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Mon Jan 31, 2005 8:33 am

i've been wanting to get new rims after i finish putting on my new suspenion, drop spindle disc brake, 2" narrowed beam and one spline in the back, and i'm sticking with the 4 lug but i don't really like any of the aftermarket rims. i always like the marathon rims but i wasn't sure what size tire i could run on a 4.5" rim. i don't really want to run skinny tires cause i want it to handle well and stop. i wanted to run a little wider tire in the back too. not sure of sizes but would 175-185's in the front and 195-205's in the back be okay? i know they would fit well on a 5.5" but if i can run them on 4.5" and save some money that would be nice.

Mon Jan 31, 2005 3:25 pm

165's are your best bet.

Mon Jan 31, 2005 3:53 pm

165R15 are no good on a dropped front end. I have heard some people have run those smart tires (175-55-15) on a 4 1/2 stock rim. But, I think that it might be a little on the wide side.

145R15 or 135 are probably a better bet. But, I don't really like those tires on wider 5.5 inch rims.

Mon Jan 31, 2005 6:10 pm

if you put wider tires on a smaller rim its wont hurt but it will make the tire ware wierd. the tire will wear out in the center of the tread rater than wearing evenly. un a tire tech so i know these things. if your gonna run a 4.5 inch rim check in to some Khumos, Pirrelie, or yokohamas.

Mon Jan 31, 2005 7:39 pm

well maybe i'll just run some 5.5"s if its going to be a hassle to get tires to fit right. i want it to handle and stop good up front and i don't want to light up skinnies in the back so i might just go with the 4 lug brms or something. not sure but i seem to remember hearing something about brms having a bad offset for lowered cars. i've seen those stock 4 lug sport wheels that are 5.5" but i imagine they are pretty hard to find.

Mon Jan 31, 2005 8:34 pm

The droped spindles with disc brake will push your wheel out 1/2" on each side. However since you have a 2" shortened beam you should look for wheels with a large ofset. You may want to look for turtlebacks, shod with 165's. Good luck.

Mon Jan 31, 2005 9:01 pm

Are you scared of 135's?The contact patch is actually wider than a 205 40r16 that these ricers use on their cars!

Mon Jan 31, 2005 9:43 pm

i'm not scared of 135's i just heard that they have a tendency to lock up easy and with discs up front and all the money i've put in this i'd rather not go sliding into the back of anything anytime soon.

Mon Jan 31, 2005 9:57 pm

havent had mine lock up yet!What you have to realise is that you only use 17psi in these tires,which gives them a big contact patch!

Mon Jan 31, 2005 10:45 pm

thats not good. your tire could blow out because it is not rated to run that low. You will wear out the sides of your tire(where there are no steel belts) and boom there goes a tire and maybe even a wheel and quite possibly some paint and a fender. we call run low or run flat. the side walls of the tire are made of nylon or polyester so when you start to run your tire that low, you start to develope a heat ring which means the inside of the tire along the side wall is simply desinagrating.

Mon Jan 31, 2005 10:50 pm

135's suck on 5.5's. ONLY run them on 4.5's or you are doomed to skid like a bitch. I just changed from 5.5's with 135's on them to 4.5's with 145's, and they're so different even the stance changed. It's the difference between night and day, just for that one centimeter of tread width and tire shape.

Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:01 pm

really 65?I guess you should read the OWNER"S MANUAL!oh Im sorry you must have seen the MAX.PRESSURE tag on the tire!A bug only weighs 500lbs in the front;they dont need much air pressure,but then again Im new at this obviosly

Tue Feb 01, 2005 12:11 am

I've never had any issues with 135's (Nankang's) on a 4.5" rim. They handle fine and haven't had any lock up problems. But I don't have disc brakes so maybe that's why.

Oh and I run mine at about 20psi (cold).

Tue Feb 01, 2005 5:31 am

145x15 5" flat4 brm 18-20 lbs. rear 185x15 25lbs. if you run more pressure than this on a Swingaxle beetle you will have handling problems.<--- period you spell worse than i do.

Tue Feb 01, 2005 10:28 am

Im running drop spindles cromies/with nipple hub caps there cheap rims are 4.5 up front with 145s and 5.5 rears with 205/70/15s .It works and looks pretty good i may narrow the frount beam when i go front discs though.

Tue Feb 01, 2005 12:14 pm

wow im an idiot :? that never even crossed my mind

Mon Feb 07, 2005 8:49 pm

Hey bk63rag

Do you have any rubbing problems with the 205 70's in the rear?