What TIRES fit? The ultimate tire thread!

[campism]

I just found load-rated 16s for my Vanagon at tires-easy.com and they show several 102 index tires in your size, mostly winter ones but they also have the Entyre.
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic

[campism]

A little feedback after the first real drive, a 30-mile round trip on wet pavement to get inspected and then home. The tires feel stout, and definitely more resistant to sidewinds and truck bow waves than the old tires. Noise level seems okay but this is a Westy so not the quietest of vehicles anyway. Very solid tracking and good feel over bridge expansion joints and sketchy pavement. It would be great if they improved fuel mileage, grew my hair back and made me younger, but I'll take what they provide right now.

[gonefishen]

Looks rely good with that setup. Enjoy the ride.

[dsdunbar]

I was wondering if it would be possible to add to this thread the 17" wheel options?

I went back to the first page where the "tire options available" is listed and it seems like it is being kept updated (for 16" and 15" wheel options) and I am thinking I'm not the only person looking at 17" tires.

Thoughts?
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'89 2WD Westy "Grey Goose" - Manual 4spd
Crozet VA
Vanaru EJ25, Peloquin

[mreprize]

Anyone tried the Falken ZE-914 ECORUN?

I was looking to put some of these on my 914 because they come in a couple sizes that will fit (and im corny, Ze914 on a 914!!!) , when I happen to notice they have a 215/60r16 in a 99H XL load rating 50PSI max. I am very tempted to try them on the 16" wheels I just bought the van given the 600 treadwear and supposedly low rolling resistance for improved economy. Probably not a good winter option but I mainly drive in decent weather.

Thoughts?

http://www.falkentire.com/tires/car-tires/ziex-ze914-ecorun-tire

[CousinSven]

There aren't a lot of options for Eurovans, but after reading more reviews on the Nokian Entyre tires I decided to buy them. I purchased 4 (+1 for the spare) for just under $360, with free prime shipping from Amazon. That's in the correct 225 60R16 102 load rated size.

Thanks for the recommendation Geodude!

[mreprize]

[campism]

The Sumitomo in 215/60-16 from tirerack.com was my choice until I found the Achilles in 205/65-16 from tires-easy.com. I wanted the taller sidewall and slightly narrower tire for clearance and the load rating is much greater at 107.
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic

[bjrogers86auto]

Nokian has a new tire out called the C line in van or cargo. I'm running 215/65/15 p rated and plan on going to 205/65/15 c rated in either the Nokian or Continental Vanco Four season. Just wanted to let folks know about the new Nokian model.

Brian
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86 Vanagon GL Westfalia 2.1
18 Nissan Frontier Pro 4X
19 Honda Civic Hatchback

A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin and Hobbes.

[Busdepot]

For those sticking with 14" wheels, I have an update on the Hankooks, which have been the "go to" for Vanagon owners for a long time. To recap, Hankook is replacing the RA08 with the RA18. At the moment we still have RA08's left (having bought the rest of Hankook's inventory) so you actually have a choice between the two. Here's how they compare...

The RA18 is largely similar to the RA08 we all know and love, with one notable difference. While the RA08 is solidly an All Season tire, the RA18 may be slightly less "all season." Let me explain. Both tires carry the M&S rating, meaning that they meet U.S. industry standards for "mud and snow" driving. But not all M&S tires are equal because the standards are fairly broad. The actual tread pattern on the RA08 is a bit more aggressive and probably better suited for winter driving (although still not comparable to an actual snow tire).

Hankook themselves seem to recognize this difference, in that they sold the RA08 as an All Season tire but are waffling a bit on the RA18 - In a press release they promoted it as All Season (and they put the M&S logo on the sidewall), yet online they call it a Summer tire. That being said, it is still an M&S tire and a better choice for year-round use than most competing tires that are strictly summer-only (the Conti's, Yoko's, etc.).

In terms of independent road test rankings, both versions have placed at the top and seem to be relatively comparable. Several years ago the German publication Promobil gave the RA08 top honors in head-to-head braking and handling testing against Michelins and other tires, using Mercedes Sprinter sized vans. Similarly, in a subsequent version of the same test, the RA18 was the top pick. The magazine concluded, "The best tyre under wet conditions, and not impeded in the dry, the new Hankook is clearly the winner." It was the only tire that received their "Very Good" rating, while the Conti and Michelin got "satisfactory." As for Hankook themselves, their promotional literature says the RA18 has slightly better treadwear and rolling resistance than the RA08, although it provides no actual specs to support those claims.

So where does this leave you? Short-term, while we still have RA08's (http://www.busdepot.com/ra08), you have a choice. If you anticipate doing any cold weather driving I'd definitely snag some RA08's while you still can, as they appear to be somewhat better suited for that with no real downside. However, once they're gone, it seems that the RA18's will still be the best of the remaining highway tires, given their excellent test performance and the fact that they are M&S rated unlike most of the competition. We will have RA18's in both 185R14 and 195R14 sizes in a couple of weeks.
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- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com

[Weezyissuperfast]

Are the Hankook RA08 (and now the RA18) the only stock size 14" tires available anymore? I can't seem to find any other options that meet (or are close to) the load rating requirements.

[campism]

[geodude]

In the stock 185R14 size there are several choices, here are a few
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.js...;zip-code=

https://tiresize.com/tires/Kumho/Radial-857-185R14.htm

http://www.tires-easy.com/nokian-c-line-van/185-65-R14/tirecode/NOKI0041418565D\

http://www.tires-easy.com/vredestein-comtrac-all-season/185-R14/tirecode/VRED01014C185RC

Hercules Power C/V came in that size, but not sure if they still do.
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1988 GL Camper
1991 Multivan — the basket case

[Busdepot]

The Conti's and Yoko's in the first link are strictly Summer tires. Read the reviews on the page. None of them are well reviewed for wet roads, a condition in which the Hankooks (both versions) excel as per test reports. Not personally a fan of the Conti's, but the D-range Yoko's aren't bad on dry summer roads. The Nokian is the wrong size entirely, 185/65R14. As for the last link, I've never used the Vredestein Comtracs in the 185R14 size specifically, but I've used them in other sizes and they acquitted themselves quite well. If there is a tire among these that might give the Hankooks a run for their money it would probably be those (although they are a little more expensive).
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- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com

[retroman]

Hankook ra08 is on amazon in 195r/14 for $115 ea delivered. If you have prime. My favorite so i ordered 4 more .
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1967 bug recovering from a PO
1987 Vanagon Wolfsburg Weekender "Otto" been all over the place with never a problem!

[vegpedlr]

14 inch BFG A/T vs General Grabber

Looking at the specs for these tires, it doesn't look like they meet Vanagon load specs in the stock wheel size. Am I misunderstanding something? It seems they are popular tires.

[nemobuscaptain]

[crazyvwvanman]

You are right. If you search on that product number it shows as 185R14C everywhere else.

Mark

[Slimvest]

Just put the General Grabber AT2 on my tintop last week and have about 200 miles on them. 205-75-15.

Overall, I'm happy with the handling, ride and road noise levels. I had Nokian Entyres 205-70-15 on the van. I definitely noticed less climbing power with the new tires, which was more of a surprise than expected. Grabbers are 3lbs heavier per tire and 0.8" larger in diameter compared to the Entyres.

I kept the Nokians, as they have a lot of treadlife left. Still unsure if I'm okay with the loss in hill climbing power.
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'87 GL w/ Reimo top

[jimf909]

^^^ This is helpful as I'm considering making the same change, albeit with 215/60R16 > 215/65R16. My primary concern was losing some torque.
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- Jim