tires on bugs

[[email protected]]

what type of tires are needed for a stock 64 bug and how much should they cost?

[UZI]

check out coker tire. they advertise in hotVWs

[keifernet]

Presumably you are wanting to stay with a stock look?...
early bugs came with 5.60-15 bias ply tires, the modern day equivalent is the 165-15 or 165SR-15 radial tire.
As earlyman stated www.cokertire.com should have listings for the vintage bias ply, including wide whitewalls, (for the extreme vintage look) and for a radial wide white as well. If you get the generic 165-15 radial from pep-boyz, NTB, Discount Tire, or whatever your local offers the cheaper ones are about 35 per tire.... Some better quality may be available but you gotta ask...
In my opinion and because I have run them on my personal rides for years, the Michelin "XZX" is the absloulute best tire. I have heard that Coker bought up the molds and they are the only supplier for them now, but there still could be a few somewhere. Unfortunantly they (Coker) are REALLY proud of them and they are high.....(ulp..$125ea!!!) I had bought my last set before they (my good ol boy) tire shop couldn't get them anymore for 320.00 out the door.... Yes more expensive that the generics but they last for many years. Hope this helps, for drivalbility, a decent 165-15 would be best......

[keifernet]

Oh yeah and to follow up... some area's it's hard to find a shop that can balance the old wide 5 pattern rims.... Make sure you get them balanced even if it the old fashioned "bubble balance" it's better than nothing....

[UZI]

good point on the balancing. when i have dealt with the tire shops, i insist that they mount them with a torque wrench. is it 60 ft/lbs? if you do it yourself, get the lugs fingertight then alternating around the drum, crankk them until they creak a little. impact guns can easily bend up your drums. you'll know it b/c your brakes will pulse. i've also heard stories of rims getting bent up on the tire mounter.

[keifernet]

Yesiree, very true, the wide fives are especially prone to the "gorilla with an impact wrench" scenario... Although almost any rim/drum/rotor can be screwed up by overtightening or running down the first one too tight then tightening the others.
The old rims bolt pattern is so wide that the little ears get bent and the then the center is all out of whack. Plus as you said it can mess up your drums and make the brakes pulse. If you can't find a shop that has the adaptor for the rim to spin balance, some older shops still have equipment that will balance them on the car, this old fashioned method is actually superior because it balances the rim/tire and drum all together, then if you mark a lug,the rim and drum and keep the tire mounted there it's really sweet. Or you can remove the drum without taking the tire off for brake inspections or minor brake work and not mess up the balance.
On most wheels I take them off and take them to the tire shop in the back of my old pickup and mount them myself, thus avoiding the careless tireshop bubba at the chain tire places, I trust my other independent dudes though....

[manaos]

I vote for the 165SR15's radials. If you want functional, they can't be beat. If your front end is a little wobbly, new radials will help smooth things out a lot until you can rebuild the king pins.

M

[TimGud]

One thing to beware of with radials is the original wide five wheels do not have a safety bead to keep the tire on the rim as they were designed to be used with tubes.I run radials on mine this way, but the tire could come off the rim during hard cornering.(so I avoid that) I believe your supposed to run radial tubes to be on the safe side.