16 inch steel wheels help

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JustGavin
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Location: South Wales Neath

16 inch steel wheels help

Post by JustGavin »

Hi guys

As I start all my post by saying. 'I'mnew to the T25 world and learning as I go so please help' :) 

Looking to fit steel wheels to my van, I have purchased a set of 16' magnetto wheels of Oponeo. Did a lot of mind blowing research and was pretty confident in my purchase but after reading more on wheels and tyres I'm not sure now, so super help is needed please.

Wheels I have bought.

Magnetto
Wheel size : 7,00JX16
PCD : 5X112
Offset : 39.00
Centre bore : 66.6

So my question is do I need any type of spacer with these wheel? I purchased them with the understanding i would not as on the  wiki page the wheel gude says offset of 39.00 is fine but after reading a few comments on here I'm not sure. 
Also what studs should I be using? 

I'm also having trouble with tyres and deciding what to put on, I don't want a monster truck look but the I don't want the van to look super high and stupid.

Is there anywhere on this site where I can look at picks of  Vans to get an idea on look? I'm always intrigued when reading everyone's comments on here of what their T3 look like. 

thanks 
Vw T25 1988 caravelle (orange)
1.9 1Y engine conversion.

South wales

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clift_d
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Location: Hackney innit

Re: 16 inch steel wheels help

Post by clift_d »

While the standard ET on a T25 was anywhere from 30 to 39, dependent on wheel type, those wheels were typically narrower then the wheels you've bought, i.e. only 5.5" or 6" wide. This means that while your new wider wheels might be centred correctly, they will project more in front of, and behind, the hub. While this doesn't necessarily mean that you will have rubbing issues, it does suggests that it's something you need to watch out for. In the first instance it might be worth test fitting one of the wheels without a tyre and checking the rim clearance to the trailing arm at the rear, and the steering upright in the front, so you know whether there's going to be an issue or not with the wheels themselves.

In terms of tyre size the typical OEM tyre fitted on a T25 was an 185 R14 (equivalent to 185/82 R14), which has a diameter of around 654mm. This is the diameter that your van's gearing is optimised for, and so fitting a larger tyre than this may have an impact on how your van drives, particularly on hills. A tyre with an equivalent diameter to 215/75 R15, i.e. around 704mm, is generally understood as the largest that will fit a T25 without issue. This represents a 7.5% increase in diameter on the OEM tyres, and so is above the maximum 5% margin that it is generally taken as the limit on increasing size for gearing, and so you might find your speed suffers on hills if you make this jump. Whether a tyre of that width and diameter will rub when fitted on your new wheels, and whether your engine can handle the increased size, is difficult to say. If you have a particular tyre in mind you could try canvassing on here to see whether anyone has them fitted to their van. Generally speaking, narrower tyres fit these vans better than wider ones.

It goes without saying that all of the above is dependent on a van that hasn't been lowered, and which has its suspension in good condition. The other thing you'll need to have checked for yourself is whether Openeo wheels have sufficient load rating for a T25.
1988 LHD T25 1.6TD Westfalia Club Joker Hightop syncro

teddy westmore
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Location: waterford, Ireland.

Re: 16 inch steel wheels help

Post by teddy westmore »

hi I just found this thread I was wondering if you've tried this out ?
I was thinking of doing the same I'd be interested to hear how it's
turned out for you ?

cheers !

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