14 inch bus tyre recommendations wanted

[el_flechador]

i am running 14 inch tyres ( 185  65 14)on my original bus wheels and its coming time to replace them , wondering if any of you folks have a good recommendation for a tyre of this size with the correct load bearing requirements?

thanks

[rolls and pleats]

I ran Achillies 185R14 on my 69 highroof and they were great. proper load rating and all.  I bought them from onilnetires.com   I like the look of how they fit on the rim versus some of the other tires out there.  I had 4000lbs on them o my trip home from SoCal and still handled well. Here is a pic of them on my van:



Here is a link to them  http://www.onlinetires.com/products/vehicle/tires/achilles/185%252F00-14+achilles+ltr-80+n%252Fan%252Fa+bw.html

I am going Bias ply on my new van though so we'll see the difference once its on the road.

[Batan]

I run Hankook RA08 185R14 on my '69. So far they are great. The bus came with passenger tires on it and installing these felt like going from a GTI with worn out stock suspension to Bilsteins with the addition of the power steering being fixed(it was much harder to turn the wheels with crap tires). Hankooks seem to be one of the top choices so I am not surprised.
I got them from http://www.treadsource.com/ and the place pleasantly surprised me with their customer service.

[el_flechador]

Any idea what the aspect ratio on the Hancooks are? my bus is mildly lowered and i still want to maintain clearance but at the same time i want to use a tyre that has a decent load rating

[vwboop]

lots of info on the Hankooks here http://busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=RA08

We've run them and agree they are a great tire...probably THE tire for a bus on 14's

[el_flechador]

Thanks Chris or Gina, they seem to be the only tyre on my radar at the moment although i secretly pine for some pinner whites but with the correct load rating.........

[Batan]

I could measure the exact height/width for you if that will help?

[el_flechador]

If you wouldn't mind i would really appreciate it.

[pittwagen]

I have Continental Vanco 2's on the front of my 79.  Had them for about 2 years.  I drive my bus year round and they are very good in the rain.  The Michelin LTX's on the rear are getting near the end of their life and I will replace them with the Vanco's.  They are available locally for just over $100., even at Canadian Tire.  All the 185R14's are about 25.3" tall.

[Batan]

If you wouldn't mind i would really appreciate it.

Will do tomorrow. 

[el_flechador]

Thanks Man

[Batan]

Thanks Man

Ah, crap I forgot. And now have to run to a concert. I will be doing Bus things tomorrow so I will post.

[el_flechador]

No worries, i got all the time in the world.

[rolls and pleats]

Diamond Back tires will vulcanize a set of whites on Yokohama 356's. They will run about $1000 for a set though. I went with 14" bias ply whites on my next rust bucket.

[Batan]

No worries, i got all the time in the world.

Finally thought of it. Here are some quick pics.


The gap

[finkmobile]

I have Continental Vanco 2's on the front of my 79.  Had them for about 2 years.  I drive my bus year round and they are very good in the rain.  The Michelin LTX's on the rear are getting near the end of their life and I will replace them with the Vanco's.  They are available locally for just over $100., even at Canadian Tire.  All the 185R14's are about 25.3" tall.

I have to get new tires this year and am thinking of the Vanco 2's. I think it was you that posted the link to the Canadian Tire website on the Samba...so thanks!

[pittwagen]

So just a little more info.  The Vanco 2's are about 25.7"tall according to the Conti website.  They are available at Cdn Tire and when I called the Maple Ridge store they did a search that indicated the tires were available locally in warehouses so the turn around is about 3 business days.  You need to go in and prepay at $104.00 each. 

I know it is sometimes hard to get backordered items or product that had to came from back east at Cdn Tire so this is good news.

[el_flechador]

Batan thanks for the nifty work with the ruler, i appreciate it, and it shows me what i need to know so now i just got to make a choice, i'll post up when i get the new boots on!