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71 beetle max wheel width

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x275 Commited Dubber

61 posts · joined Mar 2013 ·

#949649
Hi, I have just purchased a 71 superbug and want to widen the rear wheels to 6" I noticed that there isn't much room for much back space on the wheels, I'm trying to get a bit of a dish on the rims though so what are my options ? I would like this same size dish.

Any help would be great.

Cheers

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/801860.jpg

Bizarre Moderator The artist formerly known as blue74l

12,785 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#949654
it all depends on the offset

I run 7" ET 40 under stock guards on a 75 L bug - which has the same set up as yours

This is with 225 rubber on it

Futue te ipsum!!!

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#949660
You wont get that sort of dish with an IRS with stock guards.
That bug is an early swing axle with short axles,

you can widen steelies to 7" using Commodore Police pack rims, I did that with mine years ago but you wont get quite that much dish without wider guards.

x275 Commited Dubber

61 posts · joined Mar 2013 ·

#949665
Ah ok, So your saying you can use the barrel of a commodore rim to widen it to 7" right ?

What about as far as tyres sizes that will fit?

vwo60 Veteran Volks Folk

2,036 posts · joined Feb 2007 ·

#949692
I also run a 7" x 16" , ET40 with a 225/50/16 on the rear, no clearence issues

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x275 Commited Dubber

61 posts · joined Mar 2013 ·

#949710
How did you go about this five stud conversation ? I wanted to try fit a 205/70R15 under the back and bring the rear down a bit also like the tyre in the picture I added in my first post.

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#949712
x275 wrote:Ah ok, So your saying you can use the barrel of a commodore rim to widen it to 7" right ?

What about as far as tyres sizes that will fit?
Yep, weld a VW center into to Commodore rims and set the offset to suit your car.

Mine were the 7" Police pack ones but you could use the normal VP-VT 6" ones which would allow you a bit more dish too.

I had 205 or 215s on it, not slammed as I value my mufflers attached to the car

SebastienPeek Custom Title Time!

1,657 posts · joined May 2011 ·

#949713
I ran 8.5" wide wheels under Zelda.
Tread was still under the guard, so technically legal according to my tyre place anyway.

Specs for the rear were 16x8.5+11ET.
Front were 16x8+17ET and also fit under the stock guards.

The sold one, '73 VW 1303 - Zelda
The project, '74 VW 1303 - Gretl

vwo60 Veteran Volks Folk

2,036 posts · joined Feb 2007 ·

#949727
The track of the vehicle is measured between the centers of the tyres, you are only allowed 25MM over the standard track legally, you also need to fit the correct tyre to the rim size, this is important, a 205/45/16 has a recommended rim size of 6.5" to 7.5", as you can see from the above photo the tyre offers no protection for the rim and is streached onto it, a 7" on the rear as joel suggest fits well with a 225 tyre, the 70 profile tyre would not bring the back down and you could look at a 60 profile, you do not have to change the stud pattern if you have a set of steel wheels made up with the vw centers, on the front i have no experence on super bugs so someone else will have to advise you, check out the tyre calculator and see the difference the profiles make.http://www.tyresave.co.uk/tyresize.html

SebastienPeek Custom Title Time!

1,657 posts · joined May 2011 ·

#949733
OP never asked about legalities, hence why I shared mine.

It is a recommended tyre for those widths, there is nothing wrong with stretching them slightly.
If there was, then massive tyre places such as Bob Jane, TyrePower etc wouldn't allow this sort of thing, let alone condone and do it.
If you need to protect your rims with a tyre so as to not gutter them, you need to learn how to park properly so that you're not relying on the tyre as a buffer.
I have seen people actually cause blow outs on their tyres because they have the same attitude, it'll protect the rim if I hit a curb.

I read up extensively in regards to the legalities of my setup, the increase in track in the rear is something that I could have fixed if I used the smaller axles out of an automatic gearbox, but alas I didn't and I had minimal poke. As for the front increase, I couldn't have cared in the slightest. My bug handled very well too and from Melbourne, as well as multiple hills runs.

I could have put wider guards on so that it looked "normal" but I wanted to do something different than everyone else.

Sorry for the hijack OP.
The sold one, '73 VW 1303 - Zelda
The project, '74 VW 1303 - Gretl

vwo60 Veteran Volks Folk

2,036 posts · joined Feb 2007 ·

#949762
The tyre manufacturer's does not recommend a rim any wider then the sizes i quoted for a 205, what amazes me is that people are prepaired to dismiss years of engineering research. If all the tyre places do it and condone it, it does not necessarly make it right, i talked to the Bob jane i go to and the choice is your as they will accept no responsability if you want to fit a tyre outside the recommended range, if you wished to alter the rear track you would have narrowed the entire IRS rear end as all the axles/trailing arms are all the same on the IRS, just because the OP never asked about the legalities, it does not hurt to mention them as some people actually take that into account when making modifications because of the legal implication or do not know that they exist.

narumi I'll do it tomorrow

138 posts · joined Aug 2011 ·

#949784
VW centre welded on to flipped camry 6" shell
well under the guard. back is like ET0 and front 10.

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vlad01 Compulsive Aussie Vee Dubber

4,270 posts · joined Jun 2010 ·

#949795
narumi wrote:VW centre welded on to flipped camry 6" shell
well under the guard. back is like ET0 and front 10.
nice! 👍

71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE

1303Steve Scirocco Rare

8,650 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#949797
Hi

You dont need to find old rims to use, most wheel place will fit VW centres into new rims.

You didnt mention the front, that gets a bit more tricky. Your limited unles you go skinny struts

Steve

narumi I'll do it tomorrow

138 posts · joined Aug 2011 ·

#949844
from memory there was about 1-2 centimeter between the tire wall and standard spring.
(195 50 15)
my front now sit on different custom strut so I have about 4 centimeters clearance.

also I use old rims because it was much cheaper.

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#949855
narumi wrote:also I use old rims because it was much cheaper.
Agreed.
The 7" Police pack rims are worth a bit more but the stock 15x6" Commodore rims you can usually find on the kerb on trash day with shredded tyres after the bogans have finished doing their one pegger skids.

Most wreckers would probably give them away.

x275 Commited Dubber

61 posts · joined Mar 2013 ·

#949877
Joel wrote:
x275 wrote:Ah ok, So your saying you can use the barrel of a commodore rim to widen it to 7" right ?

What about as far as tyres sizes that will fit?
Yep, weld a VW center into to Commodore rims and set the offset to suit your car.

Mine were the 7" Police pack ones but you could use the normal VP-VT 6" ones which would allow you a bit more dish too.

I had 205 or 215s on it, not slammed as I value my mufflers attached to the car
I would be happy with that amount of dish, do you remember what your off set was on the rears?

I'm planning on leaving the front rim width standard.
The front is already lowerd with adjustable empi shocks and im happy with where the front end sits.

I live in Sydney and have spoken to Morton and May and they have quoted me $200 each rim to widen them to 6" but I would be inclined to go with 7".. This price was with them supplying the 6" barrels.. I thought it was fair, but if anyone has other suggestion that would be helpful.

Cheers.

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#949904
I never measured the offset, I just set it so it suited my bug but it would have been roughly +40mm with the 7" rims.