Help! Amateur Mistake $$$

[elev8_dude]

However said ignorance is bliss didn't own a bug. I had stock tires all around on 1970 Indy slot rims (Shelby 500 5.5" wide). I added CB Performance 2.5" drop spindles and changed my front shocks to KYB-GR2's and here comes the problem. I wanted a beefier tire so I changed them to 185/65 R15. I went as wide as I could go on those 1970 wheels and now I rubbing.

I WANT TO DRIVE MY CAR TO THE BUG JAM IN NOVEMBER! And problems keep popping up.

I've thought of wider fenders, different rims and tires, narrower beam but they are all $$$. The fender option is the easiest but if I change the front I have to change the back. HELP! I've been to other forums asking for some ideas, but I figured I try here also. Any help would be much appreciated.

Love my bug, but still frustrated.

1969 Bug

[oasis]

I asked a lot of questions before doing my '71 Super. Heck, the questions actually started before I bought the car. That didn't stop issues from blindsiding me. I have two virtually new tires in the shed as a momento.

There is an adage which states, "No matter how much you plan and budget, figure to add an extra 50% anyway."

I was very haughty about my abilities to investigate and to set up a budget. I still found the adage to be more correct than me. Quite humbling, really.

You seem to have the answers already. At least one of your items needs to change. Fenders? Wheels? Tires? Beam? Amount of lowering? The answer(s) will depend on the final result you want to accomplish.

Any change you make will affect the driving characteristics. That may outweigh the live-and-learn tax being levied. That leads to two follow-up sets of questions in my mind.

Were you able to drive your bug enough to get a driving impression beyond the rubbing or was the rubbing too imposing to get that impression? If not too imposing, what did you like and not like about the modifications?

Is the rubbing subtle enough to consider rolling the lip of the fenders to diminish or eliminate the fender fouling?

[elev8_dude]

Thanks for your time. I can in a way drive it now. The most rubbing comes with a passenger, some turns and stopping. On a “normal” drive it doesn’t really rub. Who am I kidding, it rubs all the time.

My hopes are to have a Germanlook bug with maybe 17" and disk brakes in the future.

If I have to go the $$$ new wheel and tire route, here is another repetitive forum question. On a 69 bug with stock beam, CB Drop spindles what is the biggest I can go on wheels and tires and offset?

How does the rolling out option you mention work?

I see now $$$ is gonna be spent.

thx

[oasis]

If it rubs all the time, rolling the fenders may not be the best option. It would involve a bat (or similar), a towel, and applying pressure such that the downward edge of the fender gets "rolled" up and out of harm's way.

It seems you are not at your final solution anyway since you are talking about 17" wheels and disk brakes "in the future." That opens up a new can of worms ... do you want a sort-term solution for now, or do you want to one-step it to the final solution? The latter has the potential of being cost-saving. It also carries the risk of needing some tweaking as the other final solutions are done in conjunction.

As far as the future is concerned, which brakes you choose could mean an extra quarter-inch of offset to take into account, although, not necessarily. The wheels will be a variable, too, until the offset and width of these seventeen-inchers become known.

So, I would strongly recommend look for a short-term -- and cheap -- solution.

Are you commited to the 2½-inch drop? I have a Super Beetle so I don't know if drop spindles have flexibility in the amount of drop which can be applied.

What kind of a ride do you want? A stiffer suspension will offer less travel and, hopefully, less fender fouling.

A narrower tire may be a solution if it's the sidewall that is fouling. If you're fouling on the tread itself, you'll need to change wheels (by offset and/or width), tires, and/or beam. It could be one, two or all three if lowering the front by a lesser amount isn't an option.

A more narrow beam will affect the steering. As a Super owner, I have no experience with such an adjustment. Intuitively, it would seem to me the steering would be less effective ... but I just don't know.

Another tire substitution could be going with a lower profile tire -- one with less sidewall. This was one of my solutions. By switching from a 205/55-16 to a 195/50-16, I gained an extra 0.6".

Maybe someone else can jump in here and suggest something I am not thinking.

[bean_8044]

Rolling the fenders may be something to look at, but i dont recommend the baseball bat method. I cant imagine a shop charging more than $100 a corner to roll the fender, but since the VW fenders are so curved it may prove more difficult than others. Of course if the fender is rubbing on the inside where the floor pan is, then rolling the fenders isnt going to do squat.

[oasis]

Ha I didn't do the fender roll myself. I just remembered when investigating for options, I was told of fender rolling. When I asked about how much that might run, I was told it was simple and the bat/towel method was suggested. There was no way my first fender was going to be on my project. I'm glad someone else shares my view.

[vujade]

narrow your beam....or buy one from CB that is already narrowed.

[elev8_dude]

Well, I went with the different tire option at least for now. I have changed the tire from 185/65 to 185/55. According to a tire size calculator the sidewall height difference is .72. Existing overall diameter now is 24.47", new tires will be 23.01". The section width stays the same, hopefully I found a solution. The tires are only $70 a piece. I'll know tomorrow night if the idea worked.

[volksdragon]

if you want something that doesn't rub on the front go with smartcar tires. they are a conti 175/55 R 15



they will have a 40 series look to them on the 5.5 rims. and the load rating will be fine for your car i beleive (not 100% sure but about 99%)

[dubKustom]

Elev8_dude: How did it work out with your tires?

I have the exact same situation on my -69: stock beam (with adjusters, but at full height), CB 2,5" drop spindles and 15" diameter, 5,5" wide wheels with 185/60 tires. They have just enough room to rotate, but when I drive it it will certainly rub the fender at every bump or stop...

I don't want to narrow the beam, so I was thinking about two things: either getting a smaller tire (like 165/60 or something similar, maybe Smartcar?) and/or machining off some material on the inside of the wheel to move it inward.

Any other ideas anyone?
/Daniel, Gothenburg, Sweden