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Tires for stock wheels on stock height swing axle beetle
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TDodge7
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:19 am    Post subject: Tires for stock wheels on stock height swing axle beetle Reply with quote

I'm building a baja out of my 68 Beetle and despite reading every thread I could find on the subject I haven't found a definitive answer on my question.

What is the largest tire that I could realistically run on stock 4" wheels on the back of a stock height swing axle beetle with a standard Mark V baja kit? I see lots people confirming 235/75r15's will fit but most of the threads where it comes up they're talking about IRS cars that don't have the camber issues.

The car is a completely stock setup,stock ball joint beam, swing axle (4.125 ratio), short torsion bars stock preload (but I could probably go up a spline) ,1500 engine, drum brakes, 4" wheels. It's just going to be a street and dirt road baja for a while until I can fund more serious upgrades. For now I just want to turn it into a functional car vs a garage space filler and throwing some bigger tires on the rear will hold me over until the upgrades happen.
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TDodge7
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 1:32 pm    Post subject: Re: Tires for stock wheels on stock height swing axle beetle Reply with quote

In hindsight I should have ordered the wide fender kit but when I placed the order I was thinking it was along the lines of other "wide" fender kits that are typically for extremely wide wheels and I didn't plan on going wider than 8" at most. Mark V tells me that the kit I ordered can use 6" or smaller wheels without sticking out past the fenders which is why I'm looking into what I can do with stock wheels, well that and I just like the look of the stock hubcaps with beefy tires.
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DHale_510
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 10:25 am    Post subject: Re: Tires for stock wheels on stock height swing axle beetle Reply with quote

The issue with a swing axle is the changing camber through the arc more than rubbing. You can always mount the fenders higher than stock to reduce rubbing.

I bought the round shoulder tires from McKenzie for my swing axle buggy.

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TDodge7
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 2:01 pm    Post subject: Re: Tires for stock wheels on stock height swing axle beetle Reply with quote

Very nice! yours is the real deal, I'm just building the kind of baja I remember seeing driving around when I was a kid, mostly for the street but there's some nice country roads and trails out this way so it may see a little of that too.

This was actually my first car, I tracked it down and bought it back but it's too far gone to be worth restoring otherwise I'd be using a car much better suited to baja. The front and back have already been mashed in so no harm cutting.

I have the body off and the baja kit on order so there's not a lot of measuring I can do at this stage but the way inflation is going I figured I better pick up most of the parts I need now rather than wait.

I just didn't want to spend good money on 235/75R15 tires to find out they rub on everything because every thread on here that says they fit is also for an IRS car. I mostly just want to see if anyone on here runs 235/75r15's on stock 4" on the back of a swing axle with a baja kit and no lift.
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DHale_510
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 23, 2021 8:44 am    Post subject: Re: Tires for stock wheels on stock height swing axle beetle Reply with quote

I have owned both of these cars since the '70s and both have been disassembled and rebuilt three or four times. They get fancier each time....

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The buggy at BugIn in 1975 or so.

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The Bug in 1977

Dennis
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TDodge7
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 23, 2021 4:23 pm    Post subject: Re: Tires for stock wheels on stock height swing axle beetle Reply with quote

Sweet, love the vintage photos! I just picked up 7 4.5" bug wheels off facebook marketplace along with a spare 68 dual snorkel air cleaner for free, not a bad haul, so now I have the option of 4.5" wheels too.


I think they're 4 1/2 back spacing though so they're probably no good for what I need, but I saved em from the dump so there's that.
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TDodge7
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:09 am    Post subject: Re: Tires for stock wheels on stock height swing axle beetle Reply with quote

Turns out 2 of the wheels I picked up are 4" (one badly dented) and the rest are all stock 4.5" wheels except 2 which are chrome aftermarket wheels.



So since my body is off the pan and baja kit is on order there isn't a lot of measuring I can do, where exactly would a stock height swing axle beetle have issues with a big tire? The class 11 guys run stock wheels and stock fenders with 235/75r15's all the time with only torsion preload in the rear on IRS cars. For me the baja kit should get the fender out of the way compared to stock, so the fitment issue must be that it rubs on the body when you hit bumps right?


The only answers I've found are for IRS cars or else I wouldn't have asked. I'm trying to get my parts all ordered asap as inflation keeps raising the prices and I've been struggling to get a definitive answer on what I can run for weeks.
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71StandardReduction
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 22, 2022 7:54 pm    Post subject: Re: Tires for stock wheels on stock height swing axle beetle Reply with quote

Stock vs Stock, with baja fenders, your swing axle car will allow for a larger tire than an IRS car.
The irs setup most commonly has a torsion bar that is wider and protrudes out past the bushing cap.
Although, assuming you have stock engine and gearing, I'd stick with the 235/75R15.
Anything more like even a 30x9.50R15 would possibly rub the spring plate, etc.
If you step up to a 31x10.50 on after Market wheels, would work but... your engine and gearing will leave you a little under powered.
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