Date:         Tue, 19 May 1998 15:28:39 EDT
Reply-To:     SCurtis269 <SCurtis269@AOL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         SCurtis269 <SCurtis269@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Tire Failure
Comments: To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

FOUR TIRE FAILURES IN 3000 miles:

For those of you who don't think putting the proper tires on your vanagons is
important then read my story.

Last October while in route to outer banks of NC, noticed van starting to
shake quite bad near Dover Delaware, stopped and found a huge bubble on the
top of left rear tire.  Luckily found "Billy Bob's Used Tires", no offense to
any Billy bob's out there, and purchased a slightly used tire in the same
size.  Lucky because I did not want to start out over the Chesapeake bay
bridge tunnel with a bad tire pulling a 10-foot utility trailer.  I finished
trip and put approximately another 1200 miles on van and placed in storage for
the winter.

Two weeks ago pulled van from storage and prepared for my spring trip to the
outer banks.  Made it down with no problems.  On the return trip home, started
experiencing the same shaking as before.  Pulled over in Salisbury MD and
found the same, but worse, tire failure.  Installed factory Michelin spare and
really started to wonder if I should stop and buy a new set of tires.  Next
morning in NJ, stooped at an NTB tire store, a Goodyear tire store and Sears,
and none of them had the 205/70/R14 in the "C" load rating.  After inspecting
the remaining two front tires, I decide I could make it Home to Upstate NY.
WRONG!  Traveling North of Albany on I87, left front tire blows at 70 MPH.
Luckily held the van on the road and got off before being run down by a semi.
3 down, one to go!  Found a truck stop at the next exit and after a 2-hour pit
stop and a hundred bucks, I threw the dice again and resumed the ride home on
the last of the suspect tires.  Made it home at 2:00 a.m. and after inspecting
the last original tire this morning I was lucky to make it on that one.  There
was a noticeable cup on the tread.

Morale of story: Don't assume any tire will do, and read every post that has
"tire" in the subject, cuse I didn't and now I have to start the tire thread
again!

Oh, those tires that failed: TOYO touring 800's with 50,000 miles on em.
(80,000 thread warranty)

Any suggestions on tires that have the "C" load rating?

I almost forgot, I need a steel rim and a hubcap

Scott Curtis
90 Westfalia