"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
04/14/2015 at 12:21 • Filed to: None
2
12|
"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
04/14/2015 at 12:21 • Filed to: None | 2
| 12 |
Last weekend I saw a Nissan NV200 and noticed how small the tires were in relation to the rest of the vehicle. I mused that this must help keep the operating costs low.
But apparently not.
Fhrbling commented yesterday that for his NV200, "I'm tired of paying a lot of money for tires I can barely find or are never in stock, only to have them last 25k miles."
Well that got me thinking... is the NV200 tire situation really that bad or is this another case of a dealer lying and screwing a customer yet again?
So I just checked tirerack.com... NV200's size is P185/60R15... sounds like a reasonable size. Similar size to my Ford Focus (which uses P195/60R15 tires).
Hit the search button for the choices in that size... none available?!?
WTF???
Now having said that, there are tire sizes available that were 'close enough':
http://tire-size-conversion.com/tire-size-calc…
Viable alternative sizes are P195/60R15, P175/60R15 or P175/65R15.
But the other 'gotcha' is the load rating... the stock load rating on the OEM tires are "92T"
Given it's a work vehicle, the load rating is what matters.
With P195/60R15 , a load rating of 88 is common. And I saw one tire, the Micheline X-Ice with a load rating of 92. So this might be an option in cooler/colder climates. The other sizes have load ratings much lower and are not viable.
Switching to an 88 load rating tire means the load rating goes from 1389 pounds to 1235 pounds.... a reduction of 150 pounds per tire. Here's info on load ratings:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech…
Let's consider some other factors... the NV200 is rated for carrying a 1480 pound load. And the vehicle weighs 3260 pounds. So 3260 + 1480 = 4740.
The 4 OEM tires can carry 5556 pounds. The cheaper P195/60R15 tires (if they have an 88 load rating) can carry 4940 pounds.
But let's also consider that most of the 1480 pound payload will be on the back wheels, but only 40% of the NV200's empty curb weight will be on the back wheels. So 3260*.4 = 1304. 1304+1480 = 2784 pounds that the back tires alone may have to handle. But with the 88 weight rating tires, the most you can go up to is 2470 pounds.
So with the NV200, you CAN switch to better and more affordable tire. It only means the maximum weight you can carry will be cut by 314 pounds (1166 pounds vs 1480 pounds).
The alternative is to import a decent tire with the right load rating from Europe OR order a decent cargo tire from a dealer from a reputable brand... like Continental. Here is one example of a decent cargo van tire:
http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.…
And this tire is technically available in the US and does have a DOT code:
https://www.conti-online.com/www/tires_us_e…
Now as you can see, in spite of not being a tire expert, I'm able to make a reasoned analysis on tires.
While I researched this to satisfy my curiousity, I came across this:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oney…
Motortrend ran into the same 'crappy expensive tire' issue. So they went to a tire dealer to find a solution to the problem. What do they get? No real analysis of what's needed or any real alternatives:
" A P-metric tire size of P185/60R15 with a load index 84 will roughly drop our load-carrying capacity to 1003 pounds — and that's before we factor in the racks, shelves, and driver weight.See where I'm going? Putting P-metric tires on a vehicle that requires Euro-metric load-rated tires can dramatically reduce your payload capabilities.
So with this in mind, we decided to stick with our OEM tires to retain the value of our van's cargo-carrying abilities while upgrading our van's exterior appearance with set of alloy wheels. "
This is retarded since the tire dealer obviously put NO effort into looking at alternative tire sizes with higher load ratings that could work or researching what else can be ordered in. Tire Rack is a Continental dealer and they should be able to order in some decent commercial van tires in that size. They just didn't want to bother most likely.
So the "solution" Motor Trend and Tire Rack found was to buy a new set of wheels that did NOTHING to resolve the issue and they still went to the dealer and got ripped off with the same crappy "America Cargo" tires. So much for contacting the "pros" at Tire Rack. If the guys at Tire Rack are 'Pros', then I'm a fucking tire virtuoso. Except I'm not... I'm just an IT guy who knows how to read and do a bit of research.
I hate it when "pros" are absolutely retarded like this. They should know this shit. And Motor Trend isn't the only mass market publication I've come across that goes along with retarded solutions for a given problem. It's just the most recent one I've come across.
While 84 load rating tires would be too low, the 88 load rating tires I found by doing some real research would be workable for a small van like that. And is anyone really gonna put more than 1166 pounds of driver, shelving and cargo in a small vehicle like that? I doubt it. And if they are, the better solution would be to import some decent *quality* tires from Europe directly or order it through a local *tire* dealer for a brand like Continental... and not install the overpriced no-name shit the dealer is selling.
HammerheadFistpunch
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
04/14/2015 at 12:26 |
|
Im in the same boat right now looking for a specific size of radial tire to replace a bias tire with a 1700 lbs or greater load rating. So far there is 1. a tiny BFG TA KO meant for syncros in a d rating that at 135 a piece. Dammit.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
04/14/2015 at 12:30 |
|
New wheels that don't fix the problem? That's just stupid. Here's a heaping helping of brainsauce for free: if there's a tire with *almost* the same exterior installed size and a good load rating which is cheaper, you get a wheel for that. If it's less than 10% larger, it's not going to kill the vehicle, either. Tires that work - how is this a radical concept?
Rainbow
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
04/14/2015 at 12:31 |
|
You probably (definitely) want to change your title. Just saying.
Milky
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
04/14/2015 at 12:35 |
|
Actual solution: don't buy a NV200.
505Turbeaux
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
04/14/2015 at 12:38 |
|
sounds like the struggle to find Vanagon tires, ever since Conti did away with Vanco 2's there hasnt been a tire out in that size with a proper load rating
|
Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> Rainbow
04/14/2015 at 12:45 |
|
You're probably right... changed retarded to 'inadequate'
|
Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> 505Turbeaux
04/14/2015 at 12:48 |
|
Vanco 2 is still listed on their website:
https://www.conti-online.com/www/tires_us_e…
Maybe the tire dealer is lying and just wants to sell you some shit they have in stock rather than doing the right thing and telling you they can order in the right tires for you.
|
505Turbeaux
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
04/14/2015 at 12:52 |
|
maybe the voice of T3's has gotten through!
Actually they have always made them, just not for this market in the 14" size. Now I am curious - not that I have a vanagon anymore but for my friends who do
fullthrottle540
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
04/08/2016 at 01:45 |
|
I own two NV200's. They have been eating tires since day 1. Factory sets were bald (wires showing and sparking) at 15k miles. I have now put Continental on, which show more promise than the factory junk rubbers.
The skinny rollerskate tires feel fine during test drive, but scary if van has any weight in it. I keep about 500 lbs in back (not including driver) and realize I have made a huge mistake. I thought the NV200 would pay for themselves in efficiency, as they are replacing 4.4L Chevy Astro’s (12-14 mpg). Turns out my NV200's only get 19-21 mpg, and are scary to drive above 65 mph.
DO NOT BUY AN NV200. Shift lock failed at 15k. Fuel pump failed at 20k. I am back in a Chevy, my NV200's are employee cars now.
This van is great for delivering salads and sandwiches. NOT for carrying any weight.
NV200-CA
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
12/16/2016 at 02:35 |
|
I have a new NV200 in April-2016, driven 10k miles so far, the tires are in great shape, the wear indicated that it may last to 40-50k miles. And I also checked with American Tires, and found these at $110/wheel. It is not as speculated $250/ea..... I am extremely happy to have my NV200 Average mpg at 29.8
|
Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
> NV200-CA
12/16/2016 at 10:17 |
|
That’s good to hear. Back when I wrote that, the NV200 hadn’t been out as long and the tire selection for it was surprisingly crappy and there was dealer gouging going on.
|
T.inmemphis
> Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
03/07/2018 at 08:42 |
|
I put on P205/65R15XL Pro contact The speedometer is perfect the writing of the tires are more than the factories I believe these were the tires are belong down it does not make your vehicle look like a Flintstone Mobile