14" tire decision: y-356 vs ra-08 vs vanco 2 vs hakka-c

[r.e.wing_fc3s]

im leaving on a trip at the end of next week. need to get 2 new tires. i do mostly on road driving but also a fair amount of forest roading. id like to have some rough road capability. i plan on using separate snow tires in the winter. I dont want to lose any overall tire height. I guess with the stock 2.1 a slightly taller tire would be acceptable. Dont need extra width. Ive got the michelin agilis on now and will be keeping two of those on the front. Ive spent hours trying to make a decision and im starting to lose it...

I need to order these asap if they need to be shipped a long way. Ive read good things about each of these tires but none of them seem very rough road capable.

So ive found the yokohama y-356 the hankook ra-08 the continental vanco 2 the hakka-c and the vredestein comtrac. Im looking for personal experience impressions from people who have these tires.

[jerrydog411]

Personal experience .. got my Westy 5 years ago and drove it home to BC from Berkeley, CA. Did weekend trips and a big trip through the rockies the next summer and upon returning immediately put on a set of Hankook RA08s in 195 ,, getting rid of the Michelin LTX that were on it.
Hankooks were significantly better riding - smoother, quiter, better fuel economy and less wind gust panic. As they are obviously not suited for winter, I purchased a set of Nokian Hakkapallitta (sp?) CS.
After putting them on & breaking them in, I noticed they were waaayy better than the Hankooks on wet, well above freezing roads and the most dramatic difference was the stability ... like a cushioned train on tracks. Put lots of miles on the CSs and alternated w CSs - winter & RA)*s 2 1/2 seasons. Did a 4000 mile trip Jan '09 from the worst winter in 40 years in PNW to a wild heatwave in SoCal, desert, Mexico (a bit) and all the way up the coast. The Nokians were as fabulous in dry, warm conditions also.
I now (as I have 15" Mefro steel wheels) run Nokian WRC Van tires and they are smoother than the CS and the same or better in every other regard .. and I did a 4000+ mile trip on them from Van. BC to NE Quebec and am driving daily on mining roads iwth them.
I bring up the WRC as the are the same newer casing and material as the Hakka C .. just a much different tread pattern.
I try to stay away form most of the recent 'tire threads' as they do get heated & everyone has their opinion.
I have driven (prior to knowing better) on the seriously under-rated Michelins, to the Hankooks to a couple of different styles of Nokians.
My personal experience driving over 66,000 miles on thes different tires on a variety of road conditions is I will (as long as they're available) ONLY drive on Nokians. They hold the road, go where I steer them, are comfortable, don't wallow or throw me around in the wind and I feel very safe driving my van; with my dogs .. formerly Jerry and now Bella as co-pilot. Heck my 18 y.o. cat Walter came with us on this last 4000 mile aventure and we head back mid November and I have no qualms whatsoever about my tires.
With the tires you have mentioned; the only way you will get a slightly taller tire is by going to 195s from 185s ... bearing in mind the Hakka Cs are only available in 185R14 for your application.
Have a great trip!

JWB

[Ahwahnee]

[crazyvwvanman]

If you are going to get the RA08 from them, consider a step up to the next size for not much more money.

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=135&...htweiter=1


Mark

[Randy in Maine]

Doing what you are doing, I would probably go for these....

http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_1194

[syncroluvr]

I have the Yoko's on my syncro. My tire guy would not sell me anything else because they are the proper load rating and have excellent life. They are a little loud, I can just here them above the wind noise, but acceptable. In the 14 inch tire (up here in Canada) there is nothing better. If I stay 14 inch, I would buy another set when these wear out. Best of luck!
_________________
1990 Syncro Westy with stump pulling 2576cc Subaru

Y2K V6 Passat

Calcandi Leviter

[levi]

Since you were asking about the vanco 2, I had a set of these for about 80,000 miles, and then they still had plenty of tread left.

Great tires! IF you live in the desert.

The reviews on the vanco 8's say they suck in the rain and snow.
I wouldn't be surprised.
I could spin the back tires when it rained around here, which uh.. isn't often.

Here they are at about 60,000

_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40

[Texxxxx]

I agree with Randy in Maine and jerrydog411 about the Hakkapaliitta's, and in particular about the 195R14 CS's.

I bought them from VanCafe for both my Syncro and my 2WD, and am very happy with them. They are slightly taller than stock. Both my vans have 2.1's, and the half inch larger diameter is slightly noticeable, but fine for me.
_________________
'85 GL w/2.1L "The Tardis"
It's A Vanagon Day

[r.e.wing_fc3s]

great replys so far

I went by Johns Repair in bellingham, which has a fleet of vanagons. I got to look at many different 14" tires. besides the ra-08 and y-356 i saw another, the michelin ltx m/s 195-75 r14C which seems now unavailable in this size. While i was there it was mentioned that the nankang? is available as well at less schwab and was 8-ply sidewall, c-load rating. There was also a more offroad oriented tire, similar to the discontinued cooper discoverer LT.

would it be helpful to the samba collective to have some pics of these tires for other people who have spent way to much time on this?

I think im going to go with the hakka-cs. It seems to have a more aggressive tread then the ra-08 and y-356 but better rain/pavement grip/noise then offroad oriented tires like bfg or grabber

(edit) im wondering how the hakka cs holds up mileage wise and on rough surfaces. it is listed in the winter category as a winter/all season tire on nokians website. sometimes these tires use a softer compound that is grippy and quick wearing

The veredestein comtrac also looks like it would work. anyone have those?

would the 195r14 = a ten percent loss in power over the 185r14? 1/2 inch more ground clearance would be great but not if its going to cause a noticeable difference in hill climbing performance/mpg

[Petervw]

[crazyvwvanman]

If you compare the rev per mile on them, the 195R14 is only about 3% bigger than 185R14 so the effect on power is pretty slight.

There is a VW bus oriented site that collected photos of 14" tires for our vans.

http://www.ratwell.com/technical/TirePhotos.html

Mark

[jerrydog411]

CSs will be a nice choice ... my experience was the ~2.4% difference was barely noticeable ... maybe a 'little' at first but remember by the time you are halfway through the tread you're pretty much at the same diameter as a new 185R14. Mine did not seem to wear any faster on wet / dry or warm roads ... I had at least 22 - 25000 miles on them and the wear indicators were still showing "6" .. they start out at 8mm useable tread and, as they wear, the numeric indicator progressively shows a correspondingly lowr number (mm useable tread remaining).
Look gorward to your trip / tire report ... remember - take it easy the first 200 - 300 miles until they are 'broken in'

jd

[r.e.wing_fc3s]

a while back I scored some good used hakkas from work. 195/70r15. i didnt pay much attention to the exact tire, i just assumed they were snow tires what with siping and the snowflake symbol. I went to look under the porch were they're cached and it turns out there hakka cs! Im now on the hunt for some used 15" steelies...

could someone briefly explain or link me to where i figure out the rpm vs. tire size equation. i think i remember that the 195/70r15 is 1/2 larger diameter then the 185r14? Will this 15" setup be too much for the 2.1??

Until i can find the 15" wheels im going to try the ra-08, relatively inexpensive and easily findable.

[r.e.wing_fc3s]

[crazyvwvanman]

To get accurate rev per mile data the best choice is generally the tire company data for a specific tire. You can check various brands in a given size to get a reasonable estimate for that size though some tires vary more than you might expect. For that reason alone you can't expect accuracy from a program or formula. Many programs give rev per mile numbers that are way off from true, because they calculate a pseudo rev/mile from diameter or size. Tire companies actually run the tires and measure the rev/mile.

Mark

[Randy in Maine]

I agree with the above but have found this tire size caluator to be pretty handy.

http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

[netcruzer]

Resurrecting this thread because I'm so conflicted about what tires to get...

I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. So buying online is almost out of the question as shipping prices are outrageous. I need to find something decent local.

So, for someone who is in Canada, and will be driving in all weather on highway and provincial park roads, in all conditions except for snow - Van hibernates thru the winter, what 14" would you recommend?

Yokohama Y356 - have a very weird profile look. Not sure I like the look of them.
Continental Vanco 2 - Seem good, but will load D be a lot harsher on the road?
Hankook RA08 - I don't think I can get these in Canada. Nobody seems to stock them.
BFG All Terrain T/A KO - Coolest looking tire, best off-road. How is road noise, and economy?

I got my 82 air cooled westy last year, and immediately had the motomaster underrated passenger tires removed. I found some used hakkapellita 10s for super cheap, and they are great.. but they are LOUD on the hwy, and I have no idea how old they are. They came out in 1989 according to Nokian!

I'd like new tires sometime before the summer.
As much as I love the look of the BFGs, I think they are out based on price and noise/economy. How do you feel about the other three? Does one tread/brand stand out as the best?
_________________
'82 Air-Cooled Vanagon Westfalia

[joseph928]

Hankook RA08 only way to go! but 15" are cool! Got to get into the modern era!
_________________
1987 syncro westy tin top sun roof , GW2.3, rear locker, decoupler, Gary Lee tire rack & winch mount, lift, south african grill, big brakes , rhein alloy ,15 BFG AT, Fiamma 10 foot awning ,140 watt rear 85 watt front solar , mppt, truckfridge, automatic fire extinguishing system, tencent oil cooler, And a RMW SS exhaust! - 1971 bug convertible 1776 engine- 2010 Subaru turbo - 1993 Toyota 4x4 truck - 1999 Harley 95 CI, big bore, Andrews cams . Also 80-84- vans. Stock 65 sunroof bug.

[jerrydog411]

netcruzer ... can you drive your van now? ... or do you need the tires before you go anywhere?
can you travel to US?

here you go:

call this Sears store in Massena NY:
http://www.mysears.com/Sears-MASSENA-Massena-NY-reviews


order the 185R14:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_09535848000P?prdNo=1


or ... 195R14:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_09535849000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2


They will call or email you when they are in and it's a 118km drive
http://maps.google.ca/maps?client=safari&rls=e...CFAQ8gEwAg


Get them to install and balance; drive around and find a bit omud to drive through and head home.

Sears charges $10 / tire more than Bus Depot but the shipping would be way more to a UPS store & they would charge you at tehir end also.

Done.

Enjoy your new tires.

John

[netcruzer]

That's a good suggestion about crossing to Massena.

Yes I can drive on my tires and yes I can go the the USA.

However, I have two complete sets. The Hakka 10s are on a set of steelies and I'd like to keep them as-is.

The motomasters are on another set of steelies, these tires I want to trash and get new tires put on. So if I'm willing to risk a blowout of the underated passenger tires and drive on them to USA, that would be the best option I guess.
_________________
'82 Air-Cooled Vanagon Westfalia