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Sun May 31, 2009 8:42 am

Hi there!Anybody knows about the actual sizes of these front wheels?I mean...I can see just 3 1/2 wide...here on the Samba...and I'm wondering if any other size was available at that time...as a 4' or 4'.5 wide...
Thanks!
Cheers

Sat Nov 14, 2009 8:33 am

Nobody knows this? :shock:

I saw others bubbles and all they are 3 1/5 wide...This seems to be the only size available...

Sun Nov 15, 2009 9:17 am

not clear what you mean by the "bubbles" but i have seen centerlines on craigslist a couple months ago for sale that were 7.5" wide.

Sun Nov 15, 2009 9:41 am

The bubble look was created by the fact that the wheel was a 3.5" wide wheel and it also had 3 3/8" backspace. This made the center stick out past the outside lip of the wheel.

Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:36 am

Hi!Thanks for replying...
x 65BAJA :I only saw bubbles with zero backspace...

x dirtkeeper :Bubbles wheel has a different style than standard centerline wide five ones...and they are vintage...not on the market anymore...
Actually a bubble-like shape is at the center of the outer wheel into the bolts area...
These are bubbles:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/pix/2799626.jpg

So about my question was about the sizes available...to be sure they can handle a 7.75 x 15 tire...if available in 3.5 only...
Actually in the 70's and 80's they mounted front Sand Blaster jr tires (7.75x15)...(I saw many picture in vintage pictures).I know this tire size can handle 4' to 6' wheels....but not sure 3 1/2 ones...

Thanks!

Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:46 am

Those are the wheels I posted above. They are still in production.

BTW. They are not zero backspace unless you mount them with the shiney side in. Which would then have the ball nut recess on the inside of the wheel.

http://centerlinewheels.com/wheel_deals_detail.php?id=12573&type=vehicle&data=46

The wheels in your link above are P/N11 5353 580.

Mon Nov 16, 2009 11:31 am

Greetings Sandscorcher,
Now before we go any further here, I want to see pics of what the hell you are building. :? I think it is really cool when a neat offroad project pops up oversee's. 8)
The "bubble" Centerlines were used on the front of unlimited cars, into the 90's and they ran 7.00 15's. I have 4 of these wheels that are double bead locked, had 7.00s on them not sure what a 7.75 would look like.
I know some of the 1600 cars run SuperDiggers on 4" wheels.
Now let's see some pic's of your project. :wink:

Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:10 pm

x 65BAJA :No...no...no....The ones you linked are standard centerline wide five...and they are available in a large range of sizes...
I'm talking about centerline bubbles the one I linked above and they are not in production since 70's /80's....
Totally different form the ones old style still in production...!!!!!
They have zero backspace...and they are available I guess only in 3 1/2 due to born just for the fronts...
Anybody of you own the Holy Graal book of baja bugs?I'm talking about Jeff Hibbard book...You can see on the cover the bubble mounted on front sand blaster jr (7.75x15)....:

http://content.mamotorworks.com/img300/fr4549.jpg

Here better....a bented centerline bubble on the upper left and a standard vw 4j wide five in the upper center of the page (and a standard centerline wide five available in many sizes on the upper right):

http://books.google.it/books?id=KCjIl09AqCkC&p...mp;f=false

I have also many Hot vw's form 70's and they have many pictures of them...
In the 70's and 80's there were centerline wide five like the ones still in production you linked above...and the early bubble style just for the fronts...
My main question still is....are these early fronts bubble available in other size than 3 1/2?

x UncleDirty:Hi there! My baja bug (1970-1600cc) is still in progress...
I'm going to built a "bug eye" vintage baja like the ones running into the Mint 400 in 70's....
Same sponsors they showed on the body...I got all the original vintage stickers (bel ray,rapid cool, centerline,jackman wheels, AC spark plugs,pennzoil,bilstein,k&n ,etc....) and related spares...
I also got original sand blaster jr tires (and I'm still searching for the rear ones as my ad says...) ,original jACKMANS,original k&n filter,original nos rapid cool oil cooler, and so on....
An original bell super magnum helmet from 1970...an original 1978 Mint 400 jacket....etc...
McKenzie's stickers (not vintage but from today directly from the McKenzie's staff...)...
And many other vintage things...
I guess you are the one here now you got what I'm talking about...so do you confirm the bubbles are available only in 3 1/2 ?
As Hibbard's book I can say "sand blaster jr" could and can be mounted on standard 4j vw wide five steel wheels...They were mounted on vw based buggies as Funco and Chenowth and baja bugs on 70's desert races...
Cheers

Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:48 pm

The only bubbles I've ever seen are indeed 3.5".

Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:57 pm

I stand by what I said. Zero backspace would mean the inside surface of the wheel would be flush with the inside lip of the wheel. The front wheels on the cover of the Jeff Hibbard book are not zero backspace wheels. They are the 3 3/8" backspace, 3.5" wide wheels .

Backspacing is the measurement from the back edge of the wheel lip to the inside (where the drum goes) mounting surface.

In this link https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/pix/2799626.jpg you can clearly see that the wheels are sitting on the ground with the outside of the wheel facing up. Is the drum mounting surface touching the ground? It doesn't look like it to me.

Mon Nov 16, 2009 2:01 pm

Sorry...I meant zero offset....I misunderstood the terms...:

http://www.partsprovider.net/images/wheel-offset-backspace.gif

Are the ones you are talking about "shallow dish" ? What does "hi-offset" mean?

Hi Mongo63...yeah...just 3 1/2...but I would like to be sure of it...

So definitely we can say the bubbles are available only in 3 1/2...Aren't they?

If 65BAJA is right...and the "shallow dish" are the same "bubbles" we are talking about...maybe I finally got it...
Due to the data at centerline website...we can be sure about the only one size of them...
But...are they the same thing?

Cheers

Mon Nov 16, 2009 3:38 pm

Yea, I tried to find an a pic of the wheel but no joy.

Offset as I understand it is the measurement from the center of the wheel to the mounting surface. For example if you had a 4" wide wheel with 2" of backspacing then you would have a zero offset wheel because the mounting surface would be right in the middle.

Now if you were to take another 4" wheel. This one with 3" of backspacing. Then you would have a 1" offset wheel because the mounting surface would be 1" offset from the middle of the wheel.

Edit: I should have opened the link above before I posted this. A picture is worth a 1000 words.

If you look at the example all the way on the right. The one that depicts positive offset. That's what causes the bubble effect. It the fact that the amount of backspacing exceeds what can be normally had from a 2 piece wheel.

Mon Nov 16, 2009 5:17 pm

Here's a set of bubbles on my street car.

Mon Nov 23, 2009 3:35 am

Thanks to everybody! :)
Cheers!

Thu Apr 29, 2010 11:38 pm

Hi again!
Just wondering about the actual weight of each bubble wheel...
I guess less than 4lbs...
Does anybody know it?

Thanks!
Cheers!

Fri Apr 30, 2010 2:58 am

Its more than 4, for sure. Is at least 13, goes up from there.

Fri Apr 30, 2010 4:33 am

Hi!Are you shure about that?
I know that a 5'.5 wide five centerline weights about 10lbs...
So I guess a 3'.5 bubble one weights for sure less than it...

Cheers!

Fri Apr 30, 2010 7:06 am

No, don't know, but that's too light for a wheel. Also on their website they mention 13lbs as the weight of their 15" wheels, but it's a general statement.

Fri Apr 30, 2010 7:29 am

I did not weigh mine before mounting tires on them, but my 15 X 7's did not weigh 13 pounds. More like 8 to 10 max.

BTW, I have never seen a zero offset bubble centerline wheel. All the ones I have seen have the 3 3/8 from the mounting surface to the inside lip.

Fri Apr 30, 2010 7:45 am

The answers to this question are a Land of confusion.... :lol:

If a 15x7' weights from 8 to 10lbs...a 15x3'.5 could weight a little bit more than the half...so that a little bit more than 4 to 5lbs...
So what I guess could mach it...

So...anybody knows about the actual weight of a centerline bubble that is only 3'.5 wide?

Cheers!