Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Wheels and Road handling

The VW stock wheels are 4 or 4.5-inch rim width. Most owners never bother to change wheels and they absolutely have no idea how much they miss out in one of the finest improvements which they can make to their cars.

Replacement wheels in a wider width are an important purchase for the VW owner who wants maximum cornering performance for driving pleasure or for competition.


Wider wheels can be built from your stock wheels, but the special tools and precision which are essential.

Most times the inner portion and center of stock wheel is welded to the outer rim section of another wheel.

However, with the availability of steel adaptors to fit the VW bolt pattern (130 PCD), the trend is to use Alloy wheels in the desired width. A slight reduction in MPG due to added weight, relatively shorter wheel bearing life are the major drawbacks in using adaptors.

With experience my recommendation is to drill the drums/disks and use studs instead.


Many VW experts recommend to use at least 5-1/2” width and also in various catalog articles discuss about the benefits of using narrow front and wider back wheels which gives the best road handling ability for the BUG.



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