Wholey farkin' schmit!
5160!
I looked and looked for tires for bigger wheels and stock size when I
was shopping tires.
Have you looked for the Hankooks at Discount Tire?
Trey got his from Discount, but I could not find anyone at the
Discount near me that would even try.
I know you wanted a answer, not another question.
I wish I could just tell you what to buy.
I think you would be better off with the light truck over any
passenger car tire.
On Jun 16, 2006, at 8:10 PM, j duncan wrote:
Sorry for revisiting this somewhat well-worn topic but I'm still looking for advice. The Hankook tires at Bus Depot that Dan recommended are sold out with no reorder. Bummer.
Here's what I have, and have found out, so far:
Vanagon specs on door jamb: GVWR = 5160 Front = 2646 Rear = 2866 Front: 43 psi regular tires, 36 psi reinforced tires Rear: 53 psi regular tires, 40 psi reinforced tires
Freedom has GoWesty 16" rims with Michelin X-One tires. These Michelin X-One are P215/60R-16 rated at 1477 lbs. @ 35psi. Oddly, I cannot find any information on these exact tires but only on larger, truck/RV tires (P235 and up). Regardless, they are underrated, especially regarding the air pressure. Not only does it have a squirrelly ride but I'm certain one of the steel belts is broken in the front, driver's side tire, which is causing a shake in the ride.
Minimum load ratings per BusDepot.com and basically supported at roadhaus.com:
Light truck tires: 1520 (load index 95)
Passenger car tires: 1670 lbs. (load index 99)
I know Ronnie said he's riding, and likes, the 16" GoWesty package, which comes with Michelin HydroEdge tires. They are rated 1477 lbs. @ 44psi. These are still underrated per the weight specs on the door jamb, although they meet the air pressure guidelines.
I would really like to find a tire that handles well, rides quiet and meets the specs on the door jamb. Remember, I'm trailering a bike with a tongue weight (did I say tongue?) of approximately 150 lbs. The only other tire BusDepot.com has available is a snow tire. It meets all the specs but a snow tire in TX?
Here are the tires I've researched so far:
Michelin HydroEdge (P215/60R-16): 1477 lbs. @ 44 psi
Michelin Pilot LTX (LT215/70R16): 1604 lbs. @ 44 psi
*Michelin XPS Rib (LT215/85R16E): 2680 lbs. @ 80 psi
Hankook Icebear W300 (225/60R16XL): 102V load index (This is the snow tire)
*Hankook Dynamic RF04 All Terrain (LT225/75R16): 2680 lbs. @ 80 psi
Hankook Dynapro AS RH03 Highway All Season (P215/70R16): 1709 lbs. @ 44 psi
Hankook Dynapro AS RH03 Highway All Season (P225/70R16-XL): 1984 lbs. @ 44 psi
Hankook Dynamic Z36 All season (LT245/75R16): 1765 lbs. @ 50 psi
* These are they only two that come close to meeting the 2866 lbs rear as specified on the door jamb.
I have no idea if some of the above tires will even fit. And I have no idea how to convert the load index to lbs., although I do know a load index of 100 = 1764 lbs. I'm lousy at math, okay?
Here are some of the best links I've come across on the subject: http://busdepot.com/details/tires.jsp#Brand%20Info http://www.roadhaus.com/tires.html http://www.gowesty.com/wheelstiresinfo.html
I also searched the TCB archives but most threads were for 14" wheels and pointedly led to the out-of-stock Hankook tires.
At the risk of opening a can of worms, I simply want someone to tell me what to buy at this point. I'm exasperated.
Should I go for the passenger snow tires or light truck tires?
WHAAAAAH!!!!!!!!
Oh, I guess I could just go to a tire shop and ask but you know how customer service is these days, "I just work here. . .but trust me anyway."
Thanks for advice, Duncan "Freedom van Gogh" 3.3L Vanaru
