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SabbathSplitty_67
Samba Member
Joined: April 20, 2022
Posts: 9
Location: Virginia
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 Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2025 5:22 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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For everyones enjoyment and for reference about my titling question. It is technically titled in the state now btw. My fear is about once its driving again, how obvious it is that it is a double frame.
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Shonandb 
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2019
Posts: 2326
Location: Vancouver, BC
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| Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2025 7:59 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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Nice, I like it! Some bigger tires would fill those wheel wells a bit more.
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76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
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SabbathSplitty_67
Samba Member
Joined: April 20, 2022
Posts: 9
Location: Virginia
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| Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2025 5:12 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| The back tires have a nickel space from rubbing inside haha and the front maybe could go a little bigger before rubbing. Open to suggestions to get a set that looks and feels a bit more appropriate for this thing! |
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Shonandb
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2019
Posts: 2326
Location: Vancouver, BC
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| Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2025 5:54 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| SabbathSplitty_67 wrote: |
| The back tires have a nickel space from rubbing inside haha and the front maybe could go a little bigger before rubbing. Open to suggestions to get a set that looks and feels a bit more appropriate for this thing! |
What is the ET offset on those rims? Stock is 14" ET38. I'm running 16" ET33 off a Tiguan. My front tires are 205/80/16 Load D and my rears are 225/75/16 Load E.
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76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image |
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SabbathSplitty_67
Samba Member
Joined: April 20, 2022
Posts: 9
Location: Virginia
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| Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2025 9:05 am Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| Those look sweet! I am hoping to put 16" on to fill up space a bit more, possibly the Mobelwagon Interceptors so that I can pop the moon hubcaps on it. I need to take them off sometime and measure the ET but it appears to be close to zero if anything a slight positive offset. The front tires right now are 235/75r15 105s and the rear is 31x10.50r15LT 6PR 109Q. Like I said the back are super wide and have almost no space between them and frame. I think I shift to 16" or stay at 15" I need something taller and less wide. Theres probably no way to get a set that truly fills up the wheel wells. |
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Shonandb
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2019
Posts: 2326
Location: Vancouver, BC
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| Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2025 9:51 am Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| SabbathSplitty_67 wrote: |
| Those look sweet! I am hoping to put 16" on to fill up space a bit more, possibly the Mobelwagon Interceptors so that I can pop the moon hubcaps on it. I need to take them off sometime and measure the ET but it appears to be close to zero if anything a slight positive offset. The front tires right now are 235/75r15 105s and the rear is 31x10.50r15LT 6PR 109Q. Like I said the back are super wide and have almost no space between them and frame. I think I shift to 16" or stay at 15" I need something taller and less wide. Theres probably no way to get a set that truly fills up the wheel wells. |
Your back tire diameter looks good but your front tires could be larger. Have you driven the Bus much yet? I used to have 215/65/16 on the front but had a workout each time trying to parallel park so went with the narrower 205s which have been great. Narrower tires with less aggressive tread will give you better gas mileage but if you mainly use it for bombing around locally, then just run it as is.
If cost is not too much of a concern, you can go larger with Mercedes, Audi, or VW rims but engine power and performance suffers so it will be a trade off depending on what you use your Bus for most of the time.
_________________
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76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image |
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lil-jinx
Samba Member
Joined: August 14, 2013
Posts: 1809
Location: New Brunswick,Canada
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| Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2025 12:11 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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what effect does those larger rear tires have on speed/rpm,and torque,
i suspect higher speed lower rpm ,and a reduction in torque,just wondering to what degree.
I guess it wouldn't matter much with a subaru,
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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620186
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=668799
1974 Bay Westfalia. she likes to be called Ethel.
1968 Dune Buggy sold dec 2024
1974 parts bus
A smart man learns from his mistakes,a very smart man learns from other's mistakes. |
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Shonandb
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2019
Posts: 2326
Location: Vancouver, BC
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| Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2025 1:28 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| lil-jinx wrote: |
what effect does those larger rear tires have on speed/rpm,and torque,
i suspect higher speed lower rpm ,and a reduction in torque,just wondering to what degree.
I guess it wouldn't matter much with a subaru, |
If I had rebuilt and run a stock 2L air cooled engine, I would have kept the stock tires or maybe run slightly larger tires (27" instead of 26") especially with the automatic. It would be okay with bigger tires driving on flat hwys but if you had any hills it would be noticeably slower and seem to have less power.
With the Subaru, from what I understand, peak torque for 2.5L is around the 4000 rpm range. As I kept the gearing the same in my auto transaxle, I have experimented with the tire size to find a reasonable rpm for target cruising speed on the hwy.
I ran stock tires, slightly larger tires, and my current tires and feel that I've found a good ratio with my current set up.
cruising:
60mph/100kph = 3200 rpms
70mph/115kph = 3700 rpms
75mph/120kph = 3900 rpms
When climbing mtn passes pulling my 1500lb trailer:
60mph/100kph in 2nd gear = 4900 rpms
I average about 23.5 mpg on the hwy, slightly more on the flats and slightly less in the mtns.
_________________
*******************************
76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image |
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Convoy
Samba Member
Joined: March 17, 2011
Posts: 334
Location: San Clemente
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| Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2025 8:35 am Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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Link
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1974 Westfalia
2.2 Subie
Benco 002 |
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Shonandb
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2019
Posts: 2326
Location: Vancouver, BC
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