Yet another freeway flyer Vs taller tires question...

[63 roach coach]

I have done lots of research on the freeway flyer subject. Not a lot of facts that I am seeing, just opinions. I have a stock 63 beetle, building a 1776 for it. MPGs are not a concern for me. I drive the car 4-6 times a month and just want a good all around cruiser that is fun to drive, but can cruise the freeway when needed.

Quick rundown on the motor specs so far.
- New mexican case
- Scat cast crank
- Scat cam and lifters, I dont remember which cam it is off the top of my head, but its very mild - One or two steps above a stock cam.
- CB performance pancihito 044 heads
- mallory Unilite distributor
- Dual Dellorto 40s

Would like some real-world examples of taller tires Vs freeway flyer tranny.

Curious if anyone knows what the tallest tire is that you can for under a stock VW fender. Would also like to lower the car down a notch or two, so keep that in mind. If Anyone has a car with a tall rear tire, I would love a picture and to know what your RPM is at 65.

Anyone have a similar motor to mine and a freeway flyer. What are your pros and cons list? Are you happy with it? Are you running 165s on the back and if so, what are your RPMs at 65?

Anything else that I might want to consider. Really only interested in facts, not opinions about something that an old timer once told you and somehow it became fact... Hopefully my saltiness doesn't sway anyone away from answering.

[bluebus86]

lower ratios, higher tires may mean you need to down shift more frequently up hill and down hill for climbing ability, and engine braking. Acceleration also will suffer.

Bug On in any gear!
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What are you considering a “freeway flier”? A stock 3.88 ring & pinion, and the most common .93 4th? 4.12 x 82, 3.88 x 89, or 3.88 x .82? Either combos with the .82 have quite a bit of rpm drop from a stock 1.26 3rd, and a 3.88 x .82 would be pretty tall for a small engine to pull. How fast do you want to “cruise on the freeway”, 65, 75, 85? A stock 4.12 trans with an .89 4th will get you 70mph at 3450 with a 25 inch tire. Any tire larger than 26 inches looks silly to me, and you would really need to drop the rear to create a lowered appearance. You would need a 26.5 inch tire with your stock 4.37 x .89 trans in your 63 to get close to the 4.12 x .89 with the 25 inch tire.

[Mos6502]

Bigger tires = more weight, more rolling resistance. The engine RPMs will be lower for a given road speed, but that doesn't necessarily translate to a lower engine load. Checkout the off road section for all you could want to know about the biggest tires you can fit, and how that affects performance.

Changing the final drive has the advantage of lowering RPMs for a given engine speed, without increasing the weight or rolling resistance.

[63 roach coach]

Appreciate the input, but still seeing more opinions than real-world results.

The freeway flyer that I am looking at is Benco's. They use a .82 4th gear, instead of the stock .89 that is in my car. Its like a $200 upgrade so I am not concerned about the cost in anyway. Mostly just don't want to be unsatisfied either way.

Kind of thinking that a taller tire is the better way to go for me, but would love to see some results of other setups.

[TDCTDI]

I'm running 205/75/15 on a Ghia, how big do you wanna go? It's common for the class 11 guys to run 215/75/15 & 235/75/15 on a stock bodied bug.

Do you need a transmission? If not, tires are cheaper. But your car can look silly if you're trying to sport big tires on a Cal-look car.
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[Pruneman99]

I have to run a 205/75 on the back of my stock 4.37 to run 70 down the freeway without the engine sounding like it wants to come apart. The tire is nearly 26" tall. I hate the look. Plenty of torque even for a 1600cc. It's fine around town. I actually want to run a 23" again. First gear was pointless with the smaller tires. Driving from San Diego to Phoenix that way took a long time lol.

I'm still deciding on my gear set, but I'm pretty certain I want to go with a 3.88 R&P. Not sure about 4th. Probably need to play with a gear calculator for a bit.

I know that's not definitive info, just my experience.

[63 roach coach]

[63 roach coach]

[mukluk]

You can punch in different gear ratios and wheel sizes into a gear calculator to get the engine revs at speed with various combos, easier than waiting on somebody to come along with the combo and information you're looking for.
https://weddleindustries.com/gear-calculator
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[63 roach coach]

[Pruneman99]

[63 roach coach]

[Pruneman99]

Lol. Just ran the calculation.
@ 3600rpm in fourth I'm doing 71.5mph. I must be good at estimation

That calculator someone post above is pretty easy to use.

[63 roach coach]

[63 roach coach]

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Do you like the spacing of the gears now? If so, I’d go with them (3.80/2.06/1.32/.89) with a 4.12 ring & pinion. The more common 1.26 3rd combined with an .82 4th is going to have a little more noticeable rpm drop from 2nd-3rd-4th. The stock 63 trans would have a 4.37 r&p.

[Pruneman99]

Definitely not 3.88 unless someone swapped it. That didn't come out untill the 1600. Yours came with the 4.37

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I mentioned a 3.88 r&p with a .93 4th being “a stock” combo. Sorry if I’m the one to confuse. VW did use this as a factory/stock combo, just not until 73-79 with the 1600’s in the Beetles. VW never used an .82 4th in a car from the factory. The Buses used them with lower r&p’s in the IRS trans, and in the earlier gear reduction trans.

[63 roach coach]