Wheels

[jeepwillies]

I am looking to upgrade my van to 15" wheels, so I thought I would throw this out.
Anyone have some for sale?

I am not too fussy about style, just trying to find used ones that work with my 87.

Cheers!
Dave

[danfromsyr]

Well, you have a few options.

theres your 1st choice, which really should have been your last..

1) ASk in a general tech forum of vanagon owners.

2) Check out the CLASSIFIEDS section here @ the Samba

3) VW Vortex Wheel forum search in the 5x112 one

4) goto Ebay, search, save a search and set a notice when a new ad matches your criteria.

5) Check your local or national Craigslist.org
check often, and don't hesitate when an ad sounds like what you are looking for, good deals do NOT last long.

6) Oh and theres a plethora of VW van specific news groups and listservs
search vanagon in Yahoo groups or join the www.vanagon.com listserv.
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[jeepwillies]

Thanks Dan.

What I was hopping for was to eliminate some pain/work.

1st - read tons and tons of info on what rims/tires will fit
2nd - check all the local classifieds for used rims.
3rd - go back and check info found in 1st to see if the rims you found will actually work.
4th - disappointment.
5th - start at 1st again.

If for some magical reason someone on the forum saw my post and said...'Hey Dave, I have exactly what you are looking for, they bolt right up!'
then I would be happy and pain free.

But for now, the search continues!

Cheers!
Dave

[danfromsyr]

Okies, easy and painless. lets look.. to the Left <--- just under my Icon
I'm in Syracuse, NY.. not even near the big apple for those out of staters..

if I had rims that would fit up nice and easy, look sweet and were cheap.. Where would you be located

and based on your reply, possibly being part of generation now..
you might.. just might have to take option#1.. and read the Sticky at the top of this forum, an option I didn't even give you the 1st time.. guess that's my way of being difficult

TheSamba.com Vanagon/Eurovan ULTIMATE WHEELS POST. What Wheels FIT?

*smiles

Dan

[jeepwillies]

OUCH!
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87 Automatic Westy TDI'd

[floggingmolly]

I don't think Dan is trying to be difficult, he's just giving you some good info.

I did your #1-5 many times and ended up with great wheels for little $$. I also learned a lot about safety and right and wrong in the process. And also made some friends here on the Samba in the process.

Who is to say what one person says is correct is the right way to go? After all, that person is trying to sell something. You're better off looking at the ultimate wheel post and deciding for yourself what the right solution is.

Imagine if everyone here just posted what they needed without doing any research? That would be A LOT of posts that really benefit only 2 people, the buyer and seller, and that's not what the Samba is about in my view.

Take some time, do some research, and you'll be better educated and happier with the result in the end. We all are happy to lend some suggestions if you have specific questions about wheels.

Enjoy the process.

Scott
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'85 Wolfsburg Weekender

[jeepwillies]

Ouch again batman!

As per my other post, still searching!

Thanks for your hel....uh, thanks, I think.

Cheers!
Dave
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87 Automatic Westy TDI'd

[ValleyHappy]

WTB-15" wheels to fit my Vanagon-5*112

Copy and paste in Vanagon Parts Classified section of the Samba.
Let add stew for some time, see what you get.

No flammage here from the members happening....but we have seen this happen before. Usually our moderator will move or lock the post when someone is trying to locate somewhat readily available parts. You just put it in the wrong spot. No biggy.

"Happy Trees"
B. Ross
RIP
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09 Suzuki SX-4 Crossover

[jeepwillies]

Thanks B.Ross, you know how calm me!

Will try that post in the classifieds.

Dave
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87 Automatic Westy TDI'd

[Grizzly_black]

Check these out! They are the exact wheels that GoWesty sells.
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet...sort=Brand

They will bolt on with out any mods.

Grizz

[MarkWard]

How Ironic, I bought my rims from go westy and the tires from the tire rack. They are round and they do fit. Tire Rack says hardware included no center caps. I am very happy with the rim tire setup.
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☮️

[jeepwillies]

Thanks Griz!

But won't I have to use spacers to correct the offset? From the reading I have been doing the offset should be between 30 and 40, right?

Dave
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87 Automatic Westy TDI'd

[floggingmolly]

See! Now you're getting somewhere

The offset ideal is supposed to be about 30. Loogy will tell you somewhere between 30 and 35, and he is the man on this. Mine ended up at 29, but that's close enough, I dare anyone to pick up on the 1 mm more my wheels stick out.

For the offset, for those wheels, to get to 30 you would actually have to remove material from the wheel where it meets the hub. The lower the ET, or offset, the more the wheel sticks out. With a high offset, you can add a spacer, with a lower than ideal offset you have to machine material off the wheel. Gowesty swears by the 23 ET as being OK, but to me I'd rather be as close to stock as possible. I would be concerned about undue stress on wheel bearings and the like as a long term issue.

Lots is said about this in the UWP, but you have to look through it all. Loogy also put in some good diagrams showing offset and how it's calculated, which was very helpful to me.

There are certainly lots of wheels out there on Ebay and Craigslist. The 15s are a bit tougher to find, the 16 inch wheels are practically a dime a dozen. The MB wheels are the right bolt pattern, but like in my case, I had to drill out the 12mm holes to 14 mm to fit the wheel bolts through, which was easy to do. Some VW (but few) and Audi have the right bolt pattern, but the centerbore of the wheel has to be enlarged for the grease cap to clear.

In many cases you'll need longer wheel bolts for the front, which is easy, and longer studs for the back, more difficult and expensive. But not on the ones Gowesty sells, which is why they are referred to as "bolt on".

To me the biggest issues were (after 15 or 16-inch)

1. looks
2. offset
3. centerbore
4. lug bolt hole (easy to fix)
5. proximity to my home
6. cost

Not necessarily in that order.
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'85 Wolfsburg Weekender

[Grizzly_black]

The width of the wheel is 7.5" so on a 2WD 30-40 ET will not work. Your wheels would need to be 5.5-6.5 wide to have that offset. I am not sure, but I don't think GoWesty would be selling these if they were going to cause problems. Tire rack will supply the correct nuts and bolts if you call them and let them know what you are planning on installing them on. They will also give you a set of center caps if you ask.

Grizz

[Christopher Schimke]

[floggingmolly]

[Christopher Schimke]

Edit:

I've already said more than I probably should. We'll leave it at that I suppose.
_________________
"Sometimes you have to build a box to think outside of." - Bruce (not Springsteen)

*Custom wheel hardware for Audi/VW, Porsche and Mercedes wheels - Urethane Suspension Bushings*
T3Technique.com or contact me at [email protected]

[Grizzly_black]

Well I ended up buying the SA alloys so I don't need to worry about it. They do sit under the van better, even with bigger tires. The tires do not throw crap all over the side of the van with the SA alloys. The GoWesty wheels made it impossible to keep the van clean.

Grizz

[jeepwillies]

In the classified section there are
16' Idea Momo rims with 35mm offset. 5 x 112
Anyone know if these will work? What I am not sure about is how they would fit on the front hubs.

Cheers!
Dave
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87 Automatic Westy TDI'd

[floggingmolly]

The offset looks pretty good, a 5 mm spacer wouldn't hurt, but I think 35 could be OK. You would have to ask the seller for the diameter of the centerbore, as Loogy said it has to be at least 66.6mm to fit over the front hubs.

You'd likely also need longer bolts for the front and studs for the rear.
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'85 Wolfsburg Weekender