Steel Wheels - info required and the wheels!

[Stuhat]

Hello helpful enthusiasts!

I have been considering alloy wheels for my T25 1.9 Petrol Camper, Manual 1983 and have come to the conclusion that I would like steel wheels instead so that I won't worry about scuffing them

I would like 15" as I currently have 14". I would consider 16" but I want to improve the road holding a little but not make her too sensitive for the bumps when it comes to a little off-roading

What size wheels and tyre combinations can I source? 15" x 5.5" etc (I have never tried to understand that part of the sizing) and the width and profile of the tyres - someone once told me you have a 10mm range, e.g. 195/50/15 or 205/50/15 can fit the same wheel?

Also, can I take them off certain vehicles? For example, can I put old Passat wheels on? Someone once mentioned Audi wheels to me. I believe for quite a few years cars have come with 15" steel so I am hoping I can find someone who wants to upgrade to alloys and sell theirs. I am not a novice with tyres and wheels but I am not confident enough to make sure I don't affect the speedo or end up with wheels that rub. I understand that alloys often need spacers but steel wouldn't?

I tried Eurovans as my first point of contact but the steel wheels are no longer listed.

Sorry for the ramble and thank you in advance for looking and hopefully assisting me with this issue. My tyres are quite old (a pair are 8 years old if I remember correctly) and I would like to replace them but there's no point if I want to get bigger wheels...I understand no matter how much you try you can't stretch hardly used 14" tyres onto a 15" wheel!

Cheers
Stu

[mig]

Hi,
Have a read here
http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/VehicleSpec ... ltwhls.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and here

http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/tyre- ... 60146.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Personally I would look for Merc. steels on E-bay ,the centre bore is big enough for the front hubs on a T3 (66mm),Passat or Audi will need the centre bore enlarging. and may need tapered nuts,rather than the radiused nuts/bolts you have now.
16" will be fine although harder to find."comfort" is more to do with tyre profile than wheel diameter .To keep the speedo accurate you will need 195/70/15 tyres,or on 16" 205/60/16,fitting tyres with the same overall diameter means you could also keep a 14" as a spare or if you go for 5 new wheels the spare will fit in the carrier ,and don't forget they will need to be load rated(95 or higher) and inform your insurance company you have changed wheels.
Unless you have power steering I would go no wider than 195 on the front,so stick with 5" or 6 " wide wheels(the x5.5 bit you have never tried to understand -seriously though you will need to do some research if you want to avoid costly mistakes,the two links are a good place to start)
whether fitting alloy or steel wheels, spacers are used to correct the ET if it is too high,aim for an ET between 30 and 39 and you wont need spacers.
Probably worth fitting "Conversion studs" on the front while you are swapping wheels,
The advantage of steels is you wont need longer studs,nearly all alloys will.Bigger steels wont take you hubcaps of course.
Probably worth doing as there is a wider range of 15" tyres these days,having said that I am more than happy with original 14" steels in winter(I have some 14" Slotmag alloys for the summer),It just means a little more patience when sourcing tyres,which since that is only every 5 years or so I can live with )
Good luck, and if you have no luck on E bay I can try my local scrappy (£10 a wheel-although post to Brighton will be about £30)

[kevtherev]

says it all really

[Stuhat]

I agree. I've PM to say thanks. Not sure when I will get around to it, but when I DO, I have a good bit of info to start with

Thanks for looking too
Stu

[kap]

There is a stack of 15" tidy merc wheels in a breakers by me, 15-20 squid. There the nice ones with elongated holes not the round if you get stuck .I'm trying to source a 16" et41 7 1/2j.