Steel wheels

[Snag20]

going against the current trend of fitting alloys. I am looking to replace my 14" steels with either 15" or 16" steel items

Van 1.9 t/d is currently lowered 50- 60mm all round.

Looking to decrease fuel consumption by increasing wheel/tyre diameter so should be reving less at cruising speeds, especially as going to Portugal for 3 weeks next year.

From what vehicle can I source such items, I believe some merc vans fit but which ones. I do not want to have to replace studs, bore out centres or fit spacers unless I have to. !!

cheers

[andisnewsyncro]

The standard C class 15" steels fit, but there is a coice of offsets, so make sure you buy an actual set, if you see what I mean. Try and get ones off an estate as they seem to be heavier gauge. Have a search on here for part numbers etc, and Brickyard for lots of info..

They are rated strong enough for a T3, but are considered to be a bit soft; there's been a lot of discussion on these rims, generally aimed at off roading Syncros. I have them on mine, as do quite a few others and as I understand it, they're ok for road use, but you might well bend them off roading.

On the plus side they're a lot cheaper than Mefros, ( I got my set for 10p off ebay). Failing that, SyncroNutz used to offer Passat rims machined and ready to fit.

I reckon I've gained an extra mile or so to the gallon since moving up from 185R14 to 195R15 on my 2.1, slightly slower off the mark, but a lot more useable in traffic, happier to crawl along in 2nd rather than wanting to go into 3rd in traffic queues around town. Don't know what size you'll be able to fit on yours with it being lowered, but I'm sure someone else will..

[Snag20]

thanks for the reply
I have been looking at a set from a 2002 E220 cdi ??

5 stud ET37 fitted with 205/65 tyres --will need to be changed to higher weight rated tyres

are these any good ???
cheers

[andisnewsyncro]

thanks for the reply
I have been looking at a set from a 2002 E220 cdi ??

5 stud ET37 fitted with 205/65 tyres --will need to be changed to higher weight rated tyres

are these any good ???
cheers

My steels are ET37 and fit fine, I don't know if there will be any difference between fitting them on a 2wd van as opposed to a Syncro. There's pics of mine on my garage page.

Whatever wheels you buy though,as you said, you must get tyres that are correctly rated for the weight of your van... there's been a lot of discussion on this subject, but personally I wouldn't give my insurers any chance of backing out of a claim by saying my tyres were for a car and not a van !

The tyre size you've mentioned actually has a smaller diameter and rolling radius than the standard 185R14 fitted to vans though (assuming that's what you've got on at the moment) There's a few tyre size calculators on the net, which will give you a comparison between your old and proposed replacements. Have a look on Brickyard for wheel/tyre combinations too, there's lots of info and pics of various options, but you really need a bit of advice from someone with a similarly lowered van I think, as to how big you can go, to be sure of clearance etc.
Good luck

[billy739]

merc steels fit ok.n longer studs/bolts needed
they do 16 inchers that also bolt straigh on , but slighty rarer.



as long as you get an offset with a 30 number. 40's need spacers!
31/37/39
all good.

try 195 80 15 tyres
going above 195 is not really needed for normal use and will just create noise/waste fuel.

use commercial or reinforced tyres. car ones are actually ok if you have an empty van , check the lad rating and the front axel rating on your chassis plate, car tyres are actually above whats needed but only just.

[t25adict]

ive got a set of 17" steels.
they are very rare bmw winter steel wheels.
ive then got 5x112 to 5x120 adaptors from H&R.

with the adaptors they end up as an effective offset of 27. so they sit nice on a t3

if your interested they are for sale. 200 quid gets tyres+ wheels + adaptors. + vw t5 caps to finish the look.

[wigster]

eyup dude, I've merc steelies on my velle, no longer studs or spacers or owt, fit n forget, av a look at pics on photobucket, album under name of t25pug, also bus is lowered and doesn't catch or fowl ever..