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Herr Motorspiele Samba Member
Joined: June 11, 2007 Posts: 438
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:48 pm Post subject: Any experience with these tires? |
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Just wondering if anyone has experience with these tires: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=457044
I'm shopping around for some new tires for my '89 and since I'll probably have to order something I'd like to hear what people think of these. I saw them listed on ratwell but that's about it. The other contender is probably the vanco 8's if I can still get them. Thanks
Last edited by Herr Motorspiele on Tue Jun 26, 2007 4:45 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Lanval Samba Member
Joined: June 09, 2007 Posts: 905
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 9:12 pm Post subject: |
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I posted this over in the tire section on Westfalia.org:
"...I ended up going with a tire called Capitol - according to the June 1 Tire Review, this brand is made by two different companies: Sumitomo and Nexen. The ones I have are marked "Made in Korea" so I'll assume they originated with Nexen.
I bought them from a local dealer of the Tire Pros in Costa Mesa, CA; he got them from his warehouse in about 24 hours.
They are 185R14C, load rating 'D', 8 ply. Total cost on the car, was $65 p/tire, or $267+tax. I will drive them for awhile, then post back with results/opinions/experiences."
I haven't driven them enough to report on quality, but they hold air, keep me on the road, and are considerably firmer than the scary-squishy tires that came with the bus (and were not up to spec).
Best,
Lanval
I should add, BTW that I live in SoCal, and so year-round summer tires are OK here. I go to Oregon once a year, but I have chains, and this year I'll probably go the coast route anyway. These tires look like fine summer radials to me, but I wouldn't take 'em too far off the beaten path.
L |
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dokarex Samba Member
Joined: January 13, 2007 Posts: 251 Location: SHELBURNE NS
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 11:42 am Post subject: |
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I have them on my doka and don't notice much difference in the ride from the hankooks that were on it |
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Lanval Samba Member
Joined: June 09, 2007 Posts: 905
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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Dokarex,
Can I take it the Hankooks were appropriately rated? I.e. you're saying that these tires are similar in ride quality to correctly rated Hankooks?
Thanks,
Lanval |
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Herr Motorspiele Samba Member
Joined: June 11, 2007 Posts: 438
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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Lanval wrote: |
Dokarex,
Can I take it the Hankooks were appropriately rated? I.e. you're saying that these tires are similar in ride quality to correctly rated Hankooks?
Thanks,
Lanval |
Ditto. I'm really wanting to know how these compare to other "properly rated" tires out there since they are about the same price and I have to ship whatever I get anyway. No tire shop around here has a clue or is willing to order anything for me. I've heard everything from, "we can only get you a trailer tire" to "why do you want that kind of tire anyway?" Needless to say the locals aren't very helpful. Sears can get the BFG AT or the Bridgestone dueler, but he didn't know which one! According to Tire Rack there are ~18 different dueler models and he said he wouldn't know until it came in. So maybe he was just lazy. Another local chain claimed to carry the Vanco 8 but quoted a set of 4 for $620! Anyone have a set of 15" wheels for sale? |
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K58 Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2006 Posts: 1173 Location: Santa Barbara
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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I don't know about the tire quality but something you might want to consider is, at 185 those tires are really skinny and I found that size to look hilarious on the already top heavy Westy
I exchanged them for 195's and was much happier |
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Raynor Shine Samba Member
Joined: November 07, 2005 Posts: 552
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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those came with my Westy when I bought it. I was kinda concerned because I never heard of them. Did net searching & felt a little at ease. Drove 'em for about a year with not complaints/concerns. |
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Lanval Samba Member
Joined: June 09, 2007 Posts: 905
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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K58,
I actually agree with you - and that fits my general theory that OEM isn't necessarily best practice. The 185s, while meeting OEM standards, aren't necessarily the best tire you could run.
In this case, there aren't a lot of cheap and readily available solutions for running 15/16 in. wheels, and for me, money was an issue. So I went with OEM size, low end tires, knowing that I'm going to be driving in good weather, on the road, and more local than long distance. That said, between now and the next set of tires, I'll be getting some 15/16 in. wheels, so that I'm not biting the whole bullet at once.
Best,
Lanval |
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dokarex Samba Member
Joined: January 13, 2007 Posts: 251 Location: SHELBURNE NS
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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Yes they have the same ratings as the Hankooks that were on it when I imported it from Germany |
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levi Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2005 Posts: 5522 Location: Las Vegas
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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here's the vanco 8 185r14
too skinny?
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Randy in Maine Samba Member
Joined: August 03, 2003 Posts: 34890 Location: The Beach
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K58 Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2006 Posts: 1173 Location: Santa Barbara
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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the 185r14's may have appeared to look like toothpicks under the Westy because the tires I was replacing were 195's
I was looking to save a little money by downsizing but the savings didn't justify the aesthetics or the handling |
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Herr Motorspiele Samba Member
Joined: June 11, 2007 Posts: 438
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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I'm currently running worn 195's, my last van had 205's, and I've test driven 185's. Ride is hard to call but the 195's seem alright besides being old and tired. 185's seemed rail-like , and the 205's weren't reinforced so they were pretty squishy due to the low max psi I guess. Plus I blew a couple out at highway speed I do like the looks of the 205's though.
Last edited by Herr Motorspiele on Wed Jun 27, 2007 9:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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jeremysmithatshawdotca Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2002 Posts: 2530 Location: Edmonton, AB
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:14 pm Post subject: |
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I've had Nexen SV820's on since last summer, through a Canadian winter. They're a decent tire, nice ride, great price. An all season radial, they did alright in the snow, but I'll say it would be nice if Hakkapellittas weren't so damn pricey! Sometimes we had a bit of difficulty getting going on really slippery stuff, having to rock back and forth to get momentum built when traction was minimal.
I have the 185s, and I don't mind the look, you get used to it after a short while.
Jeremy |
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Herr Motorspiele Samba Member
Joined: June 11, 2007 Posts: 438
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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Another question, how do the BFG AT's (27x8.50) ride on a 2wd with 14" alloys? Is there significantly more noise? What about rubbing? Decreased performance or acceleration due to inertia, tire weight, manual vs. auto trans, etc.? I used to have a set of BFG mud terrains on a 4wd truck and they roared but I never got stuck! The AT's are plenty reinforced right? Anyone with experience? I've seen more and more on the 2wd's recently, maybe cuz I'm tire shopping. This is one I can get locally and I really like the tread. |
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