Re: [VB] tires 4 15" rims

["Thomas J. Tarka" <tommy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

It's important to recognize that there's a trade-off here, in gearing vs. 
handling/safety.  

I think - and please correct me if I'm wrong - that those tires are ~25.5" in diameter.

That's quite a bit less than the ~26.9" for 185R15 (which i believe is stock), 
and slightly less than the 185R14 which is stock on later buses (25.9").  So, you're
trading in a little bit of your gearing for the right tire.  

The benefit, however, is the quiet ride and good handling (based on proper load 
rating), which are both really hard to find for buses.  In fact, I would say
that it's nigh impossible to find the "right" tire for 15" rims, especially because
they are so narrow (4.5-5") and most 15" tires call for a minimum of 5.5-6" rims.

So unless I'm missing something, those Vredesteins are a good choice (or seem to be), 
but it's important to know that you may be running at higher RPMs and therefore higher 
loads if you are moving from a bigger tire to these tires.  

That said, these might be the best tire available out there for 15" rims (given how 
the sizes in the tire market have gone).   :/

Cheers,
   Tom


On Tue, Aug 19, 2008 at 01:25:33PM -0400, The Bus Depot wrote:
> 
> Actually even higher if the tire is not an actual LT rated tire (which many
> aren't), as its load capacity must be derated if used on a Bus. Many LT
> rated tires that do have the capacity are designed for trucks and therefore
> have a hard and/or loud ride. See http://busdepot.com/details/tires.jsp for
> more details on choosing the right Bus tire.
> 
> We have some excellent Vredesteins that combine passenger car
> handling/comfort with 1764 lb. load capacity: 

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