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Thu Dec 27, 2018 6:26 pm

Is anyone running this size tire? If so, what width rim do you use? I want to use this size on the front of my sand rail, but my rims are only 4.5" wide and probably wouldnt work well.

I want to buy new front rims, but I dont want to buy a size and then find out they arnt right either. Maybe 5x205 with a 6-7" width?

Thanks

Thu Dec 27, 2018 7:43 pm

I’m running the 205/75/15 General Grabber on my car with the stock width wheels & they work great.

Thu Dec 27, 2018 9:36 pm

There's a lot of good info on Tiresize.com about tire width, diameter and recommended wheel width. For the 205/75r15 the recommended width is 5-7". Maybe 4.5" rims would be OK. Recommended rims for the 215s are 5.5-7.

Fri Dec 28, 2018 9:11 am

215/75/15 is a common size used on class11 Beetles, I just couldn't go any larger than the 205/75/15 on my Ghia without cutting the body.

Fri Dec 28, 2018 11:22 am

Dang looks good. Those are on 4.5" wide rims? I wouldve thought that was too narrow for sure.

Thanks

Fri Dec 28, 2018 12:50 pm

Yes sir, 4.5"
Here's a bit better picture of the tire/wheel combo after a rallycross.

Fri Dec 28, 2018 12:57 pm

There's a sticky thread above about this very subject. It's called:
"Tires Tires Tires".
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=351210

There are 16 pages in that thread about this subject. LOTS of good info and a bit of misleading speculation. 205s and 215 and even 235s work JUST FINE for a Baja or Class 11 offroad Bug on 4" to 5" wide rims.

Tire manufacturers make rim width recommendations based on a maximum weight vehicle for the tire at high speed (up to the tire's maximum speed rating...like 140mph) on pavement, without consideration of offroad use at 65mph or less and off pavement.

Offroad race Baja Bugs typically use 33 x 10.50-15 or even 35 x 10.50-15 tires on 15x4 rims for offroad racing. For most Baja Bugs with a VW engine, I prefer a rear tire up to 33 x 10.50 - 15 tires (such as Yokohama DirtDiggerIII) on rims no more than 7". Most 31 x 10.50 tires work well for a Bug or buggy on up to 8.5" wide rims. For deep sand or mud, wider rims work fine and provide more flotation, but expose rim edges to damage on rocks and sidewalls to cuts.

For the front, I prefer smaller tires such as 205-235s or 7.00-15s. My old Hi Jumper in my avatar I raced with 6.70-15 Cooper tires or Sand Blasters I felt that was a good size tire for the buggy and when I put 7.00s on the front it seemed nose heavy an didn't work as well.

So what conditions are you going to use this car in?
- Around town and highway trips?
- Car shows on a lawn?
- Sand dunes?
- Mud slogging?
- Forest trails?
- Gravel pit hill climbing?
- Desert offroad exploring?
- Mountain trails?
- Desert off road racing?

Your answer to the questions above should determine what wheels and tires you choose.

There are a few guys active on this forum who live in and play with buggies in Michigan. Maybe we can get some input from some of those guys as to what works well on their buggies?

Fri Dec 28, 2018 1:47 pm

Therealkoop wrote: Is anyone running this size tire? If so, what width rim do you use? I want to use this size on the front of my sand rail, but my rims are only 4.5" wide and probably wouldnt work well.

I want to buy new front rims, but I dont want to buy a size and then find out they arnt right either. Maybe 5x205 with a 6-7" width?

Thanks

Those front wheels on that buggy are 4". NOT 4.5". They were stock on 1966 and '67 Bugs, Ghias and Type 3s. If you look at the center near the lugs, they have stamped "4Jx15", which indicates that they are 4" wide rims and the "J" indicates they have a raised "Safety Bead" on one side of the rim to make the tire bead less likely to slip off the rim. Those Marathon/Baja rims on TDCTDI's Ghia are stamped "4.5Jx15". I really like those slotted VW rims. My Baja has them on it in this pic:

They're light weight and strong. And the right offset, as well as the right size. Aftermarket white spoke wheels like you have on the back are available in 5", but NOT in 4", and are offset to the outboard side which places extra strain on bearings and steering components, as well as extra work to steer the car.

Some states prohibit resale of used tires. California does not. Maybe you can find a pair of used tires in the size you want to try for a test before you plunk down cash for tires you don't like?

Fri Dec 28, 2018 2:07 pm

Hey I really appreciate the information, I always like learning new things about VW's like that bit on the 4J15 rim markings. Of course the guys at the shop where I wanted to get my tires balanced told me they couldn't put a 205/75 on my rims.

I ordered some tires based on the recommendations and some stuff I saw in the sticky. General Grabbers, 205/75 for the front, and 235/75 for the rear.

I came to check this thread before I ordered front rims one last time, I suppose I dont mind buying some 6" wide fronts or something.

My use is mostly driving around on the street and field bombing grassy/dirt fields, so not very hard use.

Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:37 pm

6" wide rims for the front are too wide for that car. If the guys at the tire shop won't put 215s on 4" wide rims, then those guys do NOT know what they're doing. I have 7.00-15s on the front of my Baja on 3.5" rims. No argument from any tire shop guys.

So down the road to a different tire shop until you encounter someone who WILL mount those tires on those wheels for you.

Failing in that, I recommend heading down to Harbor Freight and buying a manual tire machine.

That left front wheel has WAAAYYY too much balance weights all in one spot. It would not be surprising to see that much weight on a Load Range D 35 x 14.50 tire. But not on one that small. Was there water inside that tire when they balanced it? And they should be divided in half and spread out evenly, not concentrated in one spot.

Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:39 pm

My advice is buy the narrowest rims that will fit your tires. You would be surprised what fits on stock 4-4.5” wide rims. The sidewalk of the tire overhanging the rim will save your butt a time or two off road. I would always error on the side of too narrow a rim rather than too wide.

Nice to see another Michigan guy around the forums!

Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:52 pm

Yeah Im not sure what the deal is with the weights on that wheel. I bought it that way and never liked it. This is unrelated but I've also been trying to track down some high speed vibration and that is one of the things on my short list to look at.

I ordered rims but cancelled them, Ill find someone to mount these 205/75s, or ill take it to a friends shop thats a little bit further but will get the job done.

Thanks vanapple!

Fri Dec 28, 2018 5:13 pm

215/75R-15 BFG on 4.5" wide VW Marathon wheels

Fri Dec 28, 2018 5:44 pm

Tire recappers has a 205/65/15 mud and snow retread that’s been great so far on the back of my Baja

Good grip without the performance killing diameter for a stock trans

https://www.tirerecappers.com/tires/mud-terrain-tires/p20565r15-retread-mega-mudd-mt/

Fri Dec 28, 2018 5:52 pm

Those look cool & would be great off road but I would be concerned about the age of the carcasses of a retread on the street.

Sat Dec 29, 2018 12:14 am

I have no problem with recaps. The pretty well known black & white picture of my Baja jumping shows a pair of recapped tires on the front. A foot and a half in the air. Those tires lasted fro a VERY long time getting lots of offroad use as well as on highway. My father and I carpooled across LA 45 miles each way for several years on those recaps. Never had any trouble with 'em.
Then in the 80s and 90s, it was very popular for offroad racers to use recaps on Yokohama SuperDiggerIII tires. Most would get brand new tires recapped, because they liked the recap tread better than the original tread.

Sat Dec 29, 2018 12:24 am

Check out treadwright for reman tires online.

Wed Jan 02, 2019 6:21 pm

Federal makes the Couragia in the 195/80 R15 size. Same diameter as a 205/75, but fits better on a 4" rim.

Fri Jan 04, 2019 5:49 pm

Welp the deed is done. 205/75 on the front and 235/75 on the rear. General grabber at2.

Looks good, I like it. More balanced looking and way meatier. 205/75 looks like it was made for my 4" rim and the place i took it to didnt bat an eye, as mentioned above.

Thanks everyone

Sat Jan 12, 2019 1:02 am

Good job!

Looks right.

One final note on those tires. The front tires are designed for a vehicle weighing around 4,000lbs. The rears are designed for a vehicle weighing more in the 5,000lb range. Your buggy probably weighs more like 1,200-1,500lbs. So the "normal" tire pressures are way too much. Note that the outside edges of the rear tires don't even touch the floor. For forest trails and such, you should probably be using around 15-20psi. For sand dunes and deep mud, even less.