Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:19:15 -0600
Reply-To: Bob Stevens <mtbiker62@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bob Stevens <mtbiker62@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Wheel alternatives...
In-Reply-To: <566927.44446.qm@web32407.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Dave,Any idea, based on the amount of material you had to eliminate from the
bolt holes, what that may have done to the OE intended load-bearing capacity
of these wheels?
Just curious.
bob
On Sat, Sep 12, 2009 at 10:44 PM, David Vickery <david_vickery@yahoo.com>wrote:
> I finally got around to fitting MB wheels on my syncro. I used the OEM MB
> 8 hole, 15x 6.5 or 7, ET 37 from a 90's C class car. I finally got them to
> be direct bolt on to my or any van. The hubs are the right size but the
> thickness of the alloy required a lot of machining to get them to direct
> bolt on. I learned a lot in the process and had checked into wheel adapters
> and longer studs before deciding to ream out the holes to the same thickness
> as the OEM VW alloy wheel.
>
> Initially I thought it would be more expensive to get wheel adapters, so I
> went with wheels that had about the right ET 37 vs. stock 30. I wouldn't do
> it that way again.
>
> I also had bought the longer studs that were intended for a 911 and I
> bought longer lugs too when I had a 2wd van. That was expensive too and was
> more involved that I wanted to get into so I resold them. Plus they aren't
> really bolt on when you do that, they only bolt on to a modified van. I
> wouldn't do it that way again either.
>
> If I had to do it over again, I would find wheels with a large offset like
> ET60 and I would just buy adapters to bolt on before bolting on the wheels.
> That would be the easiest way to go, and in the end the cheapest if you
> figure in any cost for your time and tools or other parts you will have to
> buy. The drill bits to ream out the holes cost almost $100 by themselves.
> Plus someone mis-informed me and I had to buy a second countersink bit.
>
> You can adapt the larger ET wheels easily and the bolt pattern options are
> plentiful from places that sell adapters. You can also get a 25mm thick
> 5/112 to 5/112 "adapter" that just corrects the offset and is a direct bolt
> on with MB wheels. The link below is $52/adapter but I think I saw them a
> little cheaper somewhere else.
>
> http://adaptitusa.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=165
>
> Sounds like the link posted from thesamba has all the correct info. But
> this was my experience after going through it. And I didn't know about the
> samba link when I started.
>
> BTW, I did all the machining by hand drill, and it worked out fine. I
> later found a wheel shop in Denver that machines them for $20/wheel. Oh
> well.
>
> Dave in Denver
>
>
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