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rim and tyre size for my 65 bug
lolight70 - September 7th, 2015 at 10:39 PM

Hi all
Just got myself back into a bug after a long long time
Anyway very happy with the purchase
I am rebuilding the front suspension and also fitting 2 1/2 in dropped spindles which are 1/2 in wider than std.
I have stock wheels and tyres at the minute but want to upgrade.
I want to use sprinstars 15x 4.5 ET 25 in the front
and 15x5.5 ET25 in the rear
What size tyres do i need? Trying to avoid rubbing
I have std drum brakes and std running gear
Its a 1965 beetle
Thanx
Chris

psimitar - September 7th, 2015 at 10:50 PM

I'd suggest mounting the wheel first without tyre to see how close they run to the wings inner lip as IIRC you are losing about 10mm of offset compared to a OE steel. So with the spindle you're pushing things even further out towards the arch. Same for the rear minus the spindle track increase of course.

However, max you can fit to a 4.5J rim is 165/70 and 5.5J is 195/65. Now I've no idea if they're available in Oz but Smart car front tyres are a popular choice in UK and Europe when arch clearance is an issue. Rears are 165/55, I think, and fronts 135/65 IIRC.

Either way, I'd dry fit the wheels first as it may be very obvious that a narrowed beam is the only way to make that combo if drop spindle and wheel work.

adlbeetle66 - September 8th, 2015 at 03:54 PM

I am running similar combo but with just standard rims and 6 in on the rear.
I tried some 185/55 on the front they seemed to work fine. I havent had it on the road yet, but they didnt seem to rub. On the rear i am running 205's most likely

hulbyw - September 8th, 2015 at 08:51 PM

As far as I am aware (in Vic at least) you can legally run 205/60's on 5.5" rims (that's what I have on the rear of my '68). When my tyre guy fitted them he said they were on the limit of what he would fit.
Cheers

lolight70 - September 9th, 2015 at 08:01 AM

Thanx guys
Im not after the widest tyres i can fit,ill be happy with around 145 in front and around 165 in the rear depending on profile and availability and $$
Trying to avoid rubbing without a narrow beam

empi - September 9th, 2015 at 03:37 PM

135 and 165 are the classic set up that should work (clearance ) and give the wheel some tuck under the guards etc

psimitar - September 9th, 2015 at 11:21 PM

Every tyre manufacturer should have a listing of the safe range of rim widths that a tyre will fit on. It's not just tyre width but sidewall ratio as a stiffer sidewall means less pliable to seal and seat properly on the rim.
Also the less width on the front over std means less braking ability as you have reduced contact patch.

lolight70 - September 10th, 2015 at 11:30 PM

good point psimitar
So what is the offset of the std rims?
The old crossply werent very wide from what can remember

psimitar - September 11th, 2015 at 06:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by lolight70
good point psimitar
So what is the offset of the std rims?
The old crossply werent very wide from what can remember


Oh, now that does stretch my memory but I think it is 35ET so 10mm more than the rims you are planning to fit. So I presume you know how the offset measuring works? Centreline of the rims width is the zero point from which to measure offset from whether positive or negative offset. IIRC the VW offset is negative as it pushes the rim into the arch. So in a nutshell your sprintstar rims will push the rim 10mm further towards the outer edge of the wing. Therefore making the arch look more filled :)