Club 80-90 Forums

Hi
Firstly I know this has been done to death on here but most mails are about 17"
Like many on here i have been looking at getting some alloy wheels for my van,i am not a fan of modern looking wheels,Merc Audi ect so went on a mission to buy some 15" x 5.5 fuch wheels.

After researching this site,brickworks,blackcircles and various other sites i came to the conclusion it is not as easy as it seems.
From wheel size,ET,spacers,Lugs,nuts to what tyres will fit and are actually legal.
Here is my conclusion for a 15" x 5.5 wheel - PDC 112 and ET45,I apparently i need 10mm spacers for front and back wheels to reduce the ET to 35 i will also need 45mm extension lugs on the front and back so there is enough thread going into the hub and maybe need to unscrew some screws on the hub to fit the spacers.

The only tyres i could find to fit and have the right weight load were on The Blackcircles website(very helpful customer service too)195x70x15 - load 104 examples:- Michellin agillis 51,Goodyear cargo G26,Dunlop SPLT

I wanted to purchase my wheels from a seller on E bay,when i spoke to him he assured me i would not need spacers,that the wheels will fit straight on,he offered me falkaun or yokohoma tyres, 185x65x15. Blackcircle said "no tyre exists in that size with a load weight of 97"
Also the rims i am/was about to purchase are the same ones that Midland Wheels sell,there is very negative press about them on this site,but no one has explained why ,i have been googling and haven't found any reviews good or bad about Midland wheels.

Right! Here is the big questions:-
why and how are these wheels unsuitable for a T25?
Are my 10mm wheels spacers size correct for ET 45?
Will the 195x70x15 tyres be ok with the wheels?
And lastly if anyone has photo's of these wheels on your van with the correct fitting and tyres please,please post me a picture?

I have only had my camper a year and love it,if anyone can spread some light on this mystery i would be grateful,searching this one topic has taken up hours of my time and i want a final conclusion before spending £500 plus.

Thanks!

dont buy from midlland wheels the quality of there wheels is terrible and not up to the job of supporting the weight of a heavy camper plus look nothing like the genuine part , , if you really want fuch rims buy the genuine article with the proper adapters what convert the 112 to 130 pcd , plus if you ever want to sell them you will get your money back ,

Thanks for the advice,it's much appreciated! I have decided to keep to standard rims until i find out what is suitable and safe,with one eye on a real set of fuch and one eye on my bank account.
Being a new T25 owner I can't believe that well known VW retailers are selling wheels and tyres that are not safe for a 2.4 ton van,surely it's illegal?
I think i'm gonna try and go to a few shows this year just to see what other T25's do,i am intrigued to know why there are so many pictures on the internet of CAR wheels and CAR tyres on T25 Campers,why would you risk your life just for a set of wheels? Iv'e come from the motorcycle world where your tyres are all you've got between you and the tarmac.
So if anyone know's please post you answers up here.

Also what is the best tyre for 15" wheel? I was looking for a 195x65x15 with a load capacity of 97 or more,but the only tires i found with the correct load capacity it the 195x70x15,i wanted a medium low profile with out going for a full pimp mobile.

Cheers!

There are lots of pictures out there of car wheels on vans. However the majority will be OEM wheels from Audi, Mercedes or Porsche amongst others. Which will have been made properly to a decent weight and speed rating.

Those fake fuchs and similar wheels are made of cheese and just don't look right on an 80's van.

AA-bondy wrote:Also what is the best tyre for 15" wheel? I was looking for a 195x65x15 with a load capacity of 97 or more,but the only tires i found with the correct load capacity it the 195x70x15,i wanted a medium low profile with out going for a full pimp mobile.

Camskill have one of the best sites about for seeing what the choices are for sizes - http://www.camskill.co.uk/m27b0s0p0/Van ... _-_15_inch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
195/65 15 van tyres don't seem to exist - but there's a decent choice of 205/65. Remember that the profile figure is a %age of the tread width, so 205/65 are going to 6.5mm taller than 195/65.

Thank you all again for your advice,for newbies like me it's invaluable!
My van is a completely standard T25,after a tyre blow out on the rear a few months ago and then a tyre bubble on the opposite side two weeks later,i am a little cautious when it comes down to cheep rims and tyres,i just want to improve the handling of the van and make it safer to drive,as a bonus the van looks better too.
I have now decided to start looking at suspension and some 16" rims.

I've got some 17" Fuch on mine that I got from (I know I shouldn't have) Midland wheels. Because they came from Midland I expect them to self destruct any day.
They have actually been fine and made it through 2 winters and still (I think) look fine, they have covered a few thousand mile and I love em .

Thanks for that,nice to get a different perspective and by someone thats has some. Just out of curiosity what tyres do you have on them?

Sorry, can't remember what size they are , just made sure they had the sufficient load rating for the camper.