Best tires and wheels - please recommend

[MarieChantale]

Hi !

I would love to have recommendations on
Best tires to get (within reason for pricing, so maybe best for budget?)
And wheels
And where do get them
For my 1979 super Beetle convertible
Thanks in advance

Marie

[vamram]

Marie,

It depends what you're looking for. I think factory wheels for your year bug were available from 4.5" to 5.5" x 15" rims. The equivalent factory size tire today would be 165x80x15. Search that in Google and you'll get lots of hits from online tire discounters. The prices are anywhere from $42 and up.

You may be able to find factory rims on thesamba classifieds.

I've bought after-market "custom" rims from https://www2.cip1.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1230 and been very happy w/them. "Your mileage may vary."

Víctor
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Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
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'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
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Save the Supers!!

[sminton1]

Walmart has Nankang 165/80R15 for $70 with free ship to store. Hard to beat that price.

[vamram]

Same tire, about $54 shipped from SimpleTire to an installer near you, then a discount on the per-tire mount and balancing:

https://simpletire.com/nankang-p165-80r15-24205006...gLUJ_D_BwE
_________________
Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[mark tucker]

[Mr.Duncan]

I only get these:

$54 a pop.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QL6ONQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Red 1971 Squareback Thread
Red 1966 Beetle Thread
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1966 Ghia (sold)
1971 Blue Super Beetle (sold)
1966 Java Green Std Beetle (sold)
1971 Red Squareback (sold)
1966 Red Beetle

[Tim Donahoe]

I have the same Nankangs. They were well made. Nice and round. Of course, you have to pay someone to spin balance and mount. But you have to do that at a retail tire store.

I'd check the Samba Classifieds for a set of Lemertz Sports rims. Either that, or regular VW rims that aren't bent and rusty. You can also go custom. MidAmerica sells many custom wheels--assuming the ones you want are in stock, that is. They are usually out of stock on anything I want, but maybe you'll get lucky.

Tim
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Richard O'Brien

[Glenn]

Best at what?
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

[Mikedrevguy]

If you look through the classifieds "Tire and wheel" section Ashly as the late model for sales, you can get a better idea of what you like the look of. And then, based in what your hopes, dreams, aspirations are for this car to do, can make more informed decisions?
And folk can help decipher things like offset, back spacing, etc and how it may/may not work for your particular model of bug.

Have fun.
Rev.
_________________
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79 VW Iltis
69 Bwajaja
"The wise speak because they have something to say; while the foolish speak because they have to say something." Plato

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[gt1953]

I looked at your gallery and could not see the wheels on your car.
Stock wheels are fine. They the stock wheels were not made in china.
As far as tires goes Nankangs or Kuhmo are fine tires.
Ad a photo of your wheels.
_________________
Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
Numbers Matching VW's are getting harder to find. Source out the most Stock vehicle and keep that way. You will be glad you did.

72 type 1
72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold})

[67vetteal]

Shop carefully for your tire. I recently spent hours looking around. Wound up buying Uniroyal Defenders from Tirerack.com for average of 54.00 + shipping. I did 165/70x15 Front and 195/70 x15 Rear. I'm Happy. Al W.

[rjplumer]

[PopPop Jambon]

[helowrench]

[MarieChantale]

I am looking mostly for safety.
I would be willing to go up to 150 dollars a tire max.
Thinking of getting stock wheels (after market copies I guess?). Mine are rusted and some are lightly bent on inside .
I'll take picture when I can. I am away from my car until the weekend.
I will not use my car in winter.
Thoughts on white walls or not? Pain to keep clean? Right look for period or not?
I appreciate all your help and suggestions. You guys rock !

[gt1953]

No on the white walls. Do get some input on the wheels you decide upon. Most of the tires mentioned above are fine I have driven cross country on all of the brands mentioned.
_________________
Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
Numbers Matching VW's are getting harder to find. Source out the most Stock vehicle and keep that way. You will be glad you did.

72 type 1
72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold})

[Tim Donahoe]

My bug is a 1974 Super Beetle. In the early and mid-seventies, many VW's had the 3/4 inch white walls. It was considered a fancy sort of thing. But I don't know if they kept up the style in the later seventies. But they may look good on your 1979.

As far as the earlier fat-ass white walls, I think they look great on earlier beetles, but kind of weird on seventie's models.

Coker makes nice 3/4 inch white walls in the stock size, I believe. Check those out.

Sports Wheels, or regular (stock) wheels would be fine. But be sure they are nice and straight.

I bought Kumho tire's when I first got my bug. They were out of round in no time. My Nankang replacements stay round. Just my experience. Others may have done better. But a Super Beetle needs really round tire's in the front, at least.

Tim
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Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[Q-Dog]

from the archives.

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Brian

'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle

[vamram]

[ROCKOROD71]

Here's mine when I was rockin fat whitewalls:

When I bought these the only way to get them in stock size was through Coker tire and they only carried Bias ply. Now you can get them and the thin white walls in radials which is nice. I drove on these for quite some time then sold them to a guy who was building a hot rod. Once I had radials on the car I swore "never again"...they ride so much better than the Bias ply!

For $150 a tire you pretty much have choice of whatever the hell you want. Get the best. If that's your budget a fun game to play is "Avoid China." Let us know how that turns out and what brands you find.
_________________
1971 STD BEETLE- DD-1st car, 1st love. keepin' it stock! 1600DP, Solex 34-3 Mexi Bosch SVDA Dist NOW w/POINTS
1977 WESTY "KrustyKamper" 2L FI