I have a 73 standard Beetle, and have been busy upgrading the suspension and chassis. The time has come for larger wheels and tires. I'm decambering the front suspension, and the car has front and rear sway bars.
New wheels will be 15 X 5.5" with an offset of +35mm (that's stock offset for a 73, isn't it?)
I'm putting 185/65/15 tires on the front; I've taken some measurements, and have gotten some comments on such a tire fitting, as long as it's on a wider wheel. So that looks like it's all good.
However, for the rear, people have given me varied opinions on what size tire to use. I *want* to use a 205/60/15. I have had correspondence with several people on this board who say it works, and have done it themselves. However, nobody who actually owns a 73 beetle and have done this have talked to me...if there are even any on this board.
Will a 205/60 tire fit in the rear? IRS suspension, of course. There are two spots where I'm concerned it will rub. The body to frame bolt in the rear fender well, and the spring plate bolts. The current 165 tire is only about 1.5 inches away from these items. (guessing on that distance, but it looks about right.) The offset of the new wheels, as I mentioned ealier, is +35 MM. That *should* be plenty to keep the tire away from the fender lip, but not push it in to far; to close to the body. I think +35 is the offset for the stock rims the car has on it now. If I'm correct, keeping the same offset while switching to a wider wheel will evenly distribute the extra width on both sides. Will the 205 *just* fit in?
Thanks for any replies!
~Anthony