And I was wrong. Lots of early Bug rims were 4 inches. This thread has an apparent expert on Beetle/Ghia rim widths and offsets.

I still say 165 R 15s (about a .8 aspect ratio) are the right thing for us & will go on the skinny rims nicely.

165/80s will go on a 4 inch rim with no trouble. They will look right on the TD and handle fine. I am not sure your regular Mangels are actually 4 inches though. They might be 4.5 inches. I have thought all the stock 8-slot VW rims were either 4.5 or 5.5. Mine are 4.5. (The new wires are 4.5-inch as well)

185s I’d want the 5.5 inch rim.

Hmm…now I’m wondering what size tires will fit. More research is in order. Thanks for your help Bill.

A 165/70R15 should fit a minimum of 4-1/2″, maximum of 5-1/2″.

A 185/70R15 should be between 5″ and 6-1/2″.

Although I once ran a 265/60-14 on a 4″ wheel. Should have been a minimum of 7-1/2″. It sat flat with 10 pounds of air.

Thanks Bill. I guess what I was wondering is will say…a 165R15 tire fit on a 15 x 5.5 and a 15 x 4? As far as I can series it will. Just want to be certain before I go purchasing 5 new tires.

I have run 205/60R15 front and 235/60R15 rear with no trouble. No idea what the backspacing is.

Nice outsidethebox thinking. 💡 What ever works! Almost every safety device on our modern cars; seat belts, rear view mirrors, windshield wipers,  the list goes on and on, originated from meeting a racing need. Keep the mental gears turning!

Well my tires should be here Thursday, and for now I went with a cable shortening kit from EMPI instead of converting to a hydraulic clutch for now.  I just don’t have the time to tackle that project right now.

I’ve had an issue with Zella ever since I got her in the air filter department.  The engine cover underneath the spare tire carrier has n…[Read more]

Perfectly nice!

Nice work Bill!

Pretty much what the Nascar boys did in the ’60s! Worked for them. Should work for you!

Allen,

I use mine all the time, on the MG TDr and on my ’65 Plymouth. When removing snaps, I slide it under the cover fabric, between the fabric and the female portion of the snap. I’ve never scratched paint, gelcoat or stainless moldings. Just be careful.

If I am reading Bill’s post correctly, sounds like he slips the tool between the button…[Read more]

I’ve only used mine on the button heads. As these are on the outside of  the material, you won’t scratch anything. Can’t answer for the “lift-a-dot”.