Page 108 of Camper Products by Go Westy

110 www.gowesty.com call toll free 1.888.469.3789 local/international 805.528.7888 the wheels. The use of 14h wheels on the late VW Bus and Vanagon is just plain stupid... I think everyone agrees on that. The first thing I noticed back in 1985 was that there was absolutely no 15h wheel option for my Bus. So, I made some. I took a set of original 14h VW Bus wheels, cut the welds and knocked out the centers, bought some 15x7h Pontiac gdrop-centerh rally wheels did the same. I threw away the VW outers, threw away the Pontiac centers, and installed the VW centers in the Pontiac outers, thus creating a 15x7h wheel for my VW camper. When I started shopping for a tire I found that the perfect tire in terms of size was the 215/65-15, which is still the tire size we use today. That tire size (outer diameter) was less than 1/4h difference in radius than my original, spindly 185SR14 tires, and there were 20+ different brands and models from which to choice. BUT WAIT! OH NO! What about load rating. The 14h tires were eSpecially Formulatedf for the VW vans, right? These 14h tires are a super cool and reinforced to handle the mass of the vehicle, right? I was told flat out by tire stores that, gno way, you canft put a non-reinforced tire on that vehicle! It will just blow up!h What to do, what to do........... Wait a minute! Again, more hoopla! Where is the common sense? Any run-of-the-mill 215/ 65-15 passenger-car tire is rated for around 1500lbs. The tire we currently use is the Michelin HydroEdge with a 760 tread wear rating (read: 85,000 miles minimum life), and is rated at 1510 lbs. each. That is one thousand, five hundred and ten pounds of continuous loading, all day, all night, until they are worn out. And there are four of them, right? That adds up to, like, what... 6040 pounds of continuous combined load carrying capability? What does a VW Bus, or for that matter, a FULLY LOADED VW pop-top Vanagon weigh? Anyway, you get my point; you donft have to be an engineer to figure this one out. The thing is this: comparing a 185SR14 tire on a 14x5.5h wheel to a 215/65-15 tire on a 15x7h wheel is like comparing apples and oranges. On the latter, the sidewalls are almost 1/2h shorter, and are 1- 1/2h further apart. Common sense would indicate what we have proven by TESTING: The wider and lower profile tire is INHERENTLY stronger and more stable than a narrower and taller tire. No reinforcement required. End of story! Sure; so some might say, gbut are you unbiased Lucas?h Well, you got me there. HELL NO, I AM NOT UNBIASED. Of course I want to sell our wheel and tire packages. But we at GoWesty are not in business for a quick buck. We install and use EVERYTHING we sell right here in our own state-of-the-art, immaculate shop, in our customers and our own (not always so immaculate) VW campers. We use this stuff. We breathe this stuff. Besides, where else are you going to find a 15h alloy wheel and tire package that is guaranteed to fit, last, look great, includes all the fasteners needed, custom center caps, mounted, balanced, and installed (if you come to our shop) for $999.99? The 16h package is only $100 more. Nowhere, thatfs where. And finally, lets talk about value: When the last Michelin 205/70-14 reinforced tires were available (and they arenft any longer), some folks were paying almost $600 per set installed. Compared to the Michelin 215/65-15 HydroEdge tire we currently use, they would only last about 60% as long. So if you do the math, switching to our better handling, nicer looking, and longer lasting 15h option actually saves you money over time. There is just no down side. So, that is that. Thank you. (see our website for further write-ups on this topic) Vanagon Stick-Shift Transaxle: Sudden Death Syndrome The following write-up is an article Lucas Valdes (Prez Resident Mechanical Engineer of GoWesty) wrote to explain the inevitable failure of ALL stick-shift Vanagon transaxles produced prior to 1990. This information is based on our personal experience rebuilding countless units here in our workshop, coupled with our knowledge of stress failure analysis. There is a part in all Vanagon stick-shift transaxles called the 3-4 Syncro hub which was a flawed design. It cracks, and eventually breaks without warning, usually before 150k miles, sometimes as early as 70 or 80k miles (see photo). This THE GOWESTY LIBRARY

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