Widening LR Wolf Wheels

[ersatzknarf]

Has anyone here had the 16x6.5" Wolf ("NATO") wheels widened ? I have a set and would like to keep using them, but need to get to a wider wheel...

The Silverline "Blindo" wheel currently being used on the WMIK Defenders is 7" wide, but Silverline are saying that they will soon (December?) have 8~8.5" width available. I like those also, but they are sure to be very costly.

I saw some photos of a Defender with a set of wide wheels built by Stockton and the guy who built the Rover for his customer said he liked the look, but that there was no "beadlock" lip on the rims... I've not read many positive things here about Stockton wheels and Stazworks seems to be a possible alternative, but have no intention of using the wild centers they offer.

Is it possible to widen these steel wheels, yet keep the rim "outers" ? It seems that there are not too many choices out there for having wheels widened, let alone keep the Wolf rim design and I'd hate to waste money and lose my Wolf wheels, too...

Ideas, please ?

 

[Street Wolf]

Why do you "need to get" a wider tire? Why not keep the wheels, keep the same tire size?

 

[ersatzknarf]

I guess that's a valid question. Of course, it would be best to keep the wheels as they are, but to get the tire diameter we want, we need a wider wheel... Had been running 35x10.50R16 SSRs, but not exactly a quiet road tire and all the gearing is set to that type of OD. Min. width for that tire is actually 7", so we are "cheating" by 0.5". We want to run a 315/75R16 size tire (and all the choices that size offers) and that has a minimum width of 8", but "cheating" by 1.5" is a bit too much for comfort. If we could keep the wheels exactly as they are, that would be fine, but as you can see, not exactly the optimum arrangement and I really like the strength of the Wolf wheel (hence the interest in the Blindo).

 

[AxeAngel]

I've seen a D2 on 315/75, looked killer, almost wanted to do it to mine. I spoke to the guy and he has absolutely no articulation what so ever, he said just the smallest hint of articulation and his fenders would be crumpled. 2" lift...

-Sam

 

[ersatzknarf]

Hi Sam,
Thanks for the reply. No worries about the fenders interfering. We were running 35x10.50R16 SSRs, before and the 315/75 is not quite as tall. Unfortunately, the D2 bolt pattern is different, but did you happen to learn anything about the wheels on the car ?

 

[AxeAngel]

They were actually 15s, American Racing Rims, i believe. IIRC the same rims are available locally or at jcwhitney/jegs for 75$ or so each. Generic bolt pattern, you jsut need to open up the holes a bit.

-Sam

 

[ersatzknarf]

Hi Sam,

Thanks. I forgot about that. IIRC, the D2 pattern is basically a GM 5-bolt pattern, so there are huge number of possibilities.

For the 5x6.5" PCD pattern, . . . not so much

Maybe in the end, it will be possible to afford the Blindo wheels :coffeedrink:

By the way, 315/75R15 ?

 

[Ray Hyland]

I am running Goodyear MTR 315/75/16's on my Defender 110.

I use Mangel 8 spoke steel rims. They are 8' wide.

They came as blanks with the correct hub size, and you get your trusted machine shop to drill the holes.

Not a beadlock-friendly rim so I use the Staun inflatable beadlocks.

Been across a few continents with them, no issues.

Ray


www.hylandadventures.com

 

[ersatzknarf]

Hi Ray,
Thank you. That's the sort of information being sought. I will have a look for Mangel rims. Yes, the fellow with the Stockton wheels on his Defender is running the Staun inflatable beadlocks as well. How do you like them, by the way ?

 

[Viggen]

There are a few companies out there that can widen just about any steel wheel. They remove the center section, cut the rim in half around its circumference and then weld in a section to increase the width. They can also change the backspacing. Back when I was into VWs, everyone wanted widened steel wheels. It was the AIDS of the VW scene. Now, its skinny jeans and BBS wheels.

http://www.stocktonwheel.com/wheel_widening.htm

 

[AxeAngel]

There are a few companies out there that can widen just about any steel wheel. They remove the center section, cut the rim in half around its circumference and then weld in a section to increase the width. They can also change the backspacing. Back when I was into VWs, everyone wanted widened steel wheels. It was the AIDS of the VW scene. Now, its skinny jeans and BBS wheels.

http://www.stocktonwheel.com/wheel_widening.htm

I remember those days, a cousin and myself had a small tuning shop back in college. I was a Wolfsburg boy myself.

-Sam

 

[ersatzknarf]

Thanks, Viggen.

Actually, what you describe below is exactly what I was hoping to have done, so as to be able to keep the very thick Wolf rim halves, just move them outward a bit...

From reading the Stockton page, that does not appear to be what they do, however.

Are there any (reputable) shops that can do what you describe, perhaps ?

There are a few companies out there that can widen just about any steel wheel. They remove the center section, cut the rim in half around its circumference and then weld in a section to increase the width. They can also change the backspacing. Back when I was into VWs, everyone wanted widened steel wheels. It was the AIDS of the VW scene. Now, its skinny jeans and BBS wheels.

http://www.stocktonwheel.com/wheel_widening.htm

 

[Viggen]

I remember those days, a cousin and myself had a small tuning shop back in college. I was a Wolfsburg boy myself.

-Sam

I was BIG time into the VW scene. Two MKV's, a MKII, and an Audi. All modified and quite peppy. One so low the oil pan was broken quite a few times. Then again, that was a badge of honor. I still feel a tinge of regret when think about my Fahrenheit GLI but it passes quickly. The scene, and my maturity, really killed the VW for me. Now, there isnt a single product I would like to own. I was a tuck rather than a poke type of wheel person though. Never liked the overly wide wheels.

Call Stockton and talk to them and see if they can direct you in the right direction.

http://www.weldcraftwheels.com/index-1.html
They "widen" alloys but could probably do steels. Call around.

 

[ersatzknarf]

Just stumbled upon them, today.
Thanks !

<snip>
http://www.weldcraftwheels.com/index-1.html
They "widen" alloys but could probably do steels. Call around.

 

[Ray Hyland]

Hi Ray,
Thank you. That's the sort of information being sought. I will have a look for Mangel rims. Yes, the fellow with the Stockton wheels on his Defender is running the Staun inflatable beadlocks as well. How do you like them, by the way ?

I think the Mangels are made in Brazil, I got mine in Singapore. You should be able to find an importer in the US pretty easily, they are a huge company.

The beadlocks are OK, they allowed me to run the RFC with the Goodyear MTRs which they are not great for. The RFC is all thick clay, and the MTRs will normally just clog up. But by running them at 3psi they were self-cleaning enough to use. The beadlocks let us run them at 3psi for the full 10 days of the race.

The downside is that they make the tires even harder to balance than normally.

Ray