Date:         Thu, 20 Sep 2007 20:55:52 -0400
Reply-To:     Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: Michelin Agilis Tires
Comments: To: Tom Buese <tombuese@COMCAST.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=response

  Using that logic, you might as well buy an extra Vanagon or two.
After all, they aren't making them any more, and what would you do if one of
them had a failure of some sort?

Mike B.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Buese" <tombuese@COMCAST.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 4:41 PM
Subject: Re: Michelin Agilis Tires


> On Sep 20, 2007, at 2:21 PM, Mike wrote:
>
>> I just bought 2 Michelin Agilis 81's for my original '87 Westy from
>> TireRack.  I love 'em!
>>  Michelin needs to get their head together, regarding giving
>> erronoeous
>> info to customers regarding their own products.  Several tire
>> dealers I
>> spoke to said that these were no longer available, also.  But one I
>> spoke to
>> said that they were available.
>
> I wonder if Michelin has stopped producing the Agilis & so the only
> ones that are available are those that dealers had in stock?
>
> Tom B.-I wanna order a set, but don't want to get stuck not having
> any replacements if I have a tire failure
>>
>> YMMV.....
>>
>> Mike B.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Mark Drillock" <mdrillock@COX.NET>
>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>> Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 11:35 AM
>> Subject: Re: Michelin Agilis Tires
>>
>>
>>> I think the model 61 is gone and 81 is what they still make.
>>>
>>> Tirerack shows Agilis in 14 and 15 in stock.
>>>
>>> Mark
>>>
>>> John Rodgers wrote:
>>>> I haven't checked, but they may well be out of stock - for a 14 inch
>>>> rim. I would check and see if they were available in a larger rim
>>>> size.
>>>> I'll bet they are. Of course that doesn't do you any good if you
>>>> have 14
>>>> in. rims, however. But this gets back to the same old song - you
>>>> have
>>>> better and more options with 15 and 16 inch rims than with the
>>>> stock 14
>>>> inch rims. This is what has motivated many  list members to upgrade
>>>> their rims.  Related to the larger rim upgrade, upgrading to the
>>>> bigger
>>>> diameter rims also allows for upgrading to the big brake kits.
>>>> Plus, you
>>>> can replace your rear shoe type brakes with disc brakes so you
>>>> will have
>>>> disc brake action on all four wheels. Much better braking actions, I
>>>> would say.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> John Rodgers
>>>> 88 GL Driver
>>>>
>>>> John Lauterbach wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi John,
>>>>>
>>>>> I called Michelin customer service last week and told the
>>>>> representative that my '84 VW Vanagon needed a new set of Agilis
>>>>> 61s
>>>>> in 185R14C.  He told me that Michelin could not provide me with
>>>>> tires
>>>>> for my van as tires were out-of-stock and no longer made.
>>>>>
>>>>> John
>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Rodgers"
>>>>> <inua@CHARTER.NET>
>>>>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>>>> Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 8:48 AM
>>>>> Subject: Re: Michelin Agilis Tires
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Frank,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> That's bogus! It's a marketing ploy by Costco.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Gases - nitrogen or otherwise - all follow the "Ideal Gas Law".
>>>>>> This
>>>>>> law
>>>>>> - oft stated in chemistry and physics - is comprised of three
>>>>>> other
>>>>>> laws
>>>>>> - Boyles Law, Charles Law, and Gay-Lussac's Law.  A fairly
>>>>>> comprehensive
>>>>>> and easy to read summary of these laws is found in Wikipaedia. The
>>>>>> inside volume of the tire remains constant, so as temperature
>>>>>> changes,
>>>>>> whether from the weather or from rolling friction on the road, the
>>>>>> pressure will change. The case for nitrogen being used in the
>>>>>> Agilis
>>>>>> tire is that it is a very dry gas - no entrained moisture - and
>>>>>> being a
>>>>>> relatively inert gas, it reduces the tendency of the tire to rot.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> BTW, I'm soon to need new tires, and the Agilis is my choice
>>>>>> for the
>>>>>> next set.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> John Rodgers
>>>>>> 88 GL Driver
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Frank Condelli wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In a message dated 20/09/2007 6:15:56 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
>>>>>>> WHalsey@sya.org writes:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Why  nitrogen? I have never heard of that.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Because that's what COSTCO is doing.  The  pamphlet I got from
>>>>>>> COSTCO says:
>>>>>>> Nitrogen helps stabilize a tire's  inflation pressure.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Frank  Condelli
>>>>>>> Almonte, Ontario, Canada
>>>>>>> '87 Westy & Lionel Trains (_Collection for sale_
>>>>>>> (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/trainsal.htm) )
>>>>>>> _Frank Condelli &  Associates_
>>>>>>> (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
>>>>>>> - Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
>>>>>>> _Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust  Systems_
>>>>>>> (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)
>>>>>>> _BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a
>>>>>>> VW Camper
>>>>>>> camping event, Almonte, ON, June 07 ~ 10,  2007
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>