Club 80-90 Forums

Hi,

I have standard wheels on my 1981 Aircooled tin top. On the wall it says 185 R14C. All the tyres are OK but the spare is bald and I have been offered a new Conveo 185/75r 14C does anyone know if this will fit?

Your 185 R14 tyres are equivalent to 185/82 R14, so I'm afraid it's not the same size as these.

If you're new to your van it might also be sensible to check the age of the other tyres. Check the DOT code on the sidewall and consider replacing any that are over ten years old.

And change your fuels hoses if you don't know that they've been done recently.

P.S. Welcome on board.

Thank you. Thats really helpful. I found the whole tyre thing quite a maze. I’ll check the hoses and tyres. It’s due for its next MOT tomorrow and the spare needs changing. Otherwise everything seems OK (fingers crossed) I drove from Derby to Hamburg and back in the summer with no problems. Thanks for the help it’s much appreciated.

just remove the spare for the mot,
if its not there is not a issue
obviously you need to sort it but mot wise remove it to give you time

Mocki wrote:just remove the spare for the mot,
if its not there is not a issue
obviously you need to sort it but mot wise remove it to give you time

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Thanks that’s really good advice.

Hope the MOT went well!

My van had Goodyear Cargos when I got it which lasted well and handled / rode well. Recently changed all 4 for current equivalent at about £40 per tyre, maybe even a bit less. It is important to get van rated tyres (the weight carrying capability) and, oddly, I found van tyres were cheaper than car tyres of the same size anyway!

Basically, for the peace of mind and to get a matched set you may want to consider changing all 4. In the big scheme of things not expensive and whatever else you do / spend it is only ever those 4 bits of rubber that keep things aligned to the desired direction of travel.

Plus you end up with a good supply of spares!

Hi, also new to this but had some good advice on the problem I was having so thought I would share my experience with tyres and in particular, Goodyear Cargos. I have them on my 2.1 water cooled. It is an 86 autosleeper pop top fitted with bilsteins from Brickwerks, eibach springs and powerflex bushes. I have 15" allows on mine and run 195s. It handles very well, except... in the wet it is awful and will spin up the back wheels in second gear. It also pushes the front when the back does grip.

I have read that the Goodyears are really a summer tyre and so am assuming that the loss of grip is down to them and not the suspension set up so am about to change them. Incidentally the suspension was set up for me by Chris Franklin at Centre Gravity in Atherstone. He specialises in Porsche but is a great guy and does a first rate job, he also has a Vanagon so is one of the club. Highly recommended.

I would recommend checking out Michelins for your van if you can, they seem to get great reviews but others on this site may have different experiences.

Jon.

JRH wrote:It handles very well, except... in the wet it is awful and will spin up the back wheels in second gear. It also pushes the front when the back does grip.

I have read that the Goodyears are really a summer tyre and so am assuming that the loss of grip is down to them and not the suspension set up

Jon.

Perhaps the tyres are fine, Jon - it's just the sheer amount of raw power that engine's pushing out!!
Have you been drift racing again?


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JRH wrote: It handles very well, except... in the wet it is awful and will spin up the back wheels in second gear. It also pushes the front when the back does grip.

I have read that the Goodyears are really a summer tyre and so am assuming that the loss of grip is down to them and not the suspension set up so am about to change them.

Jon.

How old are the tyres, sounds like classic old tyres gone hard = lack of grip issue

ajsimmo wrote:

JRH wrote:It handles very well, except... in the wet it is awful and will spin up the back wheels in second gear. It also pushes the front when the back does grip.

I have read that the Goodyears are really a summer tyre and so am assuming that the loss of grip is down to them and not the suspension set up

Jon.

Perhaps the tyres are fine, Jon - it's just the sheer amount of raw power that engine's pushing out!!
Have you been drift racing again?


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Very funny Andrew. As you know that is probably the best 2.1 WB you have ever built...! Yes it goes very well, even more so after 3,000 miles on it. Just got back from Cornwall this evening, another 1,000 mile round trip with the bits in-between included. The tyres are fine, I have checked them all - 2014 and lots of tread, not too hard yet, so it must be all that power then...??!! Anyway, as you didn't answer my text I assumed you were now in Arran? If not when are you going? Best Jon

937carrera wrote:

JRH wrote: It handles very well, except... in the wet it is awful and will spin up the back wheels in second gear. It also pushes the front when the back does grip.

I have read that the Goodyears are really a summer tyre and so am assuming that the loss of grip is down to them and not the suspension set up so am about to change them.

Jon.

How old are the tyres, sounds like classic old tyres gone hard = lack of grip issue

Yes you would think so but they are date coded 2014 and I had them checked by a reliable tyre company who actually said don't change them yet they are fine and I would simply be wasting my money...Makes a change from someone wanting me to buy something. I think the suspension being a bit harder and the engine putting down more torque (see Andrew's comment in this trail) can make is spin up a bit more than it would normally in the wet. Although, that wouldn't explain why it pushes the front sometimes in the wet too???

Assuming tyre pressures are correct and the van is pretty level front to rear the understeer is indicative that you need a softer front end: softer springs or softer ARB

937carrera wrote:Assuming tyre pressures are correct and the van is pretty level front to rear the understeer is indicative that you need a softer front end: softer springs or softer ARB

You could be right. I will re-check the cold tyre pressures and see if that makes a difference too. It has been set up to be pretty neutral, level and corner weighted. The B8s/Eibach springs are dropping it 40mm. We also "stood" the tyres up a bit to increase the contact patch so that should have helped. Sounds like another trip up to Atherstone to see Chris at Centre Gravity, I suspect.