Spare wheel question...

[SirIvor70]

Have a 2wd 87 Westy with 4 Rhein wheels and BFG All Terrain tires under neath. don't have a spare to match...infact have a 14" in the clam shell right now. Would like to rectify this.

Have sourced a Passat rim and have had the centre bored out to 66mm. So will fit in case of a flat. (do need to buy a 15" tire though)

Question is, will the bolts/nets on there for the Rhein's match the steel passat rim? Van-Cafe says re the Rhein rims they sell:

"If you are converting from steel rims then you will need new lug nuts and bolts."

So reading that makes me think that Steel and Alloys are not compatible. Anyone can shed light on this ?

Many thanks

[MarkWard]

You should PM Loogy here about anything wheel related. Typically steel rims have short lug bolts and nuts. They need to be replaced for two common reasons when switching to aluminum rims. One, the taper where the lug bolt/nut seats on the rim might have a different pitch/angle. Second, the rim has a thicker center which would not leave enough threads to safely secure an aftermarket rim.

I still have a stock 14 in my clamshell. I think of it as a mini spare. For a short distance I would not care which end it ended up on. For a longer distance, I'd might be inclined to put it on the rear and let the differential make up the difference rather than trying to steer a mismatched front tire set. I would have to see at that time. Fingers crossed. Regards,

[buildyourown]

You will not be able to fit a full size spare in the clam shell. The width of the tire is a very limiting factor. The 6" Passat wheels fit, but that was the only one I could find. (I needed 16")
I would treat your spare as a donut. Don't worry if it's too small if you are 2wd.

To answer you specific question:
Steel and alloy stock wheels used different hardware. Steel hardware fits some mercedes alloys and my steel Passat wheel.
It sounds like the Rheins are different.

[VisPacem]

This question came up before, in fact I recall asking this specific question.

Now, if alloy wheels and steel wheels REQUIRE different bolts and lug nuts, what of the OEM-factory- set up for those who had 4 factory alloys and a steel spare, and naturally only one set of lug nuts and bolts, which was I believe 100% of the Vanagons coming out of the factory with such a set up.

Was it safe then, and unsafe now


As a detail this question was never answered.

But.....

as some would say the learned and (only) experts at the VW factory KNOW BETTER.

We can see how their expertise has driven VW into the Routan (thanks taxpayer supported Chrsyler/Dodge) and how their infinite wisdom has led to the success of this group correcting the ludicrous
aberrations and failures built in this otherwise Grand vehicle.

End of rant
_________________
LG aka VisPacemPB, *The* party Pooper

No Regrets (Nothing to do with Vanagons)

[MarkWard]

The lug taper on the steel wheel should be the same as the alloy wheel. Fitting a stock steel in place of a factory alloy would not have been a problem. The rear studs would have been a little long and the front bolts would screw into the hubs further. It is when you are doing the opposite that you run into a problem. Stock steel lugs and bolts are too short for an alloy.

[buildyourown]

Stock steel and stock alloy used different hardware. My van came with 5 alloy wheels.

[MarkWard]

[James 93SLC]

[MarkWard]

If that is the case, then I take back my previous statement. Regardless of length you would not want to mix and match different seat tapers. I carry 5 bolts and 5 nuts for my steel wheel spare. That way I have the front and rear covered. I have the GW 16 Alloys and they definitely have their own mounting hardware.