17x7 ET40 Raider wheel fitment question

[sleepertec]

OK before anything I will say I have searched a little bit already and I have not had any info jump out at me on this.

I have a '63 Bug and I am about to order 17x7 ET40 Raiders from CIP1 and I just want to know what all hardware I will need to make putting them on "plug and play".

I already have a 2" narrow adjustable beam and I will be buying drop spindles when I order the wheels. I have the rear down one outer click. I will not be going much lower then I already am if at all I just want to put the drop spindles on and adjust my beam up to center the wheel back up.

So my main questions are:

- Do I need to go narrower on my beam or will 2" be sufficient?

- Do I need the 1" spacers for the ET40 offset in the rear to clear the spring plate?

- Is there anything that I should know that would be helpful information to put these wheels on?

- What is the best tire combo to run?

Thanks for helping in advance!

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[Mike Fisher]

Just order/dry fit the wheels and find out for yourself how they fit. That is what most of us had to do. Buy good used pairs of tires to test/run for a year even before you buy 4 new tires that you don't like or don't fit?
_________________
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69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
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'68 Karmann Ghia sold

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[sleepertec]

That would be fine but I would rather have all my parts lined out based on others experience with fitting that way I am not going into it blind and have my car on jacks for a few months dealing with trial and error. I live in Arkansas and most parts I order are from California with a 10+ day lead time. That is why I made this post so I can at least have an idea what I am going to run into.

[olzzonvw]

Hey!
As it turns out, I also have a ´63 Bug with the same wheels you are about to use!

You will need 1" spacers in the back. I´m using 215/45 and without spacers the tire rubs the spring plates.
I couldn´t find the spacers I wanted so I got a pair custom made.

My car has a 3,5" narrower beam (I think...). I´m using 2,5" drop spindles and CSP brake kit. These two add about 1" per side.
Tire size is 205/40, I´m having clearance problems on the right side with passengers in the car but it´s just barely.
I´m gonna build a new beam with airkwld parts and that will be as narrow as possible. I´m starting to realize the fact that I might have to modify the inner wings cause running without shocks is not an option for me...
By using 195/40 instead could also be a solution.

It should be pretty much straight forward by using spacers in the back.
In the front, however, could require a little bit of trial end error.

Good luck!

[rollins111]

olzzonvw, what color is your car? I'm about to paint my 72 and I really like that color!

[olzzonvw]

[Buguyed]

Hey I am looking at some 17" MK4 Jetta rims with ET38. Do you think the wide-5 to 5x100 adapters would work instead of the 1" rear spacers to clear the spring plates?

Sorry to revive this old thread. Also, can you provide an update on running your 17"s after nearly a year?
_________________
1961 Type 1 Ragtop Gulf Blue

[dreed7235]

So from what I have read on here, it looks like putting Disk brakes on front and rear will fix the rubbing issue. I have a 62 beetle with 17x7 Raiders and 205/40/17 on front & 215/40/17 on rear. I haven't driven the car yet but just sitting static there is about an inch of space between the tire and spring plate in the rear. Can anyone else offer some insight on this combo?