TheSamba.com :: View topic

Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:09 am

ok i have a 68 squareback with long axles stock beam...

im looking looking at putting a set of BBS Mahle mesh wheels on

there
16x7 all 4
et 23

here is a pic of the wheels... not the actual wheels but there the same

thanks for any and all help

Thu Mar 22, 2012 12:27 pm

old speed narrowed control arms and shortaxle swap out back and all hubs drilled to approprate pattern. tire choice would depend on lower or not and how much if so...

17x7 et52 fit pretty good on a stock t3 beam so what your looking at is doing the control arm/ short axles swap to narrow it up and make those wheels sit in about the same location. and it just so happens when you do the math that you need about 1" per side which you get with the above swap...ken....

Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:41 am

Do a lug swap and get the right tire combo and they'll fit nicely.

I'm doing something similar with my fastback.

Check out my thread for more info.

Sun Mar 25, 2012 9:51 pm

16x7 et23 is probably gonna take take a bit more than picking the right tire. i know you like me have ventured down that road but i'm pretty sure all the ones you've done we in the 40s and 50s et range. if you do pull it off with just tire selection they are going to be TINY expensive tires. the narrow control arm/short axle swap can be done in an afternoon. the control arms aren't expensive and trading long axles set up for shirt axle could probably even put a few bucks in your pocket from the bus guys...ken....

Mon Mar 26, 2012 3:21 am

You are right about starting out with et53 wheels but I used 25mm adapters to attach them to the car.

This made the final offset on the wheels et28 so I know et23 will work with proper tire selection.

Its just a matter of choosing the right tires if you bolt the wheels directly to the car.

Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:45 am

i guess i just have to factor in i'm usually lower than most people :lol: :lol: and need more clearance.

but yeah with the huge selection of tires available now you can pull most stuff off through tire selection if need be. the catch 22 is some of those tires are EXPENSIVE. if you sell off cars like i used to no worries as you'll probably never buy another set of them for that car as it'll be gone before needing them. in a case like my square spending that same money to do the narrowed arms(mine is narrowed t1 beam swap) and using a slightly bigger tire will be a smart long term investment. and you'll get a little better ride out of the slightly larger tire.

tires-easy.com usually has the best price on the odd size tiny tires that can help in fitment issues. i always start my search with them...ken....