The  Michelin Agilis tire, 185R14C, the tire of choice for all VW Buses and 
Van and  especially popular on the Vanagon model, as we have heard from 
Michelin is no  longer in production.  I am about to  dispute this fact with 
some hard evidence.  While in Mexico this past winter, see my 
_www.westfaliatravels.com_ (http://www.westfaliatravels.com/)  blog, I had the opportunity 
to  see brand new Michelin Agilis tires in many locations and a friend of 
mine  purchased a set from Sams Club in Puerto Vallarta.  He has taken photos 
of these tires to  show you what I am about to present to you.  Michelin has 
not ceased the production  of these tire but instead has withdrawn them from 
the US and Canadian market for  some reason.  The Michelin Agilis  tires as 
you will see from the photos here > 
_http://picasaweb.google.com/FCondelli/MichelinAgilisTires#_ 
(http://picasaweb.google.com/FCondelli/MichelinAgilisTires) ,  are new with a production date stamp  (4409) which is the last week 
of October 2009.  They do not have any number marking  after the word 
Agilis as the ones we previously had here in the US and Canada,  ie, no number 
51, 61 or 81.  Instead  there is a blank spot.  The load  range of the tires 
is stamped 1875 lbs/ per tire.  The manufacturing location is marked  “France”
. And, the very unique item is there is no DOT number but instead a  blank 
spot where it usually is or was !  Because of these details I am “presuming”
 Michelin has decided to  withdraw these tires form the US and Canadian 
market and has not submitted them  from DOT testing.  These tires are  
available and not out of production in Mexico.  I have seen them at Costco, Sams 
Club,  Coppel and many other smaller shops that sell tires in Mexico.  So…
..draw your own conclusion.  If you want a set then you will have to  go to 
Mexico or some other country that is now carrying the Michelin Agilis.  

Please note  that I will be away from my business travelling in the USA and 
Mexico from  November 18, 2009 until April 30, 2010.  Parts orders will be 
processed  although not as quickly as usual.  I will always be available by  
E-mail.  If you phone, your call will be addressed by Greg T. Brown here  
and he will either call you back or advise you to contact me directly by 
E-mail.  See my _www.frankcondelli.com_ (http://www.frankcondelli.com/)   
website for complete details.  Travel Blog at _www.westfaliatravels.com_ 
(http://www.westfaliatravels.com/) 

Cheers,    

Frank  Condelli

Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains (_Collection for sale_ 
(http://frankcondelli.com/trainsal.htm) )
_Frank Condelli &  Associates_ (http://frankcondelli.com/busindex.html)  - 
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
_Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust  Systems_ 
(http://frankcondelli.com/exhaust.htm)  
_BusFusion_ (http://www.busfusion.com/)  a VW  Camper camping event, 
Almonte, ON, June 10 ~ 13,  2010