Hi,
I just got off the phone with VW of America.  I called them a few  weeks ago
asking them for a letter stating what size of tires they would specify  for
the Vanagon.  I told them that Michelin has stated that they are  discontinuing
many of the 14 inch tire sizes and that the selection of 14" tires  to chose
from, that have the correct load rating was limited and becoming fewer  by the
year.  I asked them to specify a 15" tire and a 16" tire.  It  took them a
couple of days but Becky of VW called to say that they would specify  a 205/65
R15 c or a 225/60 R 16.  She said that all tires should be a load  97 or greater
and that they would send me a follow up letter making it  official.
I later was playing around with an online tire size calculator and am
finding that the 225/60-16 is 5.39% bigger than the 205/70-14. The calculator
brought up a warning that anything over 5% could be dangerous as it could
overwhelm the brakes.  Comparing the 225/60-16 to the 185-14, there is only  3.89%
difference.  That seems to be acceptable.  I have a stock 87'  westy 2wd,
automatic. Could the increase in tire size overstrain the  tranny/engine?  What about
the concern with the brakes?  I know there  are upgrades for the brakes but I
don't think I'll have time to do the brakes  before our summer trip.  I do
need new tires and I have some very nice 16"  Mercedes rims I want to use.
Anyone out there already using  225/60-16?

I haven't got the letter from VW yet but once I do I would be willing to
share it with the group as it might make buying tires from some venders (like
Costco) easier.

Thanks,
Kevin

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