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hlwimmer
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Joined: May 29, 2002
Posts: 533
Location: concord, calif.
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 Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 9:57 pm Post subject: width of standard smoothies |
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how wide are standard VW smoothies? 4.5? 5.5? i'm going to get some slotties to show off my porsche-B brakes... 
pros/cons of the wider wheels? still take 165/15s? |
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bill may
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Joined: August 27, 2003
Posts: 14160
Location: san diego,ca
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hlwimmer
Samba Member
Joined: May 29, 2002
Posts: 533
Location: concord, calif.
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 7:10 am Post subject: |
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thanks bill, but i'm not sure what that means. can you clarify?
i should also add... is there a difference in tire specs between the 4.5 and 5.5 rims... and, one would hink that the 5.5 rims might provide better handling. true? |
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bill may
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Joined: August 27, 2003
Posts: 14160
Location: san diego,ca
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 8:44 am Post subject: |
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i cant figure out why you know what 4.5 and also 5.5 inch rims are but not what 4" inch rims are. in other words stock 1965 and older non brake cooling slots rims are 4" (4 inches wide) J offset and 15 diameter.. kinda like 4.5 but no .5 so they are 4(four)
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Admin note: Bill Passed away - July, 2017
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=453617 |
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DrDarby
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Joined: May 12, 2004
Posts: 6534
Location: Northern Illinois
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 9:07 am Post subject: |
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As for your next question 165R15s will fit the 5.5" wheel but look better on a 4 or 4.5" wheel. I run 195/65/15s on 15x5.5" wheels and rolling diameter is almost the same as stock. They are just wide enough to fill out the wheelwells but don't rub. Speedo is accurate too.
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hlwimmer
Samba Member
Joined: May 29, 2002
Posts: 533
Location: concord, calif.
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 9:20 am Post subject: |
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thanks bill. the mangels are advertised in 4.5" and 5.5" widths... whereas the cryptic code 4JX15 was a bit confusing (i.e.: what's the JX for?... makes sense with the walk-through, but...). thanks for taking the time to clarify -- it definitely helps in the decision-making process.
i'll think i'll stick with the 4.5"s -- a bit wider than stock, but not too much.
(thx for the tire-411 drdarby... i'll stick with the 165s on the 4.5"s... now to research brands. too bad my old continentals arent as readily available.) |
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bill may
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Location: san diego,ca
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hlwimmer
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Joined: May 29, 2002
Posts: 533
Location: concord, calif.
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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| thanks bill... i'm going to get some slotties to show off my porsche-B brakes... was curious as to the width of my current smoothies compared to the advertised 4.5" or 5.5" slotties... thanks for the info -- knowing that the current smoothies are 4" helped me to decide on the 4.5" slotties (as opposed to the 5.5"). |
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sportin-wood
Samba Member
Joined: September 12, 2010
Posts: 2009
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2017 5:18 am Post subject: Re: width of standard smoothies |
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hlwimmer - do you happen to have photos of how the 4.5” wheels look in your bug? I know this is an old thread, but I’m contemplating getting 4.5” wide aftermarket wheels for my bug and wasn’t sure if 5.5” would be better (stock height, stock width beam). Thanks
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