Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 13:56:26 -0400
Reply-To: karl <thewestyman@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: karl <thewestyman@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: Re: Rhein 15" Alloy wheels
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
No need to grind 'divots' into the wheels, just remove those two small
bolts, their sole purpose is only to hold the brake drum on with the wheels
removed. You can remove and toss them, I have on mine, also using the other
SA wheels, the 'Starburst' style.
Karl
----- Original Message -----
From: Ty Graham <tyg@OZ.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, September 10, 1999 1:29 PM
Subject: Rhein 15" Alloy wheels
> I just installed the Rhein 15" alloy wheels I bought from Ken months ago.
> Here's a quick status report and a question.
>
> I replaced the 14" VW alloys on my '91 Syncro Westy. (Not for sale, yet)
>
> The wheels were the Rhein seconds from Ken http://www.vanagain.com . I
> bought five wheels plus center caps. They were drop shipped from
Overland.
> These wheels were near perfect and certainly good enough to go on any car
of
> mine. I don't remember the price.
>
> I used Pirelli Scorpion A/S tires in size 205/75/15 from Discount Tire.
> These were a three day special order, costing $67 per tire. I paid
Discount
> to balance and mount.
>
> I had some problems fitting the rear wheels on my brake drums. The wheels
> hit a bolt head in two places on each wheel, ~1/4 by 1/2". The guys at
> Discount caught this and wouldn't install the wheels until I Dremeled a
> couple of small divots in the back of each wheel. Once my 20 minutes of
> machine work was complete, these wheels installed with no further
problems.
>
> I think this wheel and tire combination is fantastic. I really like the
> look of the larger tire. I have updated my web site if you want to take a
> look. http://www.oz.net/~tyg/Westy.htm I road tested this setup on a 600
> mile road trip to the Oregon coast this past weekend -- these larger tires
> have really smoothed the ride. Freeway expansion joints, curbs and other
> rough stuff now make only a dull bump in the cabin. There was no rain; I
> can't make any comment wrt wet handling. Wheel diameter is increased by
2".
> I definitely feel the effectively taller gearing, especially when pulling
> long grades with a full water tank. You have to get over any hang-ups
about
> shifting down to third gear. The upside to the changed gearing is a truer
> speedo reading, or at least a closer match to that of my buddies EV. The
> taller gearing also keeps the engine RPM down a little bit which seems a
> little less fatiguing (for me, not necessarily the van) on a long trip.
My
> new spare will not fit the stock carrier without some fooling around. I
am
> investigating the mods necessary and have found some ideas in the archives
> and on David Marshall's site.
>
> If you are still with me, I would be interested in hearing from anyone
else
> with the Rhein wheels recommended solutions to my little Dremel problem.
My
> two little divots work fine for getting on the road now, but I need a long
> term solution. Until I modify all five wheels, my rotation will be
screwed
> up. With two divots my wheels will only fit one way, this could be a real
> pain while horsing a wheel around in the dark, in the rain, etc. To get
> around these issues, I really need to notch all five wheels in five
places.
> 25 notches means this needs to be set up in some kind of semi-production
> fashion. I'm not sure the Dremel is the best tool for this. I almost
think
> a router with a straight bit and some sort of plywood template might be
the
> way to go on this. I'm not sure about routing aluminum, though.
>
> Any input?
>
> Thanks
>
> Ty Graham
> '91 Syncro Westy
> '86 Syncro Doublecab with Eurospec conversion (don't ask)
| 
