Tires

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[December 30, 2008, 04:29:43 PM] brand70: its fuel injected

[December 30, 2008, 05:34:19 PM] rusty71: We have a 1971 VW Bus and would like to shorten it.  Does anyone out there know how to cut the bus in half.  Do you have pics

[December 30, 2008, 05:35:19 PM] rusty71: Need to know the pros and cons of cutting a bus to shorten it.  Please help!!!

[December 30, 2008, 05:41:54 PM] rusty71: This bus has a rebuilt motor and carb.  It does not want to idle when it warms up.  It's a Solex 34.  What's Up?

[December 30, 2008, 10:30:12 PM] zenos1988: i heard about a place in alamogordo new mexico where they can build a vw bus fromth  ground up for 12000.

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[January 03, 2009, 04:03:37 PM] two yanks: I want to convert my right hand drive to left hand drive. Any suggestions?

[January 03, 2009, 09:03:52 PM] rusty71: http://www.lovemybus.com/forum/index.php?action=activate;u=1710;code=d31dc185bf

[January 03, 2009, 09:04:09 PM] nwflgirl: I sewed new bus curtains and they ROCK..pics in the morning..

[January 03, 2009, 09:07:03 PM] rusty71:  We have a 1971 VW Bus and would like to shorten it.  Does anyone out there know how to cut the bus in half.  Do you have 

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[rastafoo]

I am aware of the lengthy, detailed thread on ratwells' about tire sizes - it helped me out a lot. My 2 questions are.....
1) Does an earlier bus 15" rim fit on a 14" bay (lug hole spacing) so you could just slap one on, and
2) 14" bus tires should be 185R14. The ones on Janis say P185R14 and 185SR14. What's up with that? Oh, and is the 185R14C tire 'better' or stronger than one without the C?  What does it all mean?

I really just want to get the largest, strongest tire for highway travel whether on a 14 or 15.
Any suggestions?

[Recycle]

Well I know C is for "Commercial" rating and has to do with the weight- as the bus is very heavy it is in need of a commercial tire which has enough sidewall strength to hold up under heavy loads... Allthough I dont know about your other questions have you seen the Bus depots take on this? http://busdepot.com/details/tires.jsp

[rastafoo]

Thanks rec.
That is much more helpful. It seems the P stands for passenger. I think I will go with the Hankook 195R14, it's 1/2" taller than the 185R14 and not as wide as a 205R14 like a vanagon. Thanks!

[Recycle]

Yup P is passenger, and what many bus owners put on their buses... I haven't heard of any major accidents from them blowing out under pressure or anything, but I know from personal experience that putting a higher rated sidewall tire on the bus helps tremendously with the handling.

[rastafoo]

Hey all, just an update on tires for our busses.
In my humble opinion, the tire I want and would recommend for a bay would be the Hancook 195R14. They are a wee bit overkill with 8-ply sidewall and rated to over 2000lbs (overrated for vanagons too) and are 1/2 in. taller than the standard 185R14's. Reviews on thesamba say they are great - smooth ride. If you go to onlinetires.com, they are the cheapest I have found ($66 @ {busdepot has them for $88.95@}) I need 5 and that comes to $450 with shipping. I guess I will be selling my body after all..........

[GostaBerling]

How are your knees? I could use a new set. 

[rastafoo]

Sorry Gosta, you'll have to find your own way to humiliate yourself for Willoughby.

[Happy]

Hi sir rastafoo!  I was quickly informed by the LMB folks when I bought Betty to change my tires.  The ones that came with Betty were new, clean and had lots of rubber left.  But they were too weak for the bus.  I think it was DJ that called them death balloons or something like that  .

I had to make myself spend the money and bought the Hankook RA08's as recommended by the LMB folks.  I've only put about 2000 miles on them, but the sure footed feeling was quite apparent as soon as I put 'em on.

Side note:  It was interesting that my spare was original.  It was a 38 YEAR OLD TIRE  .  I think the tire guy said something like "god help you if you ever drove on it".  So I bought 5 RA08's.

Here is the review from Bus Depot's website:

"The Hankook RA08 185R14 All Season Radial handles well and has excellent wear characteristics. This tire has a ten year track record, and is the only all-season tire in its price range to be made by an O.E.M. supplier to VW. Although the RA08 is about 40% cheaper than the Michelin Agilis, in a recent track test comparison in the German magazine ProMobil-Extra it outperformed the Michelin in every single handling test they performed (wet and dry handling, wet and dry braking, and aquaplaning). It is an excellent value and we recommend it highly. "

Hey!  Also...I would not let a tire shop torque down your rims to your drums or put your precious Bus on a lift.  It's just me...but I believe the folks at most tire shops are likely to over torque your rim nuts.  I put Betty on jack stands and brought all five to the local Firestone and let them work their magic without Betty's company. 

Good luck!!!!!!!

[rastafoo]

Definately I will be jacking Janis up and taking just the rims and tires. The 195R14's are R08's, just taller and slightly wider and slightly more $. Do you have to buy tire stems seperately? Do they have a spec torque so as not to overtighten them? It will be awhile before I can order them, but i can't wait too long. Thanks for the advice.

[fastmc25]

to answer your 15" wheel question......... Yes..... the early 15" bus wheels will fit your early 14" 5x205 Bay Bus....and retain the original hubcaps........... I ran the 15"s and always  recommended them as an alternative if you can find them...... easier to find quality 15" tires now days than 14" tires......... especially "C" rated truck tires....