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Wed Jan 04, 2017 11:28 pm

Thanks for that Doug. So for the new WRC3 here are the available 15" options (there are also several 16" options) that might work well with Vanagons:

205/70/15
Load Index - 106/104
Speed Rating - S
Ply Rating - D/8PR
Max Single Load - 2090 lbs
Overall Diameter - 26.3"

215/65/15
Load Index - 104/102
Speed Rating - T
Ply Rating - C/6PR *This is the only one with a C instead of D rating
Max Single Load - 2000 lbs
Overall Diameter - 26.0"

215/70/15
Load Index - 109/107
Speed Rating - S
Ply Rating - D/8PR
Max Single Load - 2270
Overall Diameter - 26.9"

I found this info at tires-easy.com, but I know Van Cafe sells them and that's who will get my $ when the time comes.

I'm trying to determine which size will best suit my Westy - 1.8T engine + auto trans with a 3.27 R&P.

I reached out to Stephan and he said...I would go with the larger 26.9" tire. 215/70r15. You will loose RPM on the freeway but power should be about the same. The 205's are 26.3" tall which are close to the 215's you are running now which are 26" tall. So you gain about an inch with the 215/70's. Most are now running 16" tires. Myself I like the 15" as the sidewalls are taller thus a smoother ride. Even still most of our customers are running the 215/65r16 size which are right at 26.2" tall.

I also reached out to Salim at CHC and he said... As for tires and rims I would keep the 215/65/15 or go with 205/65/15s. You can go up one size without affecting the speedometer and affecting your MPG. If you go taller tires your gas mileage will be affected and the stress on the your drivetrain will increase. Go to page 19 on this forum:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4...;start=360

Hans from Vanaru did a write up about larger tires. He explains why
taller tires are a bad idea. I have 205/65/15 C rated. I am getting
19 to 20 MPG. I had 215/75/15s. I hated them because my gas mileage dropped to 14 to 15 MPG. You want to keep close to the stock diameter.

:? :? :?

Thu Jan 05, 2017 6:41 am

it's a universal truth that increasing tire diameter increases drivetrain (engine) load.. equivalent to always driving up a hill (or a mountain bike in just the wrong gear). that you lose more unless you make a change to gearing to suit the motor/gearing/tire combination
and while the 1.8T has plenty of power available from the turbo (which loves load like crack) it pulls more fuel, keeps you in boost and makes that little demon glow red in the engine compartment longer.

let me tell those who are afraid of MPG from higher rpms (where gearing load is easier overcome) on one trip I blew up 4th gear 300mi ~5hrs from home..
turned around and came home in 3rd gear, 300mi ~6hrs at ~60mph.
yes fuel economy went down from 300mi of ~5ooo rpms but not that much. as there was never any real load (work) called upon the motor.. the consumption is just pedalling in stride (like a cyclist in the back of a line cyclists).

that being I said I like the 205/70/15 as an all around general ride height tire for the vanagon with engine or trans upgrade.. and the 205/65/15 for stock powered vans.

Thu Jan 05, 2017 9:10 am

ThankYouJerry wrote: 215/65/15
Load Index - 104/102
Speed Rating - T
Ply Rating - C/6PR *This is the only one with a C instead of D rating
Max Single Load - 2000 lbs
Overall Diameter - 26.0

Excellent info! Thumbs up on that tire size and C rating.

except I do not know if the OP plans to carry a matching spare, and whether it fits in the stock location.

Thu Jan 05, 2017 9:44 am

Jon's point of the directional tread and lack of cross rotation has me pulling back on the reigns.. Those larger lugs will wear more on the trailing face on the front tires. Being able to cross rotate extend the life of the tire significantly. Back to the drawing board.

Thu Jan 05, 2017 9:50 am

jberger wrote: Jon's point of the directional tread and lack of cross rotation has me pulling back on the reigns..

unfortunately most Nokians are directional.

fwiw, when I ran WRC on my Subaru Impreza, they only got rotated front to back. I did not have any significant loss of shoulder, or excess wear, so it CAN work.

I also did not feel I had a significant loss in tire life, I dont recall exactly, but I got over 40k miles. They were used for long distance interstate travel at high speed, plus almost daily use in snow during ski season. I also drove on dirt roads regularly. The WRC siping provides excellent traction offroad, even in sand.

For a Van, I love the high load ratings of Nokian tires. atm I have 205x65x15 Nokian WRC Van tires on my 85 2wd Westy.. I would buy them again. They are rated 1874 pounds @ 55psi. These are Not Directional, and I Do cross rotate.

I bought the tires from Van-Cafe. Recommended.

I pay for lifetime alignment at Big O, Im pretty finnicky about alignment, and get it checked at each tire rotation. (I do 5k mile rotations)

Thu Jan 05, 2017 10:01 am

Jon_slider wrote: jberger wrote: Jon's point of the directional tread and lack of cross rotation has me pulling back on the reigns..

unfortunately most Nokians are directional.

fwiw, when I ran WRC on my Subaru Impreza, they only got rotated front to back. I did not have any significant loss of shoulder, or excess wear, so it CAN work.

I also did not feel I had a significant loss in tire life, I dont recall exactly, but I got over 40k miles, which for me, on a tire used in snow as well as having excellent traction on dirt roads (and sand), is completely acceptable.

I pay for lifetime alignment at Big O, Im pretty finnicky about alignment, and get it checked at each tire rotation. (I do 5k mile rotations)

My entyre's are non directional but with stated inside\outsides.. Perhaps I like to corner too fast.. but every tire, on every car I've ever had wears on the trailing edge of the lug. Even if just a small amount. Now maybe running on the rear an more frequent rotations will make up for it.

Fri Jan 06, 2017 10:47 am

Sherrinonie wrote: Nokians? WRC3 215/65/15?
Im a little concerned about you using a 215 width, which is wider than stock, so possibly worse gas mileage and harder to fit in the spare location, not sure

look at this link (thanks to ThankYouJerry)
https://www.tires-easy.com/brands/nokian-tires/wr-c3

you will see there is a 205x65x15 (6ply rating) also 205x70x15 (8ply rating), I would be inclined to choose one of the 205 width over the 215 options.

good luck with your buying decision, I hope you share your outcomes

jberger wrote: maybe running on the rear an more frequent rotations will make up for it.

I hope so :-)

Fri Jan 06, 2017 5:02 pm

* Jon - You typed "205x65x15" above where I think you meant to type "215x65x15". I changed it below where I quoted you.

Jon_slider wrote: Sherrinonie wrote: Nokians? WRC3 215/65/15?
Im a little concerned about you using a 215 width, which is wider than stock, so possibly worse gas mileage and harder to fit in the spare location, not sure

look at this link (thanks to ThankYouJerry)
https://www.tires-easy.com/brands/nokian-tires/wr-c3

you will see there is a 215x65x15 (6ply rating) also 205x70x15 (8ply rating), I would be inclined to choose one of the 205 width over the 215 options.

good luck with your buying decision, I hope you share your outcomes

FWIW... I currently have a set of 215/65/15 (C rated) Nokian WRG2 on my 2WD Westy and don't have any issues with rubbing. Current MPG with these tires and 1.8T auto is around 17, but I do most/all of my driving in the hills (flat highway mpgs are better of course). Also, my spare is the same and fits under my van although I've installed Van Cafe's larger spare tire bracket so not sure if it would fit in the oem clam shell or not.

I think my next set of tires will be 205/70/15 WRC3 because they are D rated (looking for all the help I can get in crosswinds) and I'd like to reduce my RPMs just a tad more than my 1.8T auto with 3.27 R&P and 215/65/15 is running at now.

Fri Jan 06, 2017 6:48 pm

ThankYouJerry wrote: * Jon - You typed "205x65x15" above where I think you meant to type "215x65x15". …

I think my next set of tires will be 205/70/15 WRC3 because they are D rated
thank you, but no
I did not mean to type 215
I was suggesting to the OP that there is a 205 available instead of the 215 the OP was considering, so that the spare would fit the stock clam

however, Im glad your first hand report of the 215 fitting in the Van Cafe carrier is now part of the knowledge base.. I believe the 205 would fit the stock clam

I agree the D rated 205/70/15 would be my preference as well, if the motor is stronger than stock, and maybe that would fit the stock clam, which to you wont matter since you already have the VCafe carrier

I have a rule of thumb stuck in my head, that 205/65 is the largest that fits the stock clam, but Im not sure whats in my memory is accurate… and in any case the VCafe carrier is a viable option. Thanks to your confirmation that the 215x65 fits that carrier.

Fri Jan 06, 2017 7:33 pm

My bad. I didn't even consider a "205/65/15" was available with the WRC3 (which it is!). According to tires-easy.com it has a 25.5" diameter. That's not ideal even for a stock WBX Westy. The 215/65/15 is 26.0" and the 205/70/15 is 26.3".

Fri Jan 06, 2017 8:20 pm

I was just at Van Cafe's store in Santa Cruz a week ago and they had sweet looking stacks of ready to ship new tires and new wheels. I nearly pulled out my wallet just at the sweet smell of fresh new rubber. Intoxicating....

Fri Jan 06, 2017 9:49 pm

ThankYouJerry wrote: My bad. I didn't even consider a "205/65/15" was available with the WRC3 (which it is!). According to tires-easy.com it has a 25.5" diameter. That's not ideal even for a stock WBX Westy. The 215/65/15 is 26.0" and the 205/70/15 is 26.3".

Download the product guide for them:
https://dc602r66yb2n9.cloudfront.net/pub/web/attachments/others/pricelists/NT_US_Product_guide.pdf

Sun Apr 23, 2017 2:34 pm

jberger wrote: 70coupyel wrote: Buy the 8 ply sidewall tires. The stiffer sidewall really does make any steering input much more responsive. Controlling the van's weight during firm or hard evasive actions is where the 8 ply's earn their money. I won't go back to 6 ply's.

You have tried the WR C3's? I have owned and driven quite a variety of tires and understand the advantage of a stiffer sidewall, just looking for someone who is actually running these, year round.

I'm ordering a set of WRC3 in 205/70/15 from Van Cafe tomorrow. I will report back here after a few thousand miles.

Tue May 09, 2017 8:37 pm

Initial impressions after a few days:

I just switched from a set of Nokian WRG2 215/65/15 "C" rated tires to a set of Nokian WRC3 205/70/15 "D" rated tires. The new WRC3s have a noticeably stiffer sidewall despite having a taller aspect ratio (sidewall). They don't remotely wobble/squish when I shake the van side-to-side like the WRG2s did and they are also noticably quieter and ride more comfortably! It was obvious within the first mile of driving. I guess you can have your cake and eat it too. Wish I had made this change years ago.

I thought the WRG2 215/65/15s were "really good" tires for the 3+ years I had them, but in comparison, the WRC3 205/70/15s are "great".

Will report back after much more time behind the wheel with the WRC3s, but so far... very impressed!

Wed May 10, 2017 4:44 am

Thanks for the home work and update. I run 215/60 R16 WRG3s and am very pleased with them. They are quiet, smooth and the van handles cross winds and lane changes very well with a high-top.

Your review puts the D rated, 8-ply C3s at the top of my list as a replacement. Now I just have to put a few more miles on these! :D

Thu May 11, 2017 5:01 pm

Just wanted to add an update of my experience with the WRC3's. So far we've loved them. They handle great in rain and on dirt roads. They are a little louder than the original Defender Michelin tires but still satisfied at this point.

Wed Sep 06, 2017 11:03 pm

Hey y'all,

It's time to replace the Nokian WRG3s (215/60 R16) on my van. This is the second set I've had and I like them a lot: quiet, stable, good traction in snow, etc. The only drawback is relatively short life which I don't mind too much because it allows me to try new tires :D .

I'm inclined to replace them with WRC3s in the 215/65 R16 size.

I'm interested in hearing any updates or additional insights on the WRC3 tire and welcome any thoughts you wish to share.

Thanks.

Thu Sep 07, 2017 7:28 am

Several thousand miles on my WRC3s now. Couldn't be happier. Same thoughts as my initial post above and I'll also add... much better traction on gravel roads than my previous set of WRG2s. Haven't had any experience with the WRC3s in wet weather yet as I got them earlier this summer and it hasn't rained here in CA.

Thu Sep 07, 2017 9:35 am

I put 205/65-16 WRC3's on the 2wd Westy early in March. I was really impressed that they were not significantly louder than the Contitracs that they replaced. I really like these tires for ride quality, dry and wet handling. I don't have any feedback on tread life or winter traction yet. But I think they are the best true all-season tires available for a Vanagon right now. I was so happy with them, that I bought a set of 205/65-15 WRC3's and steel wheels for the Syncro.

Tue Sep 26, 2017 12:56 pm

Thanks for the replies above.

Edited: I'll update this if I find the 215/65 R16 size available. I wasn't having any luck finding that size.