Randy in Maine wrote:Lanval wrote: ** edit ** Michael L
I bought the GoWesty 15" alloys with the 215/65/15 95 load index Michelins car tires. Nice wheels, lousy tires. I gave the tires away with about 10K on them.
Just buy the wheels naked and put on some nice properly rated Nokians, Michelin Agillis or the Vredestein Contracs from Bus Depot. Mine are the Vredesteins. Huge improvment. The perfect size would be 205/70/15s but mine are 205/65/15. Load index of 100.
Randy, I thought I linked to it above, but here's the link, just in case:
http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_1 ... kages.html
I got the 205/65/16 Nokian Hakka C tires on the 16 in wheels. Hopefully I don't suffer too much from the shorter sidewall, but then I don't get off road, or even rough pavement very often.
Here's a comment from the Samba from a guy who has the same vehicle/tires I do/will have:
"I put a set of Nokian Hakka C's from Van Cafe on two years ago and was amazed at how much quieter and what a nicer ride they provide than my previous Geolanders. The downside is they are no bueno in snow or off road.
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1985 Westfalia 2.1"
Considering I put Geolanders on our Volvo, and they are extremely quiet, that's quite a statement...
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Colin,
The tires are certainly not top-of-the-line, and cornering isn't awesome, but I'm mainly talking about freeway driving, blowby from semis and so on; the tires don't track well (grooved pavement, which we don't have down here much, is a horror) and don't inspire a sense of confidence in my connection to the road. That's why I'm thinking the suspension components may be as important, or more important, than the tires. That said, I appreciate your concern and willingness to apply your expertise here; I'll be more attentive as I drive on the new tires, and will look forward to giving you a chance to drive them and see what you think, and your feelings about how the tires respond. Hopefully, the suspension will be done by the time of your arrival, so we can get an honest sense of what the tires can do.
Best,
Michael L
**edit ~ Randy, I forgot to say "thanks" for your input; I thought about getting the 15", but wanted a steel rather than an alloy rim (cost was the main issue). Good tip on the Vredsteins ~ I'll keep those on the list for the next go-around.
ML