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New project: wheel spacers for my 1979 Super-Beetle (correction: SB Shimmy!)
kinggeorge13:
So after shelling out a fair amount for new rubber for the Beetle we bought last summer I've learned that it's very likely that these particular wheels are wider than the original and do not "seat" correctly on the hubs and need spacers added or they will wobble very noticeably at higher speeds. The wheels came with the car but the rubber on them was cracking along the sides like I've never seen before so we bought newer rubber. It surprised me a little that these were possibly not original because they do have the little VW Castle on the hub cover (I think that's what it's called). Maybe from a newer VW? Dunno.
Anyways, one of the next weeks' projects is to figure out if this is true and if so, how exactly I figure out what I need for sizing of these spacers and get them ordered and installed. New stuff to learn!
Bruce:
The wheels you have are called EMPI 8s or EMPI 8 spokes. They are not an original VW wheel, but an aftermarket wheel originally sold by EMPI in the late 60s. Your wheels will not be original 50 year old wheels, but more common contemporary reproductions.
What makes you think they don't "seat" properly? Do they not sit flat against the front drum? Wheel spacers is unlikely to be the solution. Besides, they will likely cause the wheel to stick out of the fender.
kinggeorge13:
--- Quote from: Bruce on April 10, 2019, 05:23:30 PM ---The wheels you have are called EMPI 8s or EMPI 8 spokes. They are not an original VW wheel, but an aftermarket wheel originally sold by EMPI in the late 60s. Your wheels will not be original 50 year old wheels, but more common contemporary reproductions.
What makes you think they don't "seat" properly? Do they not sit flat against the front drum? Wheel spacers is unlikely to be the solution. Besides, they will likely cause the wheel to stick out of the fender.
--- End quote ---
Wellll.....you'd think I'd have a good answer for that full of details and my experience......except I don't. When we got the car the original tires were so cracked and worn (the edges of the treads were very well into delaminating) that I said to the guy who drove it over from the Island "You are pretty brave to drive that on the highway". Anyways, just driving it around Langley a little got the wheels seeming to be shaking and unhappy whenever we went over 80km/hr. I'm not quite so brave so we bought new tires and had a shop replace them and balance them. However, the person who worked on them said we are going to need (I'm pretty sure he said spacers) because the wheel does not fit properly against the hub or would not fit perfectly over it or something. I'm thinking now it might have been a good idea to get a more detailed explanation..... This was back last fall and we were putting the Beetle into our parking garage for the winter so I'll admit my keen memory may not be as detailed as it would have been back then. Note that the car has not yet been tested back up above that 80km/hour mark because we simply drove it home from the tire place and put it into garage storage figuring to deal with the wheels/spacers next spring (which is now).
So with pressure from my wife this week to get her Beetle convertible back on the road instead of just playing with my buses every day, I turned my attention to the Beetle Wheel Project and wrote this post.
Ok, so I'm going to go pull off a wheel or two today and see what's up. Hopefully I'll see what the tech saw and understand the situation.
bwaz:
Wouldn't a spacer more be needed if the center of the wheel is too narrow for the dust cap, or the wider wheels hit the fender wells? You should see marks from the rubber rubbing if that's the case. Can't see how spacers would change the wheels shaking at speed.... unless they're bad ones. Aftermarket disc brakes so the rim doesn't seat well?
pittwagen:
What is the width of the front tire?
How much space is there between the tire and the coil spring? Can you get your fingers between the tire and the spring by reaching over the top of the tire with the tire on the ground. Both sides the same?
Did you inquire about the front suspension before you bought the car? Ever heard of the super beetle wobble, shake or shimmy? Do a search on the Samba. Your front end may need to be completely rebuilt. Get your check book out.
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