16 is almost identical to the stock tire diameter, so I would have to aSSume that it it would fit in the clamshell.

levi Fri May 06, 2016 6:33 pm

Wow, 311 delivered, for nokians, that is a deal.

With Treadwell of 700, woof

dsdunbar Mon May 09, 2016 11:46 am

Tire pressure question:

Kam provided a guide on how to identify what tire pressure to use for non standard wheel rims on page one of this thread. Some of the links are now dead.

Can anyone assist in pointing me towards an inflation recommendation for my current setup?

1989 full westy
Nokian Entyre 2.0 225/55R17
98XL
Maximum pressure printed on sidewall of tire is 50PSI

thanks.
-dsd

geodude Mon May 09, 2016 12:54 pm

There is a very good explanation of the process in this document from Toyo Tires.
http://www.toyotires.ca/sites/default/files/loadinflationtable.pdf

In short, get the load versus inflation pressure chart or numbers for the size tire you are using and look up the pressure that corresponds to the load on that wheel. All tires of the same size and the same standard have essentially the same load capacity for the same inflation pressure. IE a Michelin and a Toyo P225/55/17 will have the same load capacity at 35psi inflation (any difference will be slight).

Find the pressure on the chart that corresponds to the one you need and you got your starting pressure. Even if the chart doesn't reach the loading you need the graph is a straight line up to maximum inflation pressure so you can extend it to reach the pressures you will need for your tire. Just don't go past max inflation.

VW says you need 1580lbs minimum capacity for each rear tire.

davevickery Tue May 10, 2016 8:11 am

dsdunbar wrote:

Can anyone assist in pointing me towards an inflation recommendation for my current setup?

1989 full westy
Nokian Entyre 2.0 225/55R17
98XL
Maximum pressure printed on sidewall of tire is 50PSI

36 front/40 rear on that particular tire meets the GAWR. You could go higher, but I wouldn't go lower unless the van is lightly loaded

The very last page of this link is where you can get the amounts for your tire. Just look for the 98 Rating line and follow it across to a pressure that supports the Axle weights listed on your door jam. You need to reduce the amounts listed by 9%.
http://www.toyotires.ca/sites/default/files/loadinflationtable.pdf

campism Fri May 13, 2016 5:47 pm

bobbyblack wrote: Having a heck of a time finding rubber for my C230 / C240 rims (seen in today's Ult Wheels thread)
batekush wrote:
Would these wheels work on my 1982 2wd Vanagon and, if so, what kind of tires should i be looking at? The listing has them as 16x7s for a 2003 Mercedes C240.

I'm getting closer to figuring rubber. I would love to use the BFG's but can't go as far as 27"

Advice welcome for 26" to 26.5" rubber for these rims (or any 16" X 7" wide, I guess)

So far, I see these at 26.5"

SUMITOMO
HTR A/S P02 (H- OR V-SPEED RATED)
High Performance All-Season
Size: 215/60R16 99V XL
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
UTQG: 600 A A
I was considering the Sumitomos for my own 16x7s but was concerned about the width so wound up buying Achilles Multivan 205/65-16s from tires-easy.com. Diameter is 26.4" and a 102/107 load rating and they were under $300 for the four delivered. As a side note, it seems that many available in that size are winter tires.

Busdepot Sat May 28, 2016 5:24 am

I said a while back in this thread that I'd update when the new Hankook RA18's - the replacements for the venerable RA08 - are in. Well I was remiss, as they came in last week, but they're here. $99 for the 185's $109 for 195's.

185R14: http://www.busdepot.com/RA18
195R14: http://www.busdepot.com/RA18

By the way, the German magazine ProMobil gave them a stellar review, giving them first place in a head-to-head test against Michelin, Continental, etc.

pdm777 Wed Jun 01, 2016 11:54 am

My Michelin HydroEdge tires self destructed-
the sidewall disintegrated and separated from the tread. NOT SAFE!!!

After that, I switched brands found a tire well suited to Westys:

Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread 215/55-16.

97H load rating
(GoWesty sells 215/60-16 with lower load rating.)









Busdepot Fri Jun 03, 2016 7:44 pm

Quote: My Michelin HydroEdge tires self destructed-
the sidewall disintegrated and separated from the tread. NOT SAFE!!!
After that, I switched brands found a tire well suited to Westys:
Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread 215/55-16.
97H load rating
(GoWesty sells 215/60-16 with lower load rating.)

I'm sorry to be blunt, but you are making the same mistake twice. You went with the underrated HydroEdges that GW recommends and sure enough the sidewalls failed. So now you know firsthand why Volkswagen chose the spes that they did, and what can happen when you second-guess those specs. But instead of replacing them with tires that actually meet VW specs this time, you are going with yet another set of underrated tires (even if slightly higher rated than the GW ones). Vanagons need a load range of 95 if the tire is a light truck (LT) tire or 99 if not. (See http://www.busdepot.com/details/tires/.) These are not LT tires, so they would need a 99 load range to be suitable, not 97. OK they're better than the first ones, but after the hard lesson you learned why would you press your luck again?

davevickery Sat Jun 04, 2016 2:56 pm

Busdepot wrote:

I'm sorry to be blunt, but you are making the same mistake twice. You went with the underrated HydroEdges that GW recommends and sure enough the sidewalls failed. So now you know firsthand why Volkswagen chose the spes that they did, and what can happen when you second-guess those specs. But instead of replacing them with tires that actually meet VW specs this time, you are going with yet another set of underrated tires (even if slightly higher rated than the GW ones). Vanagons need a load range of 95 if the tire is a light truck (LT) tire or 99 if not. (See http://www.busdepot.com/details/tires/.) These are not LT tires, so they would need a 99 load range to be suitable, not 97. OK they're better than the first ones, but after the hard lesson you learned why would you press your luck again?


For the OP, a 97 rated passenger car tire was originally offered on late model vans so you can still use it provided you can meet the GAWRs after you reduce it by the required 9%. That 9% rule came about as part of the TREAD ACT of 2000 and applies to passenger car tires used on trucks and vans. When you down rate a 97 rated tire for a syncro it no longer meets the GAWR (3042lbs). But it still does for a 2wd van (2866 GAWR or 1433 lbs per tire).

Still I would keep an eye on the sidewalls and keep them properly inflated.

"FMVSS No. 120 also contains a requirement related to the use of passenger car tires on vehicles other than passenger cars. The requirement states that when a tire that is subject to FMVSS No. 109 is installed on a multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, bus, or trailer, the tire's load rating must be reduced by a factor of 1.10 by dividing by 1.10 before determining whether the tires on an axle are adequate for the GAWR. This 10 percent de-rating of P-metric tires provides a greater load reserve when these tires are installed on vehicles other than passenger cars. The reduction in the load rating is intended to provide a safety margin for the generally harsher treatment, such as heavier loading and possible off-road use, that passenger car tires receive when installed on a MPV, truck, bus or trailer, instead of on a passenger car."

B.O.B.Wanders Sun Jun 05, 2016 9:54 am

I like my BFG's, thank you. I recently had a rapid deflation at about 65 mph and was able to safely and gracefully exit the travel lanes and get over to the shoulder with no problem (the valve stem got cut - long story). Needless to say, the tire was shot, but I am convinced that having a properly rated LT tire on my Westy prevented a worse outcome. I had about 20K miles on them at the time.

After my last purchase there may be one 14" BFG still in inventory somewhere in Florida. Yes, I know tires age on the shelf, but I plan to run the tread off of them before they get too old. I bought two of the three tires my local Kaufmann Tires found in their search, and put one of the old BFG's as the spare. It just fits in the clamshell after removing the guide rods and adding a spacer on the bolt. (see spare tire carrier mods thread for options).

And FWIW - We were on the road in Arizona and my spare was one of the under-rated passenger tires that came with the van when I bought it. Running on that tire for any real distance was not an option. As luck would have it, there was a tire place right across the street from the hotel we stopped at after the flat. They had exactly one 14" LT tire on the rack out back. So I temporarily (for maybe 4K miles) replaced the BFG with a Nexen SV-820 which is, sadly, also extinct. It which seems like a really good LT tire. The Nexen has very similar specs to the BFG and would probably be a bit quieter. (Thank you, Six D Tire and Auto, Holbrook, AZ!).

Next time, I will probably just go ahead and upgrade to 15 or 16 inch SA steel rims as the options at 14" are pretty limited and getting worse. That has been on the wish list for a while anyway.


Rick



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