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hitest
Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2008
Posts: 10296
Location: Prime Meridian, ID
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 Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:11 am Post subject: |
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Only because I argue with Corey so often... 
It depends a little on how the bus is used. If you've got a late splittie 3/4 ton-rated transporter and you use it for heavy loading- I'd stick with stock 14s. I have no doubt the factory determined heavier duty tires with greater sidewall helped with this rated payload increase. If it's a cruiser that carries people and a cooler- I agree with cdennisg and would have no hesitancy running bug rims (or any custom 15" alloy for that matter).
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| EverettB wrote: |
I wonder what the nut looks like.
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'62 L390 151, '62 L469 117, '63 L380 113, '64 L87 311, '65 L512 265, '65 L31 SO-42, '66 L360 251, '68 L30k 141, '71 L12 113, '74 ORG 181
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cdennisg
Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2004
Posts: 20271
Location: Sandpoint, ID
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| Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:21 am Post subject: |
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^^^ True. If you have a single cab that regularly hauls piles of gravel or stacks of plywood, you'd be better off with bus wheels and stiff tires.
Now, what can I say to poke Bradford the Bear? 
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offshores
Samba Member
Joined: February 08, 2012
Posts: 1085
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 11:13 am Post subject: |
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Thanks guys. The reason I’m asking is because I currently have 14” wheels with 195/75R14’s and the rear wheels are a bit of a PITA to get on/off. It’s a ’66 Deluxe with Old Speed adapters on the rear and either flipped or dropped spindles on the front. I want to get new tires and not sure if I should buy some for the 14” wheels. Was thinking about maybe something a little narrower like 185’s, but then started reading that with taller wheels/tires I’ll have lower RPM’s on the highway. It seems like 15” Bus wheels are harder to find than smoothies. Just not sure which route to take. Is there a noticeable difference between the 14” and 15” wheel in relation to engine RPM’s? My Bug tires are 165R15 86T and fit no problem on the back, but I’d like to get a tire that’s rated for more weight and a little wider if I go with smoothies. Thoughts and advice appreciated.
Not going to be hauling much weight. |
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olliehank47
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Joined: May 04, 2011
Posts: 1198
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| Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 11:27 am Post subject: |
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| offshores wrote: |
Thanks guys. The reason I’m asking is because I currently have 14” wheels with 195/75R14’s and the rear wheels are a bit of a PITA to get on/off. It’s a ’66 Deluxe with Old Speed adapters on the rear and either flipped or dropped spindles on the front. I want to get new tires and not sure if I should buy some for the 14” wheels. Was thinking about maybe something a little narrower like 185’s, but then started reading that with taller wheels/tires I’ll have lower RPM’s on the highway. It seems like 15” Bus wheels are harder to find than smoothies. Just not sure which route to take. Is there a noticeable difference between the 14” and 15” wheel in relation to engine RPM’s? My Bug tires are 165R15 86T and fit no problem on the back, but I’d like to get a tire that’s rated for more weight and a little wider if I go with smoothies. Thoughts and advice appreciated.
Not going to be hauling much weight. |
You seem to be mixing a couple of different things together.
The size of your wheel does not necessarily translate into the outer diameter of your tire--that is what you need to consider. Size of the wheel is the diameter of the "hole" in the tire and has no affect on the diameter of the tire except in whether or not manufacturers produce the tire size you want in that wheel size.
Additionally, you can get a narrower tire to fit within the fender well without always getting a smaller tire. Just get one with a taller profile--that's the second number in a tire size like 195/75. The 75 is the profile (height from the rim to the tread) of the tire, in this case, it's 75% of 195 mm(~7.5") or 146.25 mm (~5.5"). Add the diameter of the wheel (14") with the profile on each side (5.5") and you get the approximate rolling diameter of the tire (14+11=25"). This will give you a rough idea of the size of the tire and how it affects your rpm and mph.
A smaller diameter tire will raise your rpm at a given speed, not a smaller size wheel (see above paragraph.) If you want lower engine speeds on the highway get a larger diameter tire that's available for your wheel choice. Larger tires may give you 3-4 mph more at the same rpm or, conversely, may reduce your rpm a few hundred at the same speed.
I'm guessing the 165/15 tires are 80 profile, though it's not posted. If so, the rolling diameter of those tires are (6.5" x .8=5.2" x 2=10.4" + 15=25.4") |
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GTV
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Joined: March 27, 2004
Posts: 2084
Location: Si'ahl
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| Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 12:10 pm Post subject: |
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Beetle 15" wheels are only 4" wide, bus 15's are 4.5". Beetle wheels also have more positive offset. These two things make wide tires mounted on Beetle wheels a not so great idea when on a bus. In a pinch I would use a Beetle wheel as a spare only.
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offshores
Samba Member
Joined: February 08, 2012
Posts: 1085
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 8:38 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the info guys. I guess I was really trying to find out if there was a specific 14” or 15” tire/wheel combo that would be best for my needs in trying to keep rpm’s down, safety, ease of rear wheel swaps on a lowered Bus, etc… I realize tires are the main factor, but there’s also a limited selection available for my needs. Would be nice to achieve all those things and I’m guessing there’s no 14” combo that measures exactly the same as a 15” combo, correct? If not then there is more than likely an option that would best suit me. I’ll keep searching for it.
Thanks again |
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cdennisg
Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2004
Posts: 20271
Location: Sandpoint, ID
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| Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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| offshores wrote: |
| I’m guessing there’s no 14” combo that measures exactly the same as a 15” combo, correct? |
As has been said, wheel diameter has nothing to do with tire diameter. If your perfect 14" tire measures 26" in diameter, find a 15" tire that matches that diameter. Some searching on Tire Rack or similar will likely find what you need.
My neighbor has a 64 double door panel that he drives almost daily in good weather (and bad, even without heat). I helped him build the suspension. He has type 3, 4 lug drums with 4-5 adapters in the rear. Stock 14" bus wheels with 195/70R14 tires. They fit perfectly with no issues during R&R. They take a little finagling between the drum and the inside of the wheel well lip, but it's no big deal. I have no idea what his RPM's are on the highway, but I do know he drove it to Central CA (from far north Idaho) and back this fall with no real issues. He has been driving it with this setup for the last 5-6 years.
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cdennisg
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Joined: November 02, 2004
Posts: 20271
Location: Sandpoint, ID
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| Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:05 pm Post subject: |
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Just did a quick look at a random tire on Tire Rack in 195/75R14. It is 25.5" diameter. That is the exact same diameter as a 205/65R15.
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Brian
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cdennisg
Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2004
Posts: 20271
Location: Sandpoint, ID
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| Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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PPPFFTTT>>> math! Who needs it?! 
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hitest
Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2008
Posts: 10296
Location: Prime Meridian, ID
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| Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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| cdennisg wrote: |
PPPFFTTT>>> math! Who needs it?! |
After applying the ratio of coefficient to the ratio of x and pi, it would appear you guys have to maintain perfectly matched and stable air pressure in all four tires for any of that chart to be remotely useful. 
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| EverettB wrote: |
I wonder what the nut looks like.
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'62 L390 151, '62 L469 117, '63 L380 113, '64 L87 311, '65 L512 265, '65 L31 SO-42, '66 L360 251, '68 L30k 141, '71 L12 113, '74 ORG 181
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cdennisg
Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2004
Posts: 20271
Location: Sandpoint, ID
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| Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:35 pm Post subject: |
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| hitest wrote: |
| cdennisg wrote: |
PPPFFTTT>>> math! Who needs it?! |
After applying the ratio of coefficient to the ratio of x and pi, it would appear you guys have to maintain perfectly matched and stable air pressure in all four tires for any of that chart to be remotely useful. |
Always remember, they are only flat on the bottom.
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offshores
Samba Member
Joined: February 08, 2012
Posts: 1085
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:45 am Post subject: |
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That’s a handy tire calc. As I previously mentioned, I’m not only concerned with tire diameter, but also tire width. The 195/75r14 vs the 205/65r15 is definitely very close in overall diameter, but there’s that 10mm width difference that’s a factor.
I punched in 185/80r14 and it looks like it would be perfect, but trying to find them is a different story. I’ll keep playing around with it to see what I can come up with. |
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cdennisg
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Joined: November 02, 2004
Posts: 20271
Location: Sandpoint, ID
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 9:43 am Post subject: |
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| offshores wrote: |
That’s a handy tire calc. As I previously mentioned, I’m not only concerned with tire diameter, but also tire width. The 195/75r14 vs the 205/65r15 is definitely very close in overall diameter, but there’s that 10mm width difference that’s a factor.
I punched in 185/80r14 and it looks like it would be perfect, but trying to find them is a different story. I’ll keep playing around with it to see what I can come up with. |
Get these. They have a proven track record for buses.
http://www.tires-easy.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=13...mc=froogle
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offshores
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Joined: February 08, 2012
Posts: 1085
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 10:02 am Post subject: |
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Sweeeet! Those look like they'll work perfect. Just a bit narrower than what I have now and a hair taller too.
Thanks for the info! |
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otis_bartleh
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Joined: August 19, 2009
Posts: 1106
Location: Burlington, WA
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 7:52 am Post subject: |
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| cdennisg wrote: |
| offshores wrote: |
| Are there any safety concerns with running Bug smoothies on a Bus? |
Purists may say yes, but many thousands (millions?) of miles have been put on beetle wheels mounted to a bus with no issues. I would not worry about it from a safety standpoint. |
Been running with bug smoothies on mine for a few years, no problems, but will be getting bus rim at some point to have the right ones, and for the proper offset...
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-Adam
'59 Mango Bus - getting buried in it
'69 Bug - sold and highly missed, so it stays in the sig |
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