TheSamba.com :: View topic - Bus wheels

Thu Oct 25, 2018 4:59 pm

very cool. and the price is right too

Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:21 am

Hi All,

Will these wheels work okay on my 71 Early Bay? They are 4J x 15’s, any advice appreciated.

Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:28 am

If your 71 has the small five bolt pattern, then the answer is no. At least not without a small 5 to wide 5 adapter.

Are those beetle wheels?

Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:33 am

cdennisg wrote: If your 71 has the small five bolt pattern, then the answer is no. At least not without a small 5 to wide 5 adapter.

Are those beetle wheels?

Hi cdennisg,
Yeah, I have the wide 5 x 205 hubs and drums fitted. Yes they are Beetle wheels too, looking at JK Kampers they are showing these size wheels as fitting a Bay. Would they need inner tubes if they will fit?

Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:34 am

or the other way around, if you are wide five then yes, and beetle wheels will bring the tires farther out. Not an issue usually

saw the response about tubes. J should be tube wheels. if you look at the rim you want 2 humps to hold the tire bead in place. without that the bead can drop on the inside and you lose air quickly...

just to be clear, the double hump is what makes the difference

Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:52 am

JimVeeW wrote: cdennisg wrote: If your 71 has the small five bolt pattern, then the answer is no. At least not without a small 5 to wide 5 adapter.

Are those beetle wheels?

Hi cdennisg,
Yeah, I have the wide 5 x 205 hubs and drums fitted. Yes they are Beetle wheels too, looking at JK Kampers they are showing these size wheels as fitting a Bay. Would they need inner tubes if they will fit?

Stock height or lowered? If low, you will have rubbing issues with beetle offset.

Beetle wheels will technically fit the setup you have. Tubes may be a good idea for the reasons mentioned already. Many have run those rims without tubes with success (myself included).

Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:57 am

cdennisg wrote: JimVeeW wrote: cdennisg wrote: If your 71 has the small five bolt pattern, then the answer is no. At least not without a small 5 to wide 5 adapter.

Are those beetle wheels?

Hi cdennisg,
Yeah, I have the wide 5 x 205 hubs and drums fitted. Yes they are Beetle wheels too, looking at JK Kampers they are showing these size wheels as fitting a Bay. Would they need inner tubes if they will fit?

Stock height or lowered? If low, you will have rubbing issues with beetle offset.

Beetle wheels will technically fit the setup you have. Tubes may be a good idea for the reasons mentioned already. Many have run those rims without tubes with success (myself included).

Thanks and lowered,

Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:57 am

mandraks wrote: or the other way around, if you are wide five then yes, and beetle wheels will bring the tires farther out. Not an issue usually

saw the response about tubes. J should be tube wheels. if you look at the rim you want 2 humps to hold the tire bead in place. without that the bead can drop on the inside and you lose air quickly...

just to be clear, the double hump is what makes the difference

Thanks, will have a look in the morning

Sat Feb 23, 2019 12:05 pm

Without a narrowed beam, those beetle wheels will likely not fit without rubbing unless you use very tiny tires.

Sat Feb 23, 2019 12:10 pm

Trying to see if the 2 humps can be seen in a pic rather go out to the garage lol

Sat Feb 23, 2019 12:12 pm

cdennisg wrote: Without a narrowed beam, those beetle wheels will likely not fit without rubbing unless you use very tiny tires.

It has a 4” narrowed beam with 2.1/2 dropped spindles raised a little bit to stop the beam hitting the road as we have some poorly maintained roads lol

Was thinking of 145/65 front and 185/65 rear

Sat Feb 23, 2019 12:44 pm

JimVeeW wrote: cdennisg wrote: Without a narrowed beam, those beetle wheels will likely not fit without rubbing unless you use very tiny tires.

It has a 4” narrowed beam with 2.1/2 dropped spindles raised a little bit to stop the beam hitting the road as we have some poorly maintained roads lol

Was thinking of 145/65 front and 185/65 rear

You are just going to have to do some trial fitting. Custom stuff is like that. Also, posting this in the bay bus lowering thread would likely get you better answers, as this is the split bus forum and they have a very different front structure than early bays.

Also, here is what the safety bead looks like. I don't think those wheels have them.

Sat Feb 23, 2019 12:46 pm

JimVeeW wrote: Trying to see if the 2 humps can be seen in a pic rather go out to the garage lol

looks like they do not have the 2nd hump. older wheels won't have that. As said before, people run radials without tubes on the older wheels, i never have. but i do like bias plies.

Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:22 pm

cdennisg wrote: JimVeeW wrote: cdennisg wrote: Without a narrowed beam, those beetle wheels will likely not fit without rubbing unless you use very tiny tires.

It has a 4” narrowed beam with 2.1/2 dropped spindles raised a little bit to stop the beam hitting the road as we have some poorly maintained roads lol

Was thinking of 145/65 front and 185/65 rear

You are just going to have to do some trial fitting. Custom stuff is like that. Also, posting this in the bay bus lowering thread would likely get you better answers, as this is the split bus forum and they have a very different front structure than early bays.

Also, here is what the safety bead looks like. I don't think those wheels have
them.

Thanks, Clicked on a link from a mate and didn’t realise it was the Splitty
forum. Will fit some tyres and have ago at fitting them, if it doesn’t work I will sell them on.

Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:23 pm

mandraks wrote: JimVeeW wrote: Trying to see if the 2 humps can be seen in a pic rather go out to the garage lol

looks like they do not have the 2nd hump. older wheels won't have that. As said before, people run radials without tubes on the older wheels, i never have. but i do like bias plies.

Looking at the diagram, I agree, tubes it is then, thanks.

Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:30 pm

...and PLEASE tell us that you are planning to sand all of the paint in the lug bolt holes off so that you have metal wheel to metal lug bolt contact with no paint in between those two surfaces!!! If you don't you will probably loose a wheel at speed when the paint softens under running conditions and your lug bolts start rapidly unscrewing themselves. Very dangerous. That has happened to quite a few of us, but it only happens once, because if we and the Bus survives the incident, we learn our valuable lesson. Then we pass it on to others. You've been warned!

Enjoy your Bus...

Bill Bowman

Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:39 pm

BulliBill wrote: ...and PLEASE tell us that you are planning to sand all of the paint in the lug bolt holes off so that you have metal wheel to metal lug bolt contact with no paint in between those two surfaces!!! If you don't you will probably loose a wheel at speed when the paint softens under running conditions and your lug bolts start rapidly unscrewing themselves. Very dangerous. That has happened to quite a few of us, but it only happens once, because if we and the Bus survives the incident, we learn our valuable lesson. Then we pass it on to others. You've been warned!

Enjoy your Bus...

Bill Bowman

Yes. make one of these from an old lug bolt and a chisel. Then spin it in each hole to quickly remove the paint. I use my cordless drill and a 19mm socket. Takes mere seconds.

Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:51 pm

cdennisg wrote: BulliBill wrote: ...and PLEASE tell us that you are planning to sand all of the paint in the lug bolt holes off so that you have metal wheel to metal lug bolt contact with no paint in between those two surfaces!!! If you don't you will probably loose a wheel at speed when the paint softens under running conditions and your lug bolts start rapidly unscrewing themselves. Very dangerous. That has happened to quite a few of us, but it only happens once, because if we and the Bus survives the incident, we learn our valuable lesson. Then we pass it on to others. You've been warned!

Enjoy your Bus...

Bill Bowman

Yes. make one of these from an old lug bolt and a chisel. Then spin it in each hole to quickly remove the paint. I use my cordless drill and a 19mm socket. Takes mere seconds.

Now that's brilliant tool-making! Nice tip!

Bill

Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:56 pm

Cdennisg and BulliBill,

Thanks guys and yes I will be going metal to metal. That tool is great 👍

Fri Aug 16, 2019 1:27 pm

If this got answered previously I missed it: project is a '66 Deluxe hardtop. I bought it with 4 different rims, mostly Bug wheels, and ONE correct 1966 rim.

So I just bought five 14" rims dated '68 to '70, all identical, and my resto guy, who is very good, tells me the rim on a '66 is unique to that model year. Elsewhere I have read that after the change from 15" to 14", a Bus rim is a Bus rim is a Bus rim.

So which is it? Do I need to start hunting down date-stamped 1966 rims, or have I got what I need (times FIVE) to do this project correctly?