Ukraine Refugee Assistance

Alrighty, so there's a bug going around and it had me good and knocked out earlier this week.  Being home all day, I tried to pick myself up and get some stuff done.  Luckily RockAuto ships at lightning  speeds so I had the o-rings and idler arm available to work

Right away, I could tell by the rust pattern on the disc that something was wrong with this brake.  Looking closer at the caliper it looks like BOTH of the larger pistons were seized in position.  This is weird because I am 100% not gentle with my judicious application of force to that brake pedal, but I digress.

Right about here I noticed something was amiss...  Two different sized pistons, but all four of my o-rings in my rebuild kit were the same size.

I verified the part number versus what I ordered in RockAuto and in doing so, I discovered that I ordered the ONLY kit that was marked "42mm pistons only".

And because I ordered two boxes (one for each side), I now have a lifetime supply of half-caliper rebuild supplies.

yay me.

Since the smaller pistons weren't seized, I used their original o-rings and just gave everything a good cleaning before putting it all back together.  This is when I discovered the dust boots in my kits didn't fit either (strike two?).  So of course I cleaned up my original ones and put them in as well.  Luckily I was careful not to damage anything when I took it all apart (I'm learning).

In the end, it looked something like this:

Once bled, I gave the pedal a good stomp.

op checks good.

I pushed all the pistons back on the right side as well.  Everything looked good so I opted not to take it apart unnecessarily.

Good times.

Under the hood, I was having starter issues.  I noticed that intermittently, I'd hit the key to start the truck and would only get a "click".

I've had corrosion issues around a battery disconnect switch that a PO installed, and decided a while ago that it was time to take this darn thing out.

So I did.

Of note, that is the second vehicle I've had out here that had parts with a Ford stamp on them.  Neither were a Ford...

Ok, next up was the idler arm.  I showed Mrs. Hungary the hairline crack that was at front dead center, and her first thought was "how in the heck did he see that???"

I was about to tear into it, when I noticed something on my driver's front upright:

Be warned:  I will not stop complaining about this inspector until I'm good and out of breath.

Listen.  You want to cite hairline cracks in a bushing as justification to fail me, that's fine.  I can live with a pedantic shiny happy person, and I can meet pedantic standards even if I don't think it's fair.

But if you're going to be berkeleying THAT pedantic, then I expect you to be 100% that pedantic.  Your butt should have 100% spotted the split boot on the tie rod end.  No excuses.

Seeing that, I went back inside and ordered both outter and inner tie rods, along with the center link.  I'm going to have a shop install those with the idler arm at the same time.  I noticed some uneven wear on the driver's front tire so since shocks are still on the docket I'm going to have everything aligned.

good times.

And last complaint about the inspector:  "Brake lights inop"

I thought this was weird when he said it, as we go through a gate to get into work.  This means more than one mechanically inclined individual has been behind me as we drove through the double gate system.  And somehow, no one has ever thought to mention it to me that my brake lights weren't working?

Weird.

Well, to finish off the day I thought I'd do a bulb check.  Both looked good, but neither illuminated with application of the brake pedal.

Turning on the headlights, I could see the taillights worked...

Ok...  I checked under the dash and the brake light switch was adjusted correctly....  Maybe it failed?

Nope!

It was unplugged.

I'm not saying the inspector did it to try to scam me, but I am saying it's awful odd that something tucked waaaaaaaaaay up under the dash somehow got disconnected when no hand or foot has been up there.

Moving on:

When I drove the truck to the inspection station, I noticed that something sounded "dry" in my transmission or bellhousing when I downshifted into first.  Probably a synchro since it only happens when I'm pushing it into gear with the clutch 100% engaged.

I took a mental note to check the fluid level.  Turns out it was 1/2-liter low. 

I got it topped up, but am not taking it off my "watch list".  I can live without a first gear synchro, but if it's going to be something more than that then I might need to get to work rebuilding my spare transmission I have laying around.

Good times

Heckin helpers...

Enough about the truck, here's a Dr. Julia update:

So, looking close at the photo you can see it there next to the VW logo:

Our good doc is taking unfriendly fire, and her vehicle is taking a beating.  This is where we come in.

First though, I gotta tell you she put in for a transfer. Our good doctor is on the move from the south to the east and things are looking much hotter where she's headed.

If you watched the interview we shared on our youtube channel, you'll already know she's rescued people from combat while driving a vehicle with no brakes. Now that she's on the move, her tires are giving out as well.

We're still working out the details to make sure we get her the correct parts, but she needs a steel wheel (offset and lug pattern unknown yet), a 205/60R16 tire, an air compressor, and a jack.

For the jack, I offered a farm-jack/hi-lift unit (I thought it might be handy as a tool, given her location and duties) but a bottle jack may be preferred due to packaging concerns.

I'm working on the air compressor.  I think the compressor I have is going to be close to what she needs.  It's used by offroaders to air up and air down their tires, and can handle my 31x10.50's in a relatively short amount of time.  I found this unit locally:

https://offroadshop.eu/en/compressors/1353-t-max-compressor-160lmin.html

And although its a little expensive, it looks to be the full meal deal.  Durable, fast, and adaptable.

Let me know what you guys think, or if you find something better on Amazon.de (etc).

Real quick:

The first thing I did was to see if BFG offered their KO2 in Dr. Julia's tire size.  It looks like the smallest offering is of the 215 variety...  I was hoping to get something with those tough darn sidewalls to keep the rubber in action longer (barring any unfriendly kinetic intervention).

If you guys know of a similar compound in this size, I'd be open to suggestions there as well

Just to confirm, does she need one wheel and tire immediately, or soon, or does she need one wheel and four new tires?

Does it make more sense to raise funds for an in-country tire purchase than to try to send/deliver tires to her?

If a local purchase and install make more sense, what brands are widely available in Ukraine? I know there are some serious, old-school (sometimes even bias-ply) off road tires sold in Europe in smaller sizes, but don't know what brands they are sold under, nor whether anything in her size is appropriate for that VW.

I got paid yesterday. Provided the cost is comparable to prices here, I'm good for a tire. Let's get this done.

The Pirelli Scorpion ATR is available in P205/60R16 and claims to have a "robust carcass and reinforced sidewall area". How robust and how reinforced, I don't know, but it may be an option. Hopefully it is available in Europe as well.

If she is replacing all four tires then maybe we can step up to the KO2 if her vehicle will accommodate a 215/65. The 10mm difference in width would almost certainly not be an issue, but the extra 34mm nominal diameter might be tight. It would be nice to confirm that it's a viable size for her vehicle. And we don't yet know - well, maybe you do know - how available they are in that part of the world. 

Right now she needs 1 spare that is mounted to a rim, but would 100% be happy if she gets four unmounted tires with +1 mounted to a steel rim for a spare.

I'm in good with a local tire shop and can probably get wheels and tires at a fair bit of a discount.  I'm just waiting on a bit of info from Dr. Julia (the year of her vehicle, so I can make sure there's not a generational difference that's going to cause us issues) and then we can pull the trigger. 

Shipping isn't too much of an issue, as Novaposht is REALLY cheap to send stuff.   I 100% wouldn't mind sending one wheel/tire assembly (deflated) to her via that option (along with the bottle jack and air compressor).

But!

If we do the set of 4, +1 spare, then maybe things change.  I currently view it like this:

In the four-plus-one scenario:

If VikkiDp has a chance to meet Dr. Julia in person and hand over the tires, then it makes more sense to send Vikki the money and purchase locally.

If VikkiDp can not meet Dr. Julia in person in the near future then we'll need to ship everything to Dr. Julia anyway, so it might make more sense to purchase from my side and drive to the shipping office.

Looking at the photos, I can see the snowflake/mountain rating on the sidewall of her tire.  I'm thinking I'll try to keep with that and try to find something durable that meets the snow/ice requirement (especially given that her tire is parked in snow/ice in her photo).

The question is, should we spring for a premium level brand (Continental, is preferred around here) in the hopes that it will last longer (but come at a greater expense) or go with something that "will work" since we expect it to have a short life-span due to abuse within the operating environment?  (and use the money on other things for the Doctor)

DarkMonohue said:

The Pirelli Scorpion ATR is available in P205/60R16 and claims to have a "robust carcass and reinforced sidewall area". How robust and how reinforced, I don't know, but it may be an option. Hopefully it is available in Europe as well.

If she is replacing all four tires then maybe we can step up to the KO2 if her vehicle will accommodate a 215/65. The 10mm difference in width would almost certainly not be an issue, but the extra 34mm nominal diameter might be tight. It would be nice to confirm that it's a viable size for her vehicle. And we don't yet know - well, maybe you do know - how available they are in that part of the world. 

I'm not seeing the scorpion, but we have this option from Pirelli

With it being a Runflat, I would expect "stiffer" sidewalls but whether or not that translates into "stronger" is another question.  It has a darn decent traction rating though, and a set of four is slightly less than 1/2 of what our fundraiser was able to collect.  We could easily +1 to that and still get a steelie, and still have enough for the compressor and the bottle jack I think.

I'll admit to thinking long and hard about the 215 option.  In the end, I think keeping "stock availability" to her advantage would beat out any benefits the KO2s had to offer.

Here's the current fundraiser amount for reference:

If we move down to an "all season", we have a few other options as well:

I'll openly admit to 100% not being a fan of all season tires, but part of me thinks this might be an option worth pursuing.  The wide rain grooves down the center of that Pirelli Cinturato "All Season Plus", along with the wide grooves between the siped lugs kind of caught my attention.  It has the same traction rating as the ScottZero Run Flat, and costs about the same.

My questions were:

If the tire survived until the weather warmed up, would this be a better option long term or would the winter tread reign supreme in the traction department?

Would the Run Flat option be a better idea given that copper jacketed lead might puncture the sidewall and she might need something that will stay intact and on the rim while she floors it to get out of danger?

Here they are for comparison.  Slightly better speed rating with the All Season, slightly better load rating with the run-flat.

While I don't expect either speed rating to be exceeded, it might give us an idea of what the sidewall construction and durability is going to be like...

For translation purposes, the two bottom lines are "reinforced design" and "puncture resistant rubber".  The run flat offers both, the all-season does not.

Run flat is inherently a tougher carcass. I don't believe fractionally higher speed ratings imply that; I thin OK it's more to do with tread compounds that can handle sustained higher temperatures. 

The SottoZero is a winter tire. Winter tire rubber compounds don't hold up well in summer heat, if that is a concern.

In reply to DarkMonohue :

It is to an extent.  I'm leaning run flat at this point but am still uncertain. 

My logic is:  There's no guarantee that any tire OR vehicle is going to survive a whole summer.  But if a tire bursts, I think having the ability to roll out of there on that tougher carcass might help our doctor survive the encounter.

If only the all-season was also a run flat.

put a couple bottles of Slime and a couple of patch kits in with the compressor.

You're thinking what I'm thinking.  I have 3 bottles of fix-a-flat and a couple plug kits that I could 100% send.

so I'm prepared to pull the trigger on the winter "run-flat" tires over the all-season tires.  The logic being the following:

We cant guarantee tread life, or tire lifespan in this environment.  Either tire may get used up or punctured before the year is out.

Traction during the lifespan can be stated as "equivalent" for either tire for the life of either tire (or as near as makes no difference).

But...

But, if a tire is punctured in a combat environment then the run-flat (even though it is a "winter") carcass is preferred above the other option as it will stay on the wheel and perform longer when we need it to. 

In short:  We can buy Dr. Julia another set of tires when the car is in the garage.  We can not buy the vehicle another "Dr. Julia" if her tires can't get her and the car back to the garage.

Does anyone disagree?

Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:

Does anyone disagree?

Not at all. Unless Vikki chimes in with some new solution that is easier to implement over there, it sounds like the best approach.

DarkMonohue said:

Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:

Does anyone disagree?

Not at all. Unless Vikki chines in with some new solution that is easier to implement over there, it sounds like the best approach.

Just getting caught up over here, but it sounds like solid logic.   Things are a touch tight at the moment, but I'm good for one tire, let me know how much it is when you decided on the brand and how it's getting over there.

Alrighty guys, sorry for the delay! 

I stopped by the tire shop on Saturday during business hours but the place was closed (small town stuff).  I swung by yesterday after work and had MUCH better luck.  Here goes:

In talking to the owner, he didn't recommend the Pirelli tires.  Instead he opted for a Continental tire that was also winter/Runflat.  Unfortunately there were zero available.  Going to his second choice, he recommended a Bridgestone compound that I didn't catch the name of.  It's winter/runflat compound, but apparently its a brand new offering and is available in our area.

The price quoted is 295,000 Hungarian forint, (which works out to just over $800USD)  which is more expensive than our Pirelli option, BUT it comes with 4 tires not installed on a rim and one rim with a fifth tire installed.  Dr. Julia's ride is getting a COMPLETE set of new shoes.

When we set our appointment for pickup, I mentioned that it didn't matter as it was just to receive the tires and not to install anything.  The owner said that's going to reduce the price a bit.  (so probably about 280,000 forint out the door).

I think we can safely estimate the spare wheel to come in around $40, so that leaves us with $737usd for the 5 tires, or about $147 per tire.

Now that I type that out, I'm really hoping we were both of the understanding that I wanted a full size spare, but that's the language barrier for ya.  All tires are expected to arrive on the 11th, so I'll pay then.  If we do get 4-tires and a doughnut, well then we have time to fix that before we go into country

All said, I'm pretty dang happy with how it all worked out (and the Hungarlings got a handful of candy, so they're stoked too).

also, this is reason #375,462 that I really do try to support brick and mortar stores.  The owner has steered me right on street tires, track tires, and everything in between.  I trust his judgment when it comes to tire knowledge, and the price aint bad 

Good times.

of note: I’m also in possession of the bottle jack, tire plug kit, and tire iron that Dr. Julia also asked for. I’m beginning to think that tires don’t last long where she is…

Great work!

On the winter vs. allseason debate, i think you made the right call.  I don't know, but would guess that a chunk of her trips and retrievals are down dirt/mud roads.  I think the winter tires would do better in an offroad scenario, aren't they used as cheap rally tires in the states for that reason?

Hi everyone!!! 

i've got the month money transfer  also i have some money left from the last transfer. So it allowed us to help two families, i ordered baby food and diapers for three babies. 

The help continues and i'm so happy about that

Thank you all  

The moms and kids fund report