Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2002 13:38:31 EST
Reply-To: BenTbtstr8@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ben T <BenTbtstr8@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Wheel Help please
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Adrian,
Take care that you have enough clearance for 16" wheels. You are looking to
add 2 inches of wheel diameter. That is a big jump for most people and most
Syncros.
You will have to go to a tire with a lowered aspect ratio if you want to
clear a stock unaltered Syncro suspension. That means less rubber between
your Syncro and the road (or trail). Likelihood of rim damage is greater. If
you manage to install taller tires to overcome this, you will need more
horsepower to turn them or change your gearing to compensate for change in
ratios caused by the taller tire and wheel combo.
Don't forget that you may also need to cut some of your fenders out if you go
to really tall rubber. I have a stock 16" Syncro with the exact wheels that
you are considering. The wheel wells are cut and provided with urethane
flares by the factory so that the bigger wheels can be accommodated. The one
part most people neglect to consider is front fender. When you turn the
wheels, the outer edges on the big wheels will make contact on the rear edge
of the fenderwell.
Width is critical in taller wheel applications too. Just because the wheel
and tire combo can fit inside your wheel wells while the wheels are pointing
straight ahead doesn't mean you are in business. The wider the wheels, the
more likely you will run into the front fender problem discussed in the
previous paragraph. Then there's the sliding door clearance problem. Too too
many to discuss in one email.
Therein lies the rub (pardon the pun). The VW factory 16" steel wheels are
too narrow for most folks. They are only 5.5 inches wide. Too tall to fit in
stock fenderwells with anything taller than a 50 series tire. Plus you will
probably have to grind away some of the material at the seam of your rear
trailing arm. Too much for too little in my opinion.
The Mercedes steel wheels usually have a different offset. I have some of
these on one of my Vanagons now. Too big an ET number will narrow your track
to the point that the van will feel tippy compared to before. Many are not
rated for the weight of a fully laden Westy.
Anyway, I am rambling now. I believe 16 inch wheels are a more for show than
go in a regular Syncro. You are better off going with 15" wheels with taller
tires. Tires cost less and are more available. Rims cost less and are more
available. Heck you can go nuts over them and install 235 tires like some
folks. You will need fender cutting for tires taller than 215/70/15.
If you are local to the SF area, pmail me. I will be happy to show you in
person what
some of these wheels can do to your Syncro. Bring a strong back and a good
lugwrench. I lost track of how may different types of wheels I won which can
fit Vanagons. I also have steel adapters for installing Porsche rims as well
as alloy rims redrilled to fit. 14"-17" tall and 5.5 "-9" wide.
BenT Rhims
<A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/bentbtstr8/myhomepage/index.html">Vanagon
Cafe</A>
