Tires
Posted by sdp
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It's certainly getting harder. Every year it seems our choices are half what it was the year before.
For track use I finally gave up and bought a 15" wheel. Not the solution for everyone, but I enjoy it 
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1989 - E30 - M20 - Manual. Approximately 270,000 miles 2000 - E46 - M52TUB28 - Manual. Approximately 110,000 miles 
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Wow, I just checked tire rack. 14's are gone
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One more good reason for me to be looking for a 318Ti
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You won't be sorry, but get a stick 
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Absolutely! |
I can't believe these assholes in america have stopped making 14 inch tires, what a bunch of losers! There are a lot of cars that still run em 
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Yeah, but none of them are anything close to an aggressive car. The last half way sporty cars to use 14" afaik are the E30 and the Honda civic. And that last one is questionable
We'll be able to find at least ONE 14" tire for some time to come. But there won't be anything but cheap no-season tires because no one spends good tire money on a volkswagon vanagon ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1989 - E30 - M20 - Manual. Approximately 270,000 miles 2000 - E46 - M52TUB28 - Manual. Approximately 110,000 miles
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Hi, Wow, interesting thread! I bought Michelins about a year ago. It did take a while for them to arrive - maybe 6 weeks. The tire shop had to "tag" them onto another order. I wonder if they were sent from Europe. Strangely the US tire shortage sound like a business opportunity. Buy a half a shipping container of tires in Portugal, ship them to the US's East Coast. After clearing customs, sell them on Ebay. Non-related question - I posted a new topic to the tech forum a couple days ago, but it has not appeared yet. Maybe Dave is busy? Any thoughts? Cheers, Kelly |
Post it again Kelly, it probably just didn't take. |
Now Tyler, I just can't let you get away with this comment. The tires a VW Vanagon (and the old VW Microbus) uses are anything but cheap no season tires. Those of us who have old buses are having a hard time finding tires too, but for a different reason than E30 owners. The bus / vanagon needs a 14 inch light truck tire. That's getting hard to find. I just spent almost $500 to order a set of five tires for one of my buses. I guess that might not be horribly expensive, but it sure isn't what I would call a cheap set of tires. And, of course, if they get more expensive I'll still have to buy them because passenger car tires on a bus are not a great idea. The light duty car sidewalls make for a squishy ride, scary curves, and a ride that wanders all over the road in the slightest cross wind. Take it easy on the old buses and vanagons Tyler. I'll be watching.
John - driver of no vehicles with "easy to find" tires. 
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I'm not going to argue... but can I question?
My direct experience with these comes as a child who rode in the backseat of one for many years, so I certainly never bought tires for them. But the internet tells me that an early 90's Vanagon weigh about the same as my E46, and with a 90hp engine (though 119 torque) I can't imagine it's carrying capacity is all that great. So does the Vanagon really NEED a light truck tire, or is that just what it came with? The internet also tells me that the balance on most of them were near 50-50. So does a "squishy" sidewall really matter? The internet also lies to me sometimes though...
I'll be sure and check my attitude at the door next time 
Don't you have a motorcycle? Those can't be too hard to find ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1989 - E30 - M20 - Manual. Approximately 270,000 miles 2000 - E46 - M52TUB28 - Manual. Approximately 110,000 miles Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2011 12:25PM by Earendil. |
Of course. Question authority, but not your mother. That's a sticker my wife put on the refrigerator years ago. The kids all ignored it, but what are you gonna do?
Oh no! You were raised by hippies! 
I'm so sorry. It was tough on my kids too. All the Grateful Dead posters around the house. It's a wonder they didn't go to business school.
Well, I think a lot of the VW stuff on the internet is BS, but the tire discussions I've seen aren't too bad. The weight rating of the bus (not sure about the vanagon, but it's probably the same) is surprisingly high. Before 1964 they were rated at 3/4 ton, 1964 and later models were rated at 1 ton. I know that seems high, but I have actually hauled a ton of gravel in my truck. I won't ever do that again, but now I know it can be done. The gearing is very low in the old buses, so the little engine could get a load moving - gradually, and the brakes were pretty good for drums. I felt OK about getting the truck stopped with all that gravel. What bothered me was the realization that I had no way to deal with a flat tire with all that weight in the bed. Plus, a ton of gravel looks pretty small once you spread it in the driveway. It just isn't worth it to haul 1 ton at a time. It might be true that you don't need the stiff tires all the time, but I like having them for the times when I have a lot of camping gear in the bus or a load in the truck. When I first started driving a bus, I always bought Michelin XZX radials. Those were car tires, but they had a pretty stiff sidewall and the bus felt stable on the road. As stable as a vehicle with a rear axle that pivots in the center will ever feel anyway. Once I couldn't get those, I bought what I thought were good tires, but they were passenger car tires. Things just never felt right with those tires. "Squishy" is one way to describe it. The biggest difference I notice now that I'm using the light truck tires is better response to steering. I also like that I can feel the road through the steering wheel better now than with the car tires - at least I think I can. That might be all in my head.
What?! Don't do that, just don't pick on the old VW owners. Save that for the people who drive AMC Pacers and Gremlins.
I like riding around on two wheels, but I'm the motor. Now if you want to talk about expensive tires, try some road bike (bicycle) tires. I spent $40 each on a pair of tires that are about half gone now at 1000 miles, and I want to get some that are about twice that much next time. Ouch! I need to find a way to make that purchase look like a necessary houshold expense.
John |
I noticed that a while ago, bike tyres are very expensive, they cost as much as a cheap car tyre. Who can explain why? |
My guess? A couple factors: 1. The first factor is probably that the process to shape the rubber costs more than the amount of raw rubber used. Therefore the difference between a small and large tire wouldn't be as different as the amount of rubber would imply. 2. Quantity. At least in the US, more car tires are sold than bike tires (a guess). 3. Perceived importance: More people on bikes look at that front tire as they're doing 25mph down a hill and think "I hope that tire doesn't pop". Though they should think of it, far fewer people think about what happens to their car if a tire pops. I bet people who ride bikes are willing to buy something a little better than bargain bin when it comes to tires. 4. Many bike tires in the US are not "nessesary". The off road tires especially. You can charge more for a product that is used in persuit of a hobby. Car tires are not this way, unless you are looking at tires for your new sports car. I know a guy with a 2011 Mustang GT. Try and find a cheap tire for that car ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1989 - E30 - M20 - Manual. Approximately 270,000 miles 2000 - E46 - M52TUB28 - Manual. Approximately 110,000 miles
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