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MattBenson Wed Mar 04, 2015 7:49 pm

Hey guys,

I know this topic has come up in previous posts and I have read all I could find about the subject, but I wanted to make a new post to better answer my question... or at least to update the topic since the most recent info I found was posted five years ago...

I am planning on upgrading my stock 14" wheels for my 1985 2WD Westfalia and have decided on these 15" Mefro steelies from van cafe:

http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van_1425440620998/page_845

I have debated between 15" and 16" and whether to get alloys or steelies, but I really like the rugged look of the steelies most (not to mention price). Anyhow, I am planning on getting these in addition to BF Goodrich A/T 215/75/15 and am just curious as to how these tires will fit (if at all) on my van. It is a big expense so I would love to hear some feedback from anybody running similar size tires on their 2WD Westy before I go and buy them.

Again, I have a 1985 2WD Westfalia with stock springs and shocks. Any feedback and/or tough love would be greatly appreciated!

PDXWesty Wed Mar 04, 2015 8:51 pm

I've got that tire on my van. I have GW zero lift springs and spacers in the rear. No problems other than the change in gearing it creates. It will slow you down a bit. I can post other pictures tomorrow.


hans j Wed Mar 04, 2015 8:54 pm

If your front springs are sagging, you will probably rub the front fenders during turns going over bumps. I'd measure your fender to center of wheel distance and report back.

idahoskier Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:17 pm

I have an 85 Westy as well. I have the stock front springs with coil over shocks and Syncro rear springs. I have run the 16" 215/70/16 BFGs for years now. The 15" version is only .2" smaller diameter and 5 revs/mile more. If you take your van places off the beaten path your tires will rub the front fender eventually :wink: Also, you will loose some pulling power on hills. The tires are about 10% larger than stock so if this loss is too much or an acceptable loss will be up to you. I have a Subaru 2.2 and I am fine with it, but with a 1.9 I am not so sure I would be. No improvements in MPG come with the larger tires that I have seen. Thus far I have been happy with the BFGs. They are not overly impressive in mud/snow though they are capable enough.

insyncro Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:22 pm

A 2wd coilover front suspension will be available soon and these tires will not rub with this setup.
Stay tuned.

idahoskier Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:25 pm

Sounds great, I'm ready to upgrade... how soon? :popcorn:

You can see the rub in PDXs' photo I believe.

insyncro Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:32 pm

Not soon enough.
I will post more info when available.

PDXWesty Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:50 pm

I haven't experienced any rub so far. The springs are new GW zero lift. My ride height is about 17" I believe.

photogdave Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:09 pm

You will probably have trouble fitting the spare in the clamshell.
My clamshell has the back hacked off and it is drobbed down a couple of inches but I have to place the spare just right or the steering rod will rub.
There is literally a sheet of paper's width of clearance.

PDXWesty Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:18 pm

I have a regular size spare. Since its 2wd its not critical to have the same size tire. I don't worry about it since its just for short distances.

ThankYouJerry Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:25 pm

PDXWesty wrote: I have a regular size spare. Since its 2wd its not critical to have the same size tire. I don't worry about it since its just for short distances.

Not critical, no, but very helpful if you have a big brake kit up front :wink:. Otherwise, you may be doing a roadside rotation if a flat occurs up front. :(

Larger spare easily accommodated in the stock position with a little help from Van Cafe:

http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_348_129/oversized-spare-tire-carrier.html

plus this for 2WD...

http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_1870_129/2wd-steering-shaft-protector.html

or this if you have 4WD...

http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_1461_1040/spare-tire-steering-shaft-protector.html

MattBenson Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:46 am

idahoskier wrote: I have an 85 Westy as well. I have the stock front springs with coil over shocks and Syncro rear springs. I have run the 16" 215/70/16 BFGs for years now. The 15" version is only .2" smaller diameter and 5 revs/mile more. If you take your van places off the beaten path your tires will rub the front fender eventually :wink: Also, you will loose some pulling power on hills. The tires are about 10% larger than stock so if this loss is too much or an acceptable loss will be up to you. I have a Subaru 2.2 and I am fine with it, but with a 1.9 I am not so sure I would be. No improvements in MPG come with the larger tires that I have seen. Thus far I have been happy with the BFGs. They are not overly impressive in mud/snow though they are capable enough.

Good point. I Honestly didn't even consider the loss of power... My van still has the factory 1.9 and as long as nothing crazy happens I'm not planning on a swap for another few years. I have a year-long trip planned in about 15 months and will need all the power the 1.9 can muster. Still going to upgrade to 15" wheels, but will probably stick with something around 205/65/15 instead. A little disappointing but probably the better decision. Thanks for the help!

MattBenson Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:49 am

PDXWesty wrote: I've got that tire on my van. I have GW zero lift springs and spacers in the rear. No problems other than the change in gearing it creates. It will slow you down a bit. I can post other pictures tomorrow.



Awesome van, man. Love that color! Are you still running your stock engine with the tires? Obviously your van has the 2.1, so a little more power than my 1.9, but I'm curious as to how much loss of power, if any, that you have noticed with the tires.

rryyoobbii Thu Mar 05, 2015 9:27 am

Im running BFG's of this size with a 1.9. A bit of a power loss, but the bigger wheels are so much fun I haven't thought twice. Wheel only rubs when really slamming it around a corner off road. Van is a 2WD with GW lift springs.

Wildthings Thu Mar 05, 2015 9:27 am

MattBenson wrote: idahoskier wrote: I have an 85 Westy as well. I have the stock front springs with coil over shocks and Syncro rear springs. I have run the 16" 215/70/16 BFGs for years now. The 15" version is only .2" smaller diameter and 5 revs/mile more. If you take your van places off the beaten path your tires will rub the front fender eventually :wink: Also, you will loose some pulling power on hills. The tires are about 10% larger than stock so if this loss is too much or an acceptable loss will be up to you. I have a Subaru 2.2 and I am fine with it, but with a 1.9 I am not so sure I would be. No improvements in MPG come with the larger tires that I have seen. Thus far I have been happy with the BFGs. They are not overly impressive in mud/snow though they are capable enough.

Good point. I Honestly didn't even consider the loss of power... My van still has the factory 1.9 and as long as nothing crazy happens I'm not planning on a swap for another few years. I have a year-long trip planned in about 15 months and will need all the power the 1.9 can muster. Still going to upgrade to 15" wheels, but will probably stick with something around 205/65/15 instead. A little disappointing but probably the better decision. Thanks for the help!

I have a 2.2 Suby and 27x8.5R14's and really noticed the loss of power when I upped the tire size from stock, yours will be worse if you go with 215/75R15's.

A 205/65r15 or 225/60R14 would be close to the original tire height.

MattBenson Thu Mar 05, 2015 10:55 am

rryyoobbii wrote: Im running BFG's of this size with a 1.9. A bit of a power loss, but the bigger wheels are so much fun I haven't thought twice. Wheel only rubs when really slamming it around a corner off road. Van is a 2WD with GW lift springs.

Good to know! Do you have front and rear GW springs?

MattBenson Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:01 am

Wildthings wrote: MattBenson wrote: idahoskier wrote: I have an 85 Westy as well. I have the stock front springs with coil over shocks and Syncro rear springs. I have run the 16" 215/70/16 BFGs for years now. The 15" version is only .2" smaller diameter and 5 revs/mile more. If you take your van places off the beaten path your tires will rub the front fender eventually :wink: Also, you will loose some pulling power on hills. The tires are about 10% larger than stock so if this loss is too much or an acceptable loss will be up to you. I have a Subaru 2.2 and I am fine with it, but with a 1.9 I am not so sure I would be. No improvements in MPG come with the larger tires that I have seen. Thus far I have been happy with the BFGs. They are not overly impressive in mud/snow though they are capable enough.

Good point. I Honestly didn't even consider the loss of power... My van still has the factory 1.9 and as long as nothing crazy happens I'm not planning on a swap for another few years. I have a year-long trip planned in about 15 months and will need all the power the 1.9 can muster. Still going to upgrade to 15" wheels, but will probably stick with something around 205/65/15 instead. A little disappointing but probably the better decision. Thanks for the help!

I have a 2.2 Suby and 27x8.5R14's and really noticed the loss of power when I upped the tire size from stock, yours will be worse if you go with 215/75R15's.

A 205/65r15 or 225/60R14 would be close to the original tire height.

What tires are you currently using?

What if I were to stick with the 14" wheels and installed BFG A/T 195/75R14s? Any thoughts on how these might compare to other 14 inch tires?

Mark70baja Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:23 am

I'm just went through this with my 82 Camper. 15s, 16s, or stay with the 14s. I've contacted just about every manufacture and retail outlet I can find that should know, and really can't get a real conclusive answer on this. There are just too many variables. The general consensus though is that if I want larger tires than stock, I absolutely have to install a lift. One company offers springs that take it up about 1.5"-2" and reading though the comments on your post I see that even with the lift, the larger tires will still rub at times. Not good as replacement tires are expensive. With a lift there is also the unforeseen things, brake hoses too short, steering or other linkage binding, parts now rubbing because of new angles, etc... And then, NO lift kit I've ever done has come to the shop, "complete, with everything you need." That does not happen. And then there's parts availability, I don't know if you've actually gone to the tire store to try and find the recommended sizes that a few of the internet companies say are the ones to use. I have, after weeks of phone calls and emails, I made the decision yesterday to just stay with the 14s. It's much less expensive, I can actually get the BFG AT 195/75-14 D (our local Perfection Tire Store has eight in stock. Being installed Tuesday). Overall I think with the power loss potential, especially in my air cooled, and the money saved by staying with the 14s, it's a much wiser way to go. Larger, either way, 15 or 16, you're looking at adding over 2" in tire diameter. Your engine will realize this immediately and is going to let you know very rapidly if it was a mistake or not. Do your homework, it's a very expensive mistake to make. Add 10% more power to your engine and you're going to feel it, take away 10% of your engines power and you'll feel it twice as much, and it will be instant. I would stick with purchasing tires/wheels from actual stores, or places where they can actually check the fitment on your vehicle. Simply because of the fact that once purchased they are yours, can't be returned, so if the ones ordered off the internet don't fit, you're out there. Ask, but not even one of the internet companies I contacted would take them back if they didn't fit. So please think twice or three or four times before moving your mouse over and clicking, "Order Now." I have had the BFG ATs on quite a few vehicles and they're great tires. Even on the backroads of NW Montana. Steer clear of Bridgstones, they're horrible in every aspect.

Hammy1 Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:23 am

I have an '85 running those tires and I don't rub. I did add (used a cutting board) 1" spacers in the rear to level it out.

Jon H.


campism Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:35 am

Hammy1 wrote: I have an '85 running those tires and I don't rub. I did add (used a cutting board) 1" spacers in the rear to level it out.

Jon H.


To lessen confusion for us readers going through the same tire search you should probably state exactly which those tires you're running. It sounds like you mean the BFG AT 14s mentioned in the preceding post but the wheels on your van are more likely 15s or 16s so it is unclear what you do have. Thanks, and I'm not trying to be nitpicky about this.



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