TheSamba.com :: View topic - 185/R14- is the the standard tire for vans?

Fri Oct 26, 2007 5:10 pm

My "new" '87 has 185/R14 Michelins.
Before spending money I just wanted to make sure these are the correct sizing. Thanks!

Fri Oct 26, 2007 5:13 pm

Fri Oct 26, 2007 5:17 pm

Those are the original size, but VW also used 205/70/14 on some of them. There are a few tires available in 195/75/14 that have the proper 6 ply rating. You might want to go for one of these two wider sizes. The 185s are a bit on the skinny side.

David

Fri Oct 26, 2007 5:28 pm

My understanding is the 185/70/14 was original on steel rims, and 205/70/14 was original on alloys.

Aloha

Sat Oct 27, 2007 12:29 am

zohami wrote: My understanding is the 185/70/14 was original on steel rims, and 205/70/14 was original on alloys.

Aloha

A 185/70R14 is going to be grossly underrated, they were never used by VW on a van. They are rated somewhere around 400 lbs less per tire than OEM tires and 600 lbs less per tire than many 8 plys. If you run a set then the load capacity for 4 tires would be 2400# less than a 185/14C, that would be down right dangerous. A 185/70R14 is also going to be way shorter than stock as well.

Though many people successfully run P205/70R14's they are going to be pretty marginal still as they are rated a couple of hundred pounds less than the OEM tires. If you feel you must run passenger car tires at least buy a very high quality tire.

Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:27 am

I still have one of the OEM Continental (made in Germany) tires from my '86. It is a 185R14C with a load rating of 1710 lbs. I have been running with Michellin LTX LT195/75 R14. They have a load rating of 1435 lbs.

Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:33 am

kobylan wrote: I still have one of the OEM Continental (made in Germany) tires from my '86. It is a 185R14C with a load rating of 1710 lbs. I have been running with Michellin LTX LT195/75 R14. They have a load rating of 1435 lbs.

This is just a "me too!" reply

My spare was the original, circa 1980 and its the same size and rating as you mentioned. When it came time to replace it last year (yea, I know) I didn't want to even toss it out. Seemed like a museum piece, being unused and just sitting for all these years.

I have been running the LTX, again same size as yours, and think they are among the finest tires I have ever owned. Wouldn't think they would be happy on a Westy, but they are plenty for my plain vanagon.

Sat Oct 27, 2007 10:33 am

The only tire that Michelin makes anymore that will actually meet the weight standards and the correct diameter is the Agillis 185R14. My suggestion would to not go cheap on the weight standards, as it pays off when you are in an emergency situation and the handling is better. Correct diameter is more important in an aircooled bus however.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Michelin&model=Agilis&tirePageLocQty=

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a Michelin guy and use a 195/75/14 LTX as a spare for my 79 Bayindow.

I am considering using a Hancook 195R14 with the new camper special though.

Sat Oct 27, 2007 12:35 pm

Just to clarify, 185/70/14 is not the size used by VW. 185/14 is what VW used. The aspect ratio on these is 80, so they are 10% larger in diameter than a 185/70/14 would be.

I have mixed feelings about the whole 6 ply rating debate. The Michelin LTX 4s I previously had on my van are 6 ply rated, but have only a 1477 lb load rating as opposed to the 1733 lb load rating of the original Continental 185/14s. A lot of people will tell you that going below this 1733 lb load rating is asking for trouble - but the 205/70/14 Michelin MXL tires that VW equipped all Syncros with had a load rating of only 1521lbs.

The way I see it is that a load rating in the 1400-1500 range is just fine. That allows for a 5900 GVW. That means you can still load a 3600 lb van up to 1 ton and still be below the limit of the tires. The 6 ply rated tires do tend to have stiffer sidewalls, which lead to much better stability in crosswinds and in corners. This is much more of an issue with skinny 185s than 205/70/14s, and it again is not an issue with a 15 or 16" wheel upgrade.

I know people who have run 205/70/14 non-6PR tires on Vanagons and had excellent results. I would certainly choose this tire size any day over the very few choices you have left when buying 185/14C6PR tires. But better yet, switch to 15" wheels and run 215/60/15 tires. This is the best overall Vanagon tire size I have found.

David

Sat Oct 27, 2007 1:17 pm

I just put Hankooks RA08 195R14 on my 83 1/2 Vanagon while I have Michelin 195/75R14 6pr LTX on my Multivan. The Michelins ride like rocks compared to the Hankooks, plus they cost way more, and are not rated to handle anywhere near the load. If the tire life comes out anywhere near the same, I won't be a Michelin man any more.

Sat Oct 27, 2007 3:45 pm

D Clymer wrote: But better yet, switch to 15" wheels and run 215/60/15 tires. This is the best overall Vanagon tire size I have found.
David

Please point me someplace where i can find something that will be bus rated and the correct diameter for my 15"x7" GoWestys. I have not seen very much that gives me what I need.

Thanks in advance.

Sat Oct 27, 2007 5:09 pm

Go here and read: http://www.roadhaus.com/tires.html

I posted this a long time ago in the bay window tire sticky.

Sat Oct 27, 2007 7:04 pm

Wildthings wrote: zohami wrote: My understanding is the 185/70/14 was original on steel rims, and 205/70/14 was original on alloys.

Aloha

A 185/70R14 is going to be grossly underrated, they were never used by VW on a van. They are rated somewhere around 400 lbs less per tire than OEM tires and 600 lbs less per tire than many 8 plys. If you run a set then the load capacity for 4 tires would be 2400# less than a 185/14C, that would be down right dangerous. A 185/70R14 is also going to be way shorter than stock as well.

Though many people successfully run P205/70R14's they are going to be pretty marginal still as they are rated a couple of hundred pounds less than the OEM tires. If you feel you must run passenger car tires at least buy a very high quality tire.

This could probably be a bit clearer - what's not made clear here is that the original tires were LT, i.e. light truck tires with a substantially stronger sidewall. In fact, 185/70/R14 weren't used, because they used a 185/14 LT or some such designation, which as mentioned above, was really an 80, not a 70.

The difference is also in the construction - my Volvo 240 rode on 175/70R14 tires just fine - they would have fit on the Vanagon, but did not have the necessary strength. There is a pretty good discussion of this issue here in the stickys, if I'm not mistaken. Go over to Westfalia.org if you want a very clear, and strident discussion of the needs of the Vanagon for tires.

Do a search at some of the tire websites, and you'll find the 185/80/14 given, but in a C or LT model, for the extra added sidewall strength.

Best,

Lanval
Bottom line - 185/14 in an LT model.

Tue Oct 30, 2007 1:11 pm

OK - I stand corrected - and thank you all for clearing this up.