Confused over wheel sizes

[tforturton]

I've been reading the various posts and the wiki, but can't seem to get my head around the various wheel sizes. Feel free to correct me, but it appears that stock Syncros either come with 14inch wheels or 16 inch, and they are "set up" (ie. speedo, gearbox, etc) to run with those sizes. So what happens if you put 15 inch wheels on a 14 incher? Doesn't this mean that although the car would be higher-geared, the speedo would be miles out? Can you correct the speedo error?
Can you put 16 inch wheels on a car that came with 14 inchers? I'm assuming that all Syncros are basically the same, so how come there are these differences?
Also, if you put 15 inch wheels on a car, what are the best size tyres to run with (assuming 80-90% road use)?

[armyphil]

Try a search mate, this has been asked loads

[armyphil]

https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.p ... ro&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mm289]

If you want to work out the impact on speed/gearing/speedo use a calculator like this http://www.rimsntires.com/specs.jsp

Put your current/proposed tyre sizes in and it will calculate the change in rolling radius and hence speed.

The speedo is driven from the n/s/f hub so any change in rolling radius has a direct effect on speedo accuracy as described in this calculator.

Cheers,

MM

[Aidan]

syncro speedos are driven by gear in front diff, bottom line is if you stick bigger tyres on speedo will read closer to accurate on speed and under read on distance, factory set up is shows speed 10% OVER WHAT IT REALLY IS
But it doesn't matter much just check with gps/sat nav and calibrate mind

only thing that matters about tyres size is "will it make my bum look big in this"
or will it foul the bodywork/steering

[..lee..]

they drive nice with 215/75/15`s......

[syncropaddy]

Most Syncros came on 14" rims
Some Syncros were built for 16" rims but had different brakes and final drive ratios and are not the same as 14"
Most 14" Syncros end up with 15" rims cuz we cant get a decent selection of tyres in 14" anymore. We also get better gearing and ground clearance with 15"
Yes the speedo reads differently but who cares and for certain wheel/tyre sizes you can buy devices to correct the discrepancy
Yes you can put 16" rims on a 14" van
For 15" rims most go for 215/75/15. Good selection of tyres available in that size and gives an acceptable increase in gearing

[tforturton]

You can always rely on a sensible reply from Syncropaddy. Cheers mate (and everyone else!).
What are the Mefro wheels that are often referred to, and where do they come from?

[syncropaddy]

Those who fit 15" steel wheels tend to fit the Mefro rim as its stronger than other 15" wheels (Merc). They can be bought from Syncro Services, Buschmiede and Jager amongst others. Most tend to get 6 x 15

Mefro are a large wheel manufacturer in Germany and make wheels for just about everyone. The wheels we use are trailer wheels!

[tforturton]

Apart from the cost, are there any drawbacks to fitting 15" wheels?
I'm due for new tyres within the next six months/a year, so thought I could go the whole hog and change the wheels as well, at the same time.
One thing that springs to mind is the spare wheel hanger in the boot (behind the rear seat). The 14" wheel only just fits in upright, so I guess a 15" one isn't going to fit?

[syncropaddy]

If you go for 15" steel wheels the only drawback is that your hubcaps wont fit! If you go for 15" Alloys you may have to fit longer wheel studs depending on the wheel you select. As regards the spare wheel location, a 215/75/15 sized combo should fit if you giggle it about a bit. Did you van come on 185 R14 tyres or 205 R14 tyres?

[tforturton]

Don't know - I'll have a look when I get home. I was going to invest in some of those Mefros things, but I may check out the 'what will fit' list, and see if I like any of those.

[syncropaddy]

http://www.ebay.de/itm/RONAL-KBA-40500- ... 19d2ef6eb0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Penta-Melber-Alu ... 2572edda2b" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Melber-Mercedes- ... 4ab9a95ad8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.ebay.de/itm/VW-Syncro-T3-T4- ... 2c66cd8377" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tforturton]

Thanks for that, but it's something else that will have to wait until I get home - can't access ebay of any variety while in work.....

[tforturton]

Managed to take a look using my mobile. How come they only sell four of them? Some of them won't post to GB anyway. I put the number in wrong for one of them, and ended up looking at blue tennis shoes. Not much good off road, but they're a lot cheaper.