I need to get some tyres. I put two new 14" car tyres on the front a year ago for rwc and am often carrying more weight than I should on them. I reckon the sidewalls are too soft as well.

Any recommendations on what types work and dont would be appreciated. I dont want to spend $400ish and get tyres Im not happy with.

On my first kombi (sigh! ) I had old light truck tyres that slipped really badly on the polished roads here in Brissy when it pisses down.

I have Simes tyres (malasian pirelli factory) and they grip very well.

I would like these tyres to grip. I dont care how long they last (well 20k would be good) I use my bus as an everyday driver. I dont flog it. But want to stop and turn well if needed.

cheers
kkk

No light truck tyres unless you get a light truck. A kombi is a hell of a lot lighter than a commodore or falcon and I havent seen too many of them with light truck tyres on. LT tyres suck.

Use normal passenger car tyres pumped to 40psi.

I wish I kept my wheels magazine with a tyre test in it. All the major manufacturer tyres were very even. Some performed better in a particular test but overall they were even. Then there were retreads which didnt come close. In a braking test I think one went beyond the last measwuring point. Then there was a cheap malaysian tyre (dont know what brand) that performed worse than the retreads.

Pretty sure you wont get out of it for under $400. $500 possibly but maybe not.

I put a pair of Indonesian 185LT x 14 on the front as a test, $89 each, steering became lighter & more accurate & surprisingly the vehicle stopped wandering in moderate cross winds & trying to pull off the road if a Semi overtook on the freeway - very impressed I tried to get another two for the back just before we took off to central Australia & could only get 2 made in Thailand - happy ? nearly 10000 ks later they are still like new - wet roads go unoticed in both cornering & braking & the vehicle is more stable in crosswinds & less likelyto get punctures
many people with large 50's & 60's cars that originally had high profile, narrow section 14" & 15" tyres are now using these light truck tyres, mostly made in Asia,

Choice magazine did a test on tyres recently, can't remember when but well worth a read. Check out their web site.

ive been recommended to go with light truck tyres. they are better in side winds and far less prone to punctures as they have multi - ply sidewalls. i have however noticed that the ones advertised often seem to have old looking tread patterns.

i just changed to light truck (14.175.75)... absolutley great...cornering (particulary higher speed..long corners) is allot lot better... tread pattern is not very conducive to grip (prety old school / 'truck' but has down well in the rain that we've recently had....
..

..got them white walled by a company here in canberra and now have a top performing (relatively), great looking tyre...
..would definitiley recommend it

I've recently switched to Michelin XTC LT 185 78 14s and running 45psi (rear) and 40 psi (front).

Compared to the (admittedly worn) previous passenger car tyres (195 70 14s) the steering and handling are vastly improved, in particular no lurch and wander.

Not cheap at $125/corner, but it looks like they will last forever.

In deference to Amazer, these tyres would not necessarily be my choice for an always-lightly loaded, high performance Kombi where you're seeking maximum lateral g-force; that's not what I have, mine's a truck.
hth

If you want to use light truck tyres on your Kombi, use Dunlop SP LT5's (provided you can get the Australian-made ones)!!!

my Pirelli's P400's are rated at 635kg = 2500+kgs worth of kombi. thats a lot. rated at 35psi maximum but I use 40. The federal supersteels in the driveway have the same figures. The Goodyear GTR's on the back my kombi dont say anything! My 13 inch tyres on the mitsubishi are rated at 475kg and 44 psi.

I dont have any scientific data but I am absolutely certain that a passenger car tyre will out perform an LT tyre in any test other than a wear or sidewall puncture test, and a vast majority of punctures go through the tread I presume. At least onroad driving anyway.

Never the less I am outnumbered here so will slide into the shadows.

[Edited on 25-9-2003 by amazer]

Hey Amazer, wasn't having a shot at you!
I think Modulus has it, pick what's best for your situation. I just happen to know what kkk's use is likely to be.
:thumb

I've generally bought LT Wintertread tyres for my kombis, both new Michelins and cheap retreads. I've gotta say that the Michelins really impressed me, and the retreads were almost as good, and even better on wet dirt roads.

I'm currently running some 60 series Mud and Snow tyres that came with the 15 inch wheels I bought. They're a lot quieter, but I couldn't really say they have anything else going for them. Even though they probably had 90% tread when I bought them, I still found them greasy on wet bitumen, unlike the LT tyres I've tried.

My suggestion would be the Michelin LT's, but they don't come cheap.




Why not try some 7.50-16 Jeep Service Specials?

Go the LT's
I have used them for years on my Kombi, heaps better handling, and insurance company demands them for the loads Kombi's are capable of handling, no LT's NO PAYOUT in the case of an accident.
Rob.....

I have run Uniroyal rainmax on my 1970 transporter for a couple of years now. Confident handling good wear, and great grip. I have them in a 205/65 15" tyre to suit my wheels. Vast improvement on the car tyre choice. No doubt ride is a little stiffer, but not enough to outweigh the benefits.
:thumb

A lot of the sidewall movement can be removed with 16X7 rims with 55 series tyres.
Potenza's might seem extravagant for a bus, but the handling is good. :bounce

A lot of the sidewall movement can be removed with 16X7 rims with 55 series tyres.
Potenza's might seem extravagant for a bus, but the handling is good. :bounce

Well, I got 4 new Hankook HK 819 LT tyres Thursday arvo. I have a 1600 75 panel that is my daily driver, my mountail bike transport and renovating and landscaping support vehicle. It gets loaded to the gills with tools/timber/gravel and turf etc. A local landscaper has a small bucket loader that can drop a bucket of sand onto a tarp on the floor. Close the side and chuck 25 railway sleepers in the back. The 1600 is fast enough. Slow on some occasions but steady. I plan to lower the front with welded adjusters and bump stops so I can use underground car parks safely. This baby is a workhorse. A well looked after one that is 2 months off a respray a very light blue grey 60's colour.

I drove home on the freeway and noticed the steering is much more presice and less soggy. It doesnt yaw very much at all now. Steering is much better, it holds a line all the way through a corner now and the steering is lighter. It rained last night (yaaaaaay) and it was a slow steady light rain after months of dry (subtropics) and the roads were very rainbow filled and greasy. These tyres gripped very well and only gave one slip on a white line. I am very impressed The trye man reckoned they will give high milage but have a softer compound than most. $88 each. Just need to polish the mags now :sandrine


Kool karmas to you all thanks for all the opinions.

kkk

do they make LT's in 13 inch?
Maybe I could get some for my lancer. Can always use more grip.

Hi

Because T2s are to old to have tyre placards you should really careful about what sort of tyres you use otherwise you will insurance hassles as Robbo pointed out, probaly the only literature you can go on is the factory owners manual which has probably long since rotted away. You need to careful with speed and load ratings, you can have an insurance claim disallowed if you put lower speed rated tyres on your vehicle, even if the speed rating on the new tyres is above the our local maximum speed, in NSW its 110 kph.

The company I work for supplies me with a Rodeo ute, it uses LT Bridgstones that are fantastic, I at one stage had Goodyear G800s which were downright scary in any weather.

1302Steve