Tire Size for 1977 VW Beetle

Ok, by size 15 rims I assume you mean 15" diameter. Yes?

You will be Ok if you can't get the original rims as long as the rims you choose have the same lug/bolt pattern as your Beetle's hubs. This is critical.

Using 15" rims is actually less important than using a rim/tyre combination that gives you the same overall diameter as the original combination since keeping the speedometer reading correct seems to be important to you (although you should know that recalibrating speedos is no big deal these days should you want/need to)

If you can't get the original rims then replacing them with some aftermarket rims could be an option for you. There are many 15 and 16 inch rims of varing widths that would probably suit. Lookalike Porsche 356 rims are very popular over here on Beetles and can be had in many widths in 15 and 16 inch diameter. If you are in the States your choice will be prodigous. You may even find that tyres the exact specification as the originals are more expensive than some that are bigger (and more popular)

A couple things you may not know that will be handy in choosing tyres/rims are:

1) Tyres are sized by width(mm)/profile(which is sidewall height as a % of width) and diameter(inches). An example of this would be your existing tyres which maybe something like 185/65/15. 185mm wide, 111mm sidewall height (65% of 185mm), 15" diameter from bead (where tyre seals to rim) to opposite bead.

2) Backspace is a term used to define the distance from where the hub meets the rim to a line drawn across the rear of the rim from lip to lip.

3) Offset is a term used to define the distance between where the hub meets the rim to a line drawn through the centre of the rim. Offset figures can be positive or negative depending on the design of the rim (deep dish rims are more likely to have a negative offset)

The relationship between offset and backspace is that backspace is equal to total width of rim divided by two plus the offset (include the negative sign if applicable)

To keep your speedo correct you have the freedom to choose any combination of rim and tyre where the rim diameter and the profile size (based on the width you choose) add up to the total rolling diameter of the original. A great site to go to to experiment with different rim/tyre combos and to see what effect there is to the total diameter is http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

So what you can do is choose the rim that you would like to use. Make sure it is designed to fit your model Beetle no matter what diameter and width it is. Then choose a tyre of the width you want (and can fit the rim) with a profile that makes the total rolling diameter the same as the original.

An example of using these calculations to buy rims and tyres is what we are doing with our Ford. The standard tyres are 205/65/15s on 15" rims. We want custom rims that will be 17" x 8" on the front and 17" x 10" on th rear and we want the tyres that fit them to have the same sidewall height. By using the calculator linked above and ploughing through the internet tyre sites we have found that 225/50/17s on the front and 285/40/17s on the rear do the job.

Hope this has been of some help

The best information I can find on wheels for your VW are 4 lugs, 100MM bolt circle. 5 inches wide. the tire size should be on the door post, or glove box door. I hope this helps.

i have oem 1977 rims 200.00

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