what tires are standard on a (1995) Eurovan?

[pjstock]

I need summer tires for my 1995 T4 Transporter 2.4L diesel imported from Europe.

Often, in searching for parts here in North America, I am finding that the standard parts lists include only the Eurovan model option (which is not unreasonable given Transporters per se were not sold in the US).

for instance, I need a replacement coolant thermostat. Most US Parts suppliers only have one that they say matches the 1995 Eurovan camper but does NOT fit my VIN or exact model.
Now, that might just be because they haven't included my T4 Transporter 2.4L D in the database.

So I am going to have to figure out which parts work for both a Eurovan and my model and which ones are Eurovan specific.

For instance, my current snow tires read 195/70 R15 C
Presumably that's what I need in summers.
The Pep Boys site has some but it says they are NOT compatible with a 1995 VW Eurovan Camper.

So, maybe they fit my transporter but the Eurovan came with something else?

could someone look at their Eurovan tire sidewals and tell me what they see?

[postjosh]

it sounds like you are running on 15" rims. i have a 1993 weekender that currently has the standard 15" rims. there was no 1995 in the u.s. and when vw started selling them a few years later, they were using 16" rims. i'm currently running continental vancos which are heavy duty four season tires recommended by my mechanic. the size is 205/65 r15. the key thing is the load rating. the vancos are rated at t102. the ev camper is very heavy. you need to find out what "t rating" it requires. the vancos are probably high enough but the ride is harsh.

if you search thesamba, there have been some threads on this issue. the favorite for 15" rims seems to be the all season nokian entyre 205/70R15 http://a.co/8PRFuYI which are rated at t100. i don't know if that's high enough for your camper.

personally, i am in the process of upgrading to alloy 16" rims and nokian etyres.
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'93 EV Wkndr – 5 cylinder – 5 speed - 280k+ miles

[Broseph Stalin]

195/70/15 C is what my door sticker says. It had 205/65/15 C's on it when I bought it. Tire choices are surprisingly difficult to narrow down to what is workable for your particular application. Probably more info than you need, but here goes:

Here's a nice tire size calculator - https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?tires=195-70r15-205-65r15

The "C" suffix designator is meant for LT (light truck) tires, as opposed to P (passenger) tires. LT tires will have a B, C, D, E, F suffix.

You'll see a P preceding the numerical size for passenger tires. For example, I have P225/70/16's on the van now, 103 Load Index. https://www.discounttire.com/learn/load-range-load-index

103 is on the sidewall, 1979lbs max load per tire @ max pressure 44psi.

The 205/165/15 C sidewall has 1875lbs max load per tire @ max pressure 54psi.

They have the same tread and sidewall plies, 2x2, but because the P225/70/16 tire has a taller sidewall it can't handle 54psi on the same size wheel. https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?tires=205-65r15-225-70r16

Then another thing is airing down if you offroad to get better traction. These vans are capable offroad, but reducing the psi to say 15psi produces better traction than 40psi.

Trouble is, reducing psi puts more stress on the sidewalls, and why offroaders like D or E tires. Thicker, stronger sidewalls. Also why folks put beadlock wheels on for offroading.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[IdeaNerd]

@Broseph Stalin Useful summary! Thanks for posting it.

[pjstock]

indeed, you have all contributed some wonderfully helpful information here.

reading my original Austrian ownership papers more closely (my goodness how much more informative this ownership is compared to Canadian ownership, which shows almost no information about the vehicle).

anyway, more closely, I see that there were two wheels originally speced: 195/70R15 97S AND/OR 205/65R15 98S
Total vehicle weight 2800kg/6160lbs

and now that I know what all these tires codes mean (I mean, when you are just dealing with basic passenger cars, it was never very important.) it all makes sense.
At 102T, The Vanco's would be excellent and easily do the job.
There are some dead cheap Sumitomos HTR A/S P02 XL ($61 a tire from Tire Rack) which score 99V and so would just clear the bar.

question is, given this van drives like a tank, is inhernetly noisy as hell anyway, will never ever likely exceed 70mph (hey, I learned the limitiations of a 2.4L straight diesel this past weekend on the uphills of WV) is it really worth spending more than the Sumitomos?
what do you all think?

Peter

[Broseph Stalin]

It's difficult to recommend a tire to somebody else since uses are so different.

I like bigger stronger tires since I'll be going offroad on rocky roads. I like ground clearance, 16" wheels and the tallest tire I can fit on 16" wheels without rubbing.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[danfromsyr]

summer tires Nokian eNTYRE 205/70/15XL (rated 100)

winter tires NOKIAN also


check into Vredestein tires. they offer some really nice load ratings.
you may or may not have available in canada.. you'll have to research availability. you can get Vredesteins over 100 load rating.
https://www.vredestein.com/car-suv-van/tyre-finder/tyres/
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[pjstock]

again, just to close the loop, ultimately I went with a set of Continental VanCo 4seasons. came in at about $825 tax included (from Green Car Tire in Toronto).

now the alignment has been a bit ...problematic. Modern HawkEye laser alignment system apparently do not have the "data" for this model van.
so I've had to pay some guy's shop time to do it Old School, by trial and error. $$$

[Broseph Stalin]

[pjstock]

Sorry,I omitted that. I went with the 205/65 R15sfor.no particular reason (except.maybe that there seemed to have been more.selection and so if strandes somewhere we would have a better chance of getting a replacement easily)

Peter

[Camper2021]

Anyone know if tire size 195/65R15's are ok to drive on My 1995 VW Eurovan camper??

[gesoffen]