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Old May 2nd 2009, 14:00
VWCoupet VWCoupet is offline
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What size wheels 7" X 15" ?

My mind in numb from spending the last several days skulking about the GL pages as well as the Super Beetles Only site. (The link to the “Tyre Bible” site – wow, back to grade school for me – headache!)

From what I have learned thus far, I first need to determine the wheel size and type (plus the tire) before deciding on brakes and suspension. Because I will be running just with a 1776 for the next few years and the stock gearbox I think that I should go with a smaller/lighter wheel and tire.

I am presently thinking of 7” x 15” on the front and 8” x 15” on the rear (or possibly 6” and 7” respectively). I like teledial and Fuchs. Does this sound like the right size and wheel for a humble powered GL?
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Old May 3rd 2009, 04:45
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Hi

I'm not sure what model Super you have. I have 2 x 1303s, one a 73 with 3 bolt struts and the other a 74 with 2 bolt struts.

I'm running skinny struts, they are a must for any wider wheel on a super.

On the 74 which is my daily but is off the road at the moment, I'm running 17x7s with a 55 ET, on the front they fitted really well, on the rear they were in to far, so I fitted some 944 steel rear arms and brakes, these pushed the rear wheels out enough to make them fit really well, actually 25 mm per side.

Steve

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Old May 3rd 2009, 13:51
VWCoupet VWCoupet is offline
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Not 15" but 17" 'for sure'?

Thanks, Steve.

Yesterday someone suggested wheels no wider than 7” (front and rear). One person suggested no smaller than 16" whereas another suggested 17" for sure. It was recommended that I look for wheels through my local PCA chapter and that the availabilty through the classifieds there might determine what I go with.

The offset was specified as 43 and 55mm. (I don't yet understand offset.) I am given to understand that if I go with P brakes and P wheels that this shouldn't be an issue.

The tires suggested were 17 205 40 (front) and 17 225 45 (rear).

It was also suggested that the car be lowered 2.5 inch setting on the front with the rear being left stock.

Great photo - nice looking ride.

I am just now trying to get some photos up of my project. I hope to figure this out ...

Cheers
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Old May 6th 2009, 09:25
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Chris Percival Chris Percival is offline
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I am running 7.5"x17" ET65 and 8"x17" ET52 rims under stock arches on my 03.
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Old May 6th 2009, 11:30
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Hi

Go to this http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp site and use the wheel calculator to work out what fits, I usually start with a wheel ET that is known to fit and and go from there.

This picture will explain more about ET.

Steve
Attached Images
File Type: jpg wheel ET.jpg (81.8 KB, 10 views)
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Last edited by Steve C; May 6th 2009 at 11:31. Reason: Forgot link
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Old May 6th 2009, 13:31
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I'm running 17 x 7 et 55 at all four corners on the street bug under stock fenders. I love the look of 17" and 18" wheels on a bug but they don't help handling much. I saw plumbug's old setup (and one of my racing inspirations) on a 1303 at a meet last week. Sport bug 15 x 5.5" et26 in front and the same style rims but from a 914 (15 x 5.5 maybe et 15 or et 0 by the deep dish look) and they looked awesome. If I still had stock pattern disks I would toss those on in a heartbeat.
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Old May 7th 2009, 14:01
VWCoupet VWCoupet is offline
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Thanks for the responses. Thanks, Steve, for the link as well as the attachment. Yes, that illustration does explain offset clear enough for even me to understand. I will check the link with the hope that I will gain an understanding of how wheel and tire size effect handling and performance.

After reading Humble's post I am now even less sure of what sized wheel that I should go with.

To cite Humble: ... Sport bug 15 x 5.5" et26 in front and the same style rims but from a 914 (15 x 5.5 maybe et 15 or et 0 by the deep dish look) and they looked awesome. If I still had stock pattern disks I would toss those on in a heartbeat.

If I understand correctly, Humble seems to indicate that the smaller wheel is better for handling.

If I recall rightly when I first started this project (way back when) I was considering 15" tele-dial or Fuchs wheels. Last week somone mentioned that these are not as readily available (read as inexpensive) as the 17" which I should find through the local PCA chapter.

Wheel and tire availability and cost will factor into my decision. (Obviously, so too will handling and looks. On that note, Sandeep has attached a photo of his wheel set-up on a recent post - this look really appeals to me. A great photo of a great set-up.)

My goal is a superb handling agile car that will prove a friendly daily driver. (By this I don't imply that I am looking for a soft cushy ride to and fro work. I do like to feel the road.) As for tires, I will need to either run all seasons or summers and winters should I decide to run the car during are usual brief and moderate winters here in metro Vancouver.

Again, as I do require all four fenders (arches, wings) width is not a real issue here.

Thanks again for the interest.

Cheers,

Coupet
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Old May 7th 2009, 20:31
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Hi

I disagree with what Humble said about the larger wheels not helping with handling.

Lower sidewalls give better handling but at the expense of a slightly harsher ride.

Lower overall rolling diameter gives poorer contact patch for the tyre on the road, so that's why when going to larger diameter wheels you need low profile tyres to keep the rolling diameter close to original.

Steve
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Old May 7th 2009, 20:38
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Here's 2 shots of my sports bug from similar angles with 15" and 17" tires.

This shot is 4 sports bug rims, 5.5 x 15 ET26 with 185/65 15 tires.


Same car, with the 7 x 17" ET55 rims with 205/40 17


Hope this helps a little bit. One thing to consider is tire cost (I chew through a lot of them). I can buy 1 set of very sticky street tires for the 17" rims but with the same money I can buy nearly 2 sets for the 15" rims.
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Old May 9th 2009, 11:48
VWCoupet VWCoupet is offline
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Aspect Ratio/Rolling Diameter

Thanks Humble and Steve. Your car looks great, Humble. I particularly like the look with the larger wheels.

Steve, thanks for the info on rolling diameter. I have and will continue to try to get my head around all this. I'm not trying to reinvent anything here, I am simply trying to gain an understanding of the reasons why someone with some knowledge chooses the wheels and tires that he or she does.

In the end I will choose a wheel/tire combination and a brake and suspension set-up common to most of what is here on the German Look forums. If, however, I am to learn anything through this project I need to know the "whys" - not just the "what" I should go with.

As I indicated, I don't mind sacrificing a cushy ride for better handling. I also need to consider what tires I can fit on what wheels in the event that I need to run all seasons or snow tires. The ET will, I gather, impact my suspension choice. ...

Thanks again
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  #11  
Old May 9th 2009, 14:21
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Xellex Xellex is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Humble View Post
Same car, with the 7 x 17" ET55 rims with 205/40 17
Is that with stock super beetle spindles and brakes? I'm asking this because I tried a 195/65/15 setup on 7x15" ET 52 rims and they were rubbing on the fenders. Then I tried a 185/65/15 tire on the same rims and it was a tight fit.
But all this was on late 944 Porsche spindles, so maybe these bring out the wheels, just like in the rear when using Porsche trailing arms?
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