Any thoughts or experiences running 185-80-15 tyres on std beetle 4" rims?

one consideration would be to check that the rims have the 'safety' bead.

Correct me if I am wrong but I got the impression the 4 inch rims are the earliest ones and dont necessarily have the bead. It locks the tyre lip in place.

My '68 Beetle had 4" rims from the factory. Standard type of rim as far as I am aware (safety rim).

I expect the wheel and tyre standards for Australia would say a 185 tyre is too wide for a 4" rim. Any tyre fitter would b able to confirm.

165's are ok, however the standard radial tyre for my beetle according to the manual was a 155. Big difference to a 185

185/80R15 is too tall, as well as too wide for the rim.

The original tyres are approximately 155/80R15, so a 185/80R15 is over 7% larger in circumference, ie. your speedo will read 7% slower. You could use either 185/65R15, or 185/70R15, as they are both within 2% error of the original circumference. If you want taller gearing for highway use you could run the 185/80R15 on the back though.

As already mentioned by hulbyvw, the 185 section width is really too wide for a 4" rim, you ideally would need at least 5.5" or 6" for that. I run 195/70R14 on a 6" wide rim and they sit just right, with a bit of 'bag' in them still. I would imagine that even on a 5" rim, the 185 might be too wide.

thanks for replies, think I'll just go with 165's to be safe