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Mon Nov 21, 2011 5:00 pm

pitbug wrote: John Moxon wrote: Bend up the lip on the wheel arch to give more clearance and prevent scuffing the tyre.
Thanks John,

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-fender-roller-w-instruction.html

Mon Nov 21, 2011 6:57 pm

hpw wrote: pitbug wrote: John Moxon wrote: Bend up the lip on the wheel arch to give more clearance and prevent scuffing the tyre.
Thanks John,

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-fender-roller-w-instruction.html

thanks HPW, I'm a visual learner :?

Tue Nov 22, 2011 1:25 pm

sactojesse wrote: toy man wrote: so correct me if i am wrong. i believe that 1968 long axles are the same length as irs set ups. if so , this wheel combo will fit on a 1969 or 1970 irs ghia
You'll actually have more rear tire clearance with IRS, so it shouldn't be a problem. IME, rear tire clearance in IRS cars is similar to 1966 and earlier short axle cars.

Do you really have the same clearance with the long axle?
heres a 9.5 inch wheel, with the IRS rear...ok its a 944 porsche part, but its nearly identical to the vw part.

does anyone have measurements how much (inches) you can have with short axles, irs & long axles? in the wheel wells?

i was surprised how big tyres you can actually fit there...

ok, theres flares and 1 inch of spacers...
but pretty big ones, goes to a KG
http://volkswanker.blogspot.com

Tue Nov 22, 2011 3:04 pm

yeah, that is totally cheating.

Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:10 pm

jyrie wrote:
does anyone have measurements how much (inches) you can have with short axles, irs & long axles? in the wheel wells?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=330991

Thu Dec 08, 2011 5:28 pm

Noob questions.

Running stock suspension need to replace wheels. I would go back with the pizza cutter/ chrome hubcap look but I want a set of empi brm sprinstars. 5x205 but I don't know anything about wheel combos and lip widths, tire width and what the stock suspension can handle. So, 15" or 17"? I did buy 15" wheels and tires but they were stolen when a shop the car was at went out of business. They took care of the tire/wheel/clearance thing themselves. I did get 135 smart car tires for the front and like 185s for the rear but I don't really 'get' lip width and tire width.

Fri Dec 09, 2011 1:38 am

UserDrew wrote: ... but I want a set of empi brm sprinstars. 5x205 but I don't know anything about wheel combos and lip widths, tire width and what the stock suspension can handle.

If you go to the top of this topic you'll see a search window which allows you to search within this topic...type in "205" and it returns these for further reading: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/search.php?search...ults=posts

Try the same search in the other threads linked from the Sticky "Suspension – Lower, Raise, Narrow – Tire, Wheel Combinations": http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=433753 and it will provide a lot more useful information. :)

Wed Jan 11, 2012 6:17 pm

-Tire make and size. -- Front: Nankang 135r15 Rear: Nankang 165/80 r15
-Wheel make, size or offset. -- Stock 15x5 rims with 4" offset
-Spindle drop, beam narrowed dimensions. Who's make? -- 2.5" drop spindles, 2" narrowed adjustable beam with the adjusters all the way down.
-spring plate mods and extensions, number of splines down. Who's? -- Rear is not lowered yet obviously.
-Tubbed, cut torsion, short axle or long axle, swing to IRS, etc..
-Tie rod flip kits, caster shims, etc.
-Brakes- disc/drum, type 3 drums out back, etc. - what brand used? -- drum brakes all 4 corners stock.
-shocks/no shocks- what brand. -- front no shocks. rear shocks but not name brand.
The front tires do rub a little even after rolling the fenders but not nearly as bad as when I had 165s in the front. Any input on using drop plates or just going a click or two in the rear and notching the spring plates???

Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:33 pm

Continental ContiProContact 175/55R15 front, 195/60R15 rear, 15x4.5, 15x5.5. 2" narrowed beam, stock spindles, stock rear height. may drop the rear one notch.

Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:37 pm

Can I use 4.5 inch fuch replicas front and back? I have a 67 with the longer axles. I may have to use adapters too.

Mon Mar 12, 2012 9:42 am

rusty57 wrote: Can I use 4.5 inch fuch replicas front and back? I have a 67 with the longer axles. I may have to use adapters too.
I don't see why not. They'd be closer in width to your 15 x 4" stock rims than the wider Fuchs replicas. Not sure why you'd exacerbate your clearance issues by using a adaptors though. Just buy front rotors and rear drums drilled for the 5 x 130 mm Porsche lug pattern.

Mon Mar 12, 2012 4:07 pm

63 Ghia wrote: Continental ContiProContact 175/55R15 front, 195/60R15 rear, 15x4.5, 15x5.5. 2" narrowed beam, stock spindles, stock rear height. may drop the rear one notch.

I wouldn't touch the back at all - - I think the stance is "hot rod" perfect. I think you'll likely end up slightly nose high which I think ruins it IMO.

Mon Mar 12, 2012 6:17 pm

You're probably right, the rake is slightly higher in the rear than I would like, but I think by dropping a notch will bring it down too much. Besides I hate the negative camber look, looks ridiculous.

Thu Mar 22, 2012 11:18 am

scottz wrote: scottz wrote: ok, here's what i did. the beam is narrowed 2". empi 2 1/2" dropped spindles(i here empi sucks now but they claim they don't add track width, and no problems yet!) front wheels are 4 1/2" wide mangels with 4 1/2" backspacing. these made the biggest difference! really tucked the wheel in! front tires are bfg 155/80 15. awesome tire!! the footprint is so close to a 165, but a little shorter and narrower. stops on a dime! 8) the beam has puma style adjusters down 1 notch. bugpack 2" narrowed 3/4" swaybar. no rubbing! :D i really think the swaybar helps with rubbing, i mean, if you're close to the fender reducing body roll is a plus. :P and its really fun to drive! as for the rear, wheels are 5 1/2" mangels with 'no name' 'wide track' 165 15 tires. (they are fatter than a nankang) ride hieght adjusted 1 notch i think, plus 1 inner on passinger side, to even out driver side sagging. my friend helped with the rear so i will get back if i was wrong. also replaced rear swingarm bushings. oil shocks up front, monroe gas shocks in rear. that's it. rides pretty good. all new balljoints and tie rod ends seem to make it steer a little stiff. only a few hundred miles so far. hope that answers all your questions.
I posted this a while back. Didn't feel like re-typeing it.

What year is your Ghia? Long or Short Axles out back?

Thu Mar 22, 2012 11:57 am

It's a 1969. Rear suspension is IRS and stock. (lowered 1 notch)

Here's a more current pic. I only changed wheels and tires, the suspension is unchanged.

Thu Mar 22, 2012 12:14 pm

great looking car. thanks

Fri Mar 23, 2012 12:04 pm

cseay1 wrote: great looking car. thanks

No prob, good luck with your Ghia!

Fri Mar 23, 2012 8:15 pm

Cant beat fuchs 8)

Sat Mar 24, 2012 9:58 am

sactojesse wrote: rusty57 wrote: Can I use 4.5 inch fuch replicas front and back? I have a 67 with the longer axles. I may have to use adapters too.
I don't see why not. They'd be closer in width to your 15 x 4" stock rims than the wider Fuchs replicas. Not sure why you'd exacerbate your clearance issues by using a adaptors though. Just buy front rotors and rear drums drilled for the 5 x 130 mm Porsche lug pattern.

I'll probably do that. I bought new rotors and drums for the car and have not used them yet. Oh, well.

Wed Mar 28, 2012 4:47 pm

Have a set of 8 spoke American wheels on my 70 vert, have
been able to polish the rims, but having a problem cleaning
the spokes, any suggestions on what to use?