wheels and tires

[helowrench]

Bruce, those would be dandy on a Ghia.

[tonyorlo]

I am running a 205/65-15 on a 5.5 Mahle 914 rim.
Has around 3/8"-1/2" clearance everywhere on the rear.
On the front, I got a bit of rub, and had to turn the steering stops, and lose a bit of turning radius. I guess I could have put spacers in there......

the 914, 4lug rims have a good backspacing/offset for the Ghias, but NOTE: you must use the correct length wheel bolts.

the Mahles are running a OHTSU FP6000 tire, which is a re-release of the Falken Ziex 512 tire. Pretty soft for a street tire. Grips well.
19mm front sway bar, no rear. a bit of understeer when pushed hard.
My Beetle has the same tires, 19mm front, and 14mm rear, and handles like a dream with less understeer, I need more engine, as I suspect it would be steerable with the right foot.

Rob

Rob,

What offset do those wheels have? Id love to run a 205 with my wheels

[helowrench]

Honestly I do not remember what offset they are.

[BeachbumGlenn]

Hey guys, Are there any aftermarket wheels that are the same size as stock, (4.5")... I am putting my 73 Ghia back on the road after having it sit in storage for 20 years. Back than I tried putting your standard "Empi" 8 spoke wheels, But they are obviously make for a bug, Not a Ghia, being 5.5" and the extra inch being out, 165/80/15's rubbed the wheel wells on the rear, And with the front torsion bars cut and lowered, I could not even steer it. I do not want to run smaller diameter tires on the rear, Because I do not want to loose top speed (3.88 R & P Freeway flyer trans) .... So I am cleaning up stock 4.5" rims for the rear for 165/80/15's, And I found a pair of old factory 4" rims for the front and going with 135/15's. The only real improvement over 20 years ago at least the tread patterns match Nankang CX668 series...... I have searched and searched,... besides cheaply chromed stock style wheels, There seems to be no aftermarket rims, 15x4.5 .... Any suggestions?? I am not up to narrowing the suspension, Which seems to be what everyone ends up doing....

[RotoGhia]

I am working on my dads. 69 Ghia. I just installed 2.5 drop spindles and empi rear disc with e/brake and all porsche drilled rotors. Just put on the chrome Porsche Fuchs replica wheels 15x5.5. 195/60 15 continental rear and 165/60 15 continentals front. only change is for the spare. needs to be a 145 80 to fit the well i think. no rubbing front or rear.

[Marc]

The VW "Sports" steel rim came in 4½" ET41 or ET34, and 5½" ET34 or ET26. The ET34 4½" and ET26 5½" are pretty rare, they were made to clear the front coils on 1302 Supers so they had a short run in `73.

914/4 Porsches had a very similar-looking 5½", don't recall what offsets they came in but IIRC I've seen ET40. They look the same from ~30', there's a slight difference at the "slots". The 4½" 914/4 rim was ET46 FWIW.

STOCK 'Ghia 4½" rims are ET46 (same as Type III & IV) while most Bug 4½" are ET 41 (except for the ET34 '73 rims) and 4" are ET40, so the sidewalls run closer to the lower control arm and swaybar on the 'Ghia than on the Bug, but normally not by enough to make it necessary to crank in the Pitman arm stops and increase the turning radius.

Going up an inch in width reduces the backspace & frontspace by ½" (12.7mm) more at the same offset, so a 5½" ET34 will run at .7mm closer to the beam and 24.7mm closer to the fender than a stock 4½" ET46 with a similar sidewall profile....you shouldn't need to crank in on the Pitman arm stops, but the fenders may rub.

A 5½" ET40 will run 6.7mm closer on the inside and 18.7mm closer to the fender than a 4½" ET46...you gain a hair more fender clearance but will almost certainly end up with a larger turning radius.

Drop spindles may increase the front track width slightly (not as much with the cast ones as with the old-school welded ones) which will of course improve the inner clearance and worsen the fender clearance compared to the above numbers.

...Just put on the chrome Porsche Fuchs replica wheels 15x5.5...

Do those rims have an offset (ET) number supplied?

[toeinthewater]

Hi,
I've been calling tyre shops here in Auckland, New Zealand for 4x130 stud pattern alloy wheels, with no luck. I've been advised to change the hubs to a 5 stud pattern.
What size diameter(?) are the original hubs on '68 - '72 Ghias, and would the swap to 5 studs be possible?
Thanks.

[dlamyle]

Hi,
I've been calling tyre shops here in Auckland, New Zealand for 4x130 stud pattern alloy wheels, with no luck. I've been advised to change the hubs to a 5 stud pattern.
What size diameter(?) are the original hubs on '68 - '72 Ghias, and would the swap to 5 studs be possible?
Thanks.

One option..

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp ... C10%2D6742
http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp ... C10%2D6750

[toeinthewater]

Cheers mate, appreciate the help!