tires for van

[jc1990]

hey guys i just purchased a set of douglas extra trac tires from walmart for my high top ford van size 2357515 does anyone know if these tires are any good and who there made by they seemed like a decent deal 4 for 179 out the door

 

[eljefino]

I put some of those on a Hyundai Accent before handing it over to my sister. One of them was totally flat the next day, and noone knew why. Got a new one, no problem, under warranty. Now she has the car 2000 miles away and probably never checks the air pressure. Driving through the mountains of Pennsylvania at 85 mph downhill with 18-wheelers on my tail and other trucks on my side the car was a bit loose but I chalked that up to the 13" wheels and few/no sway bars on that chintzy car. High top van... you probably don't want too sporty a tire, rather something that'll squeal and complain before letting go. These tires might be right for you! I maintain a philosophy that today's cheap tires are probably much better than mid-grade radials of 15 years ago. If you don't drive the van like a crazy fool and keep the tires at ~35 psi (sidewall max for most 75 series Passenger tires, and most light trucks door jambs, check yours) you should be golden. You can get who they're made by through the first couple letters on the DOT code; google for a list.

 

[Max_Tl]

jc, you don't say in your post and we don't have these tires in Canada. I may be wrong, but by the price these sound like passenger rated tires. check the tire sidewall - there will be a 'P' in the size description. that said, and it being a cargo type van ie:high center of gravity - this van/tire combo even with maximum psi is going to tend to have softer sidewalls. that could lead to less control in an emergency sverve = rollover possibility. my choice would be tires rated for light trucks, they come with various #plys or load rating. true this have slightly less riding comfort but in turn you may even slighty gain mpg.

 

[bretfraz]

Douglas tires are made exclusively for Walmart by Kelly-Springfield, a subsidiary of Goodyear. On a van or truck, I would make absoltuely sure the tires I buy have a high enough load rating for my application. Consider not only the weight of the van but include the passenger and cargo load, and any trailer you might pull. As Max said, a better choice may be a LT tire in your size. Speaking of load ratings, here is some interesting info from Tire Rack's website. They use the tire size 235/75-15 as an example. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tirespecskey.jsp#maxload [ May 25, 2005, 09:20 AM: Message edited by: bretfraz ]