Date: Fri, 25 May 2007 01:08:35 -0400
Reply-To: Phil Zimmerman <philzimm1@OBERON.ARK.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Phil Zimmerman <philzimm1@OBERON.ARK.COM>
Subject: Re: What size tire for 16" rim?
From: Kevin Dawson <Calwolfie@AOL.COM>
Subject: What size tire for 16" rim?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Hi Everyone,
I know you all dread tire questions but.... I just got some real nice
Mercedes rims that are 16" X 7" with a 37mm off set and I think they will look
great. I the question I have is what tires to use. I've seen you discuss 14"
and 15" but not really 16." So I would welcome any thoughts you might have.
This would be for a 87' Westy with normal height springs and we don't plan on
off roading.
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Hi Kevin
All good responses from Dennis, Jack, Jordan and George, which cover a wide range of
applications. FWIW, I love tire threads.... I am sick!
I have personally run both 205:65R16 (Nokian CQ) and 215:65R16 (Nokian WR) sizes. Installed on
6.5" wide rims. I have an AT Westie, with the 27" diameter 215:65R16's the loss in acceleration
was significantly felt. Kinda relative with a stock WBX engine though. The WR's were great all-
around performers. Tread life was acceptable at 85,000Km.
The CQ's are a full snow tire. Real grippy on anything slick. Became a bit noisy and less stable on
dry pavement as they wore down. At ~50,000Km the tread is almost to the wear-bars. Expensive
tires but their grip on anything slick was phenomenal.
In a perfect world, I prefer the 205:65 size to the 215:65 size because of the acceleration hit one
suffers with the larger diameter 215 size tire. I would be interested in hearing of folks experience
with the 225:60 size. As I do a significant amount of driving on gravel roads, I have resisted
dropping down to a 60 series profile. But, for Highway Cruising I would think the 60 series would
track exceptionally well, similar to my experience with the Nokian WR's in 215:65R16 size. The
ride will be "firm" I suspect.
What am I driving on now? Don't ask! The last 8 weeks has been totally frustrating with OUT of
Stock notices at all Warehouses in Western Canada for any suitable load rated tire in a 205:65R16
size. In hindsight, the cheap but informative kind, perhaps think long and hard when sizing up to
a 16" wheel. Availability of tires in the smaller 195/205/215:70/65/60 sizes are rather limited.
From my resent experience, with 15" rims I would have had a virtual-flood of tire choices.
Thinking down the road, so to speak, with engine transplants. The larger 16" rim may payoff with
the ability to run a larger diameter tire to change the gearing without the exorbitant costly
changes to transmission or differential gearing.
Regards
Phil Z.
Campbell River, BC
BusFusion & Labrador Bound this summer (on new tires I hope)
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