BIGGEST TIRES I can safely put on my 76 Westy.

[ggolds5]

I wrote a post the other day about raising the height of my Bay. After many helpful replies I've decided that it is NOT a good idea to alter the suspension. SO, that said, can someone knowledgable in the tire area tell me what the largest tires that can safely be put on my 76 Westy. One member of the forum put on Grabber ATX's. 27x8.5 14. Is there any issue with this size such as fender rubbing etc.?. Thanks.

[metahacker]

the answers for this will be somewhat anecdotal .. as things vary amongst tires of the same size rating .. and wheel choices differ ...

in terms of diameter,

215/70R15 (26.85" OD) in the front rubbed for me but only in reverse with the wheel cut, even then rarely. was OK as a daily driver (altho went staggered 65 & 70 eventually)
215/65R15 (26" OD) in front did not ever have any issues
both on 15" "Fooks" 5x12 alloys (Porsche 911 Fuchs replicas)

225/75R15 (28.3" OD) in the rear was totally fine (narrow AF split bus 15's, so probably even taller OD than usual)

wheel offset matters a lot .. particularly for sidewall vs fender clearance.
how tired your torsions, bump stops, etc are also matter

[richparker]

27x8.5 Grabbers fit on the stock rim and on the bus without issues. Many people run them.
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’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build

[Hoppy Camper]

27x8.5 14" Grabbers are awesome, knobby tires that give your bus an instant lift. I run them on my '79 and love them.
They are also heavier than stock tires and have a larger circumference. These two factors significantly increase unsprung weight and affect the final drive ratio.
Your already slow bus will now be slower.
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1979 Mexico Beige Westy auto
The Wilds of New Hampshire!
www.hoppycampernh.com
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[Willin]

I run the Grabbers, stock rims.
I will say this once again, They are not 27".
I measured rolling circumference( on the bus)at 81" divided by 3.1416 = 25.7" diameter.

FWIW
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73 bus. Org. 1700 with dual Weber 40 idfs, bus header with Empi qp muffler, CB magnaspark 2 " ready to run kit".

[Bulli Klinik]

I ran 15"s on my old Dormobile. I have friends with later Buses who run 15's with BFG's as well. I think they run a Passat rim? There's some options from the Vanagon world.

I have these 14" Bighorns on my Vanagon. They would fit your Bus as well.

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PM me about quality metal-work on your vehicle.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Shonandb]

I used to run 215/65/16 Nokian Extra Load SUV tires all the way around at stock height.

Now I run 225/75/16 Goodyear Wrangler LT on the rear and 215/65/16 Nordfrost XL on the front with ET 33 rims off a Tiguan. I think 215/70/16 or 205/75/16 will fit on the front without rubbing but I have raised spindles.
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76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
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[ggolds5]

[ggolds5]