Wolfrace Octane BLACK 17x7, et38, 4x100
Goodyear Eagle F1 GD3's, 215/45-17 ZR
VERY happy with the overall effect! The car is now about 1 inch higher off the ground which will help LOTS with speedbumps, the wheels fit perfectly, clearing the bumpstops on the rear by 5-10mm, it all tucks nicely under the arches too (STOCK size wings!)
17x7, 215/45-17, et 38... I have slimline struts on the front (wouldnt of fitted otherwise) but NO OTHER MODS for them to fit! (Other than drums/disks drilled to 4x100)
I've just (like this morning) fitted 215/45ZR17 F1 GSD2's to the back only, to match my fronts which are 215/40. I've slipped up really, the 205/40's I want for the front are obselete in GSD2 so it will have to be the GSD3
I'm also interested in putting some 16" or 17" wheels on my Super. Can you give me a little more information on what you did. I plan on drilling the drums for the Honda bolt pattern (4x100), but obviously I won't be able to use the stock bolts with the smaller holes in the modern rims. Did you press in studs or just use new longer bolts. What thread size/pitch would I need to specify when having the drums drilled? And one last question... what offset are the wheels you have there? They look real sweet and I'd like some in a silver finish.
Nope, I'm still researching and making a shopping list. I REALLY don't want to go with one of the 6 or so aftermarket wheels available for my VW so I'm exploring the options. There's a really good article on germanlook.com (I think) that talks about modern wheel fitment.
It mentions what tire size to get and which offset would work best. For a 4-lug drum with the stock 4x130mm bolt pattern, you could re-drill it with a Honda bolt pattern (4x100mm) and bolt up a number of aftermarket wheels. I think the offset should be about 35 mm.
If I was going to stay with drums, I'd order some new ones pre-drilled with the Honda bolt pattern or get some blank ones redrilled. Mine don't have much more life in them. A good friend of mine suggested going to disc brakes because with the type of wheel I'm looking at (BBS-clone), you don't want a big ugly drum showing through. The article on Germanlook.com mentions that if going to disc brakes, you might have a flange on the disc brakes that will have to be machined off for modern aftermarket wheels to fit properly. I think it's called a hub-centric ring or something. (would an aftermarket disc brake upgrade come with this?)
So, as you can see, I still need to figure what all I'll need to get and do and how much it's going to cost me before I whip out the debit card. Sigh... I feel like such a noobie again.
First, from what I've read, 38 to 40 ET is even better, it is only a few mm, but it makes a difference. I asume we are talk about a super beetle. For this new offset you will need slimmer sturts as well, or your wheels will hit your sturts, I THINK that the tappered sturts and a 40ET MIGHT work, but I really have NO IDEA..(might call topline for that) for parts and questions, Topline has everything you need. They also offer drilling service for drums and rotors and I'm pertty sure they use press-in studs. i plan to order some extra long "Gorilla" studs/nuts used on imports.
SCCA requires the nut to be tight while a significant <sp?> amount of thread is to be showing (like an inch or more, I can't memember), might as well do this now, since later I plan to make my bug my toy on the weekends.
to be honest, I don't know about the hubcentric ring thing your refering to, yet i'm intrested. I know that when slamming a super suspension, and replacing parts, that when low-pro tires are used, that a 1/4 inch should be taken off the bolt of the ball joints. Also, I've read that some wheels will interfer with the calipers of ghia disc breaks. It's typically the round circle molded onto the outside of the calipers, which is easily ground down.
Also, upgrade everything, from breaks, to bushings dont over look anything....topline has what you need, and I saw that CIP1 has the upper mounting for the 1302 for $35 each, thats CHEAP! replace your idler arm bushing too with the new bronze aftermarket item, seems to be the way to go, also at CIP1.com Steering boxes for supers are expensive, but I think wolfsburgwest.com has a rebuild kit for sale that is a third of the price and worth looking into. An upper stress bar will add to ridgity, along with all the other new/upgraded components. Just remember, suspension upgrades typically sacrifice right quality, so expect a bumpier ride.
I'm not sure what you are building your bug for, Daily driver, race, etc...but a sick suspension, with a healthy engine (even 8.5CR on a well built 1600), and the heavy investment ($600-$1000) into a liminted slip diff can make a super rock in the corners.
Hope some of this info helps, again, I havnt got this far with my 1302, yet the info I read here feels accurate and honest. I'm late for class, gotta go!
in GSD2 so it will have to be the GSD3
Sigh... I feel like such a noobie again.