I was admonished a couple of weeks ago (but thanked for the info) for
adding too many subjects to one posting but laziness rules tonight:
RE: "engineering types" as absolutists
Please keep in mind that broad generalizations (such as the one used by me)
are the comfort food of the lazy. They are crowd pleasers without quite
being right on. One thing that I forgot to mention on this issue: most
people write a lot more harshly than they speak. Many a time I wrote a
letter of complaint to a printer or supplier about work that I felt far
short of the mark only to be appalled at the effect it had on the people
receiving my missive. Moral of the story: try to write a notch softer than
you feel. It will probably come out about right.
RE: more tire stuff
I haven't seen any sign of info about the GMC/Cinnabar study of tires.
Although I only asked about it a couple if issues ago, I suspect that the
well will come up dry. My recollection (from talking to somebody a few
years ago) is that the study was done only by GMC a number of years ago,
not by Cinnabar/GMC. I also believe that the study was done on non-radials
(as radials were not common at that time). Although somebody mentioned a
General tire study a short time ago - what are the details of that, and
does anybody have a copy? So, if it is true that the study preceded
radials, then it probably is of little use. Now to add a little myth. When
I was buying new tires, I was quite amazed at the passion with which people
approached this issue. I ended up buying Radial Load E xps tires but I'm
not convinced it was necessary. One of the statements that I heard more
than once was that yes, if I bought Michelins, I should buy Load E because
they had weaker sidewalls than other tires. Is this myth or fact? I think
that people are missing the point when they say that studies show that
drivers can't tell the difference between 65# and 80# on a load E. I would
like to see if they could tell the difference between a 65# load D (which I
believe is the recommended pressure) and an 80# load E. I suspect that they
would. This would only be of academic interest to me except for the fact
that I feel that my GMC should be smoother (in the front) going over bumps.
I dropped the pressure in my XPS E's to 65# and couldn't tell the
difference. I suspect the problem may be that I installed Caspro shocks
with neoprene bushings rather than the softer rubber bushings. I also used
neoprene bushings in the sway bar but I doubt that it would have much of an
effect. Any comments on this issue?
RE: only one more tire comment. . .
I think that Justin's posting should be the first entry of a FAQ about
tires. It sums it up rather neatly. If I'm reading it correctly, it strikes
me that most Load D tires that are being used would meet these guidelines.
However, this list may have been released before GM went to a load E
recommendation. Given so much anecdote and myth about this, how about
members making a short posting every time they have a blow out (or even
start with a summary of the past). I'd like to know the brand, load range,
age, guesstimate of tire wear and short description of conditions. Maybe a
pattern will become evident over a year or two and we can move from myth to
statistical probability.
Vic Marks
Vancouver BC
75 transmode
adding too many subjects to one posting but laziness rules tonight:
RE: "engineering types" as absolutists
Please keep in mind that broad generalizations (such as the one used by me)
are the comfort food of the lazy. They are crowd pleasers without quite
being right on. One thing that I forgot to mention on this issue: most
people write a lot more harshly than they speak. Many a time I wrote a
letter of complaint to a printer or supplier about work that I felt far
short of the mark only to be appalled at the effect it had on the people
receiving my missive. Moral of the story: try to write a notch softer than
you feel. It will probably come out about right.
RE: more tire stuff
I haven't seen any sign of info about the GMC/Cinnabar study of tires.
Although I only asked about it a couple if issues ago, I suspect that the
well will come up dry. My recollection (from talking to somebody a few
years ago) is that the study was done only by GMC a number of years ago,
not by Cinnabar/GMC. I also believe that the study was done on non-radials
(as radials were not common at that time). Although somebody mentioned a
General tire study a short time ago - what are the details of that, and
does anybody have a copy? So, if it is true that the study preceded
radials, then it probably is of little use. Now to add a little myth. When
I was buying new tires, I was quite amazed at the passion with which people
approached this issue. I ended up buying Radial Load E xps tires but I'm
not convinced it was necessary. One of the statements that I heard more
than once was that yes, if I bought Michelins, I should buy Load E because
they had weaker sidewalls than other tires. Is this myth or fact? I think
that people are missing the point when they say that studies show that
drivers can't tell the difference between 65# and 80# on a load E. I would
like to see if they could tell the difference between a 65# load D (which I
believe is the recommended pressure) and an 80# load E. I suspect that they
would. This would only be of academic interest to me except for the fact
that I feel that my GMC should be smoother (in the front) going over bumps.
I dropped the pressure in my XPS E's to 65# and couldn't tell the
difference. I suspect the problem may be that I installed Caspro shocks
with neoprene bushings rather than the softer rubber bushings. I also used
neoprene bushings in the sway bar but I doubt that it would have much of an
effect. Any comments on this issue?
RE: only one more tire comment. . .
I think that Justin's posting should be the first entry of a FAQ about
tires. It sums it up rather neatly. If I'm reading it correctly, it strikes
me that most Load D tires that are being used would meet these guidelines.
However, this list may have been released before GM went to a load E
recommendation. Given so much anecdote and myth about this, how about
members making a short posting every time they have a blow out (or even
start with a summary of the past). I'd like to know the brand, load range,
age, guesstimate of tire wear and short description of conditions. Maybe a
pattern will become evident over a year or two and we can move from myth to
statistical probability.
Vic Marks
Vancouver BC
75 transmode
