Hi folks,
Has anyone cut and widened their wheels, like the guy from New Zealand - to increase width from 4 to 6 inches? I like the look of them but my mechanic says they could mess up the stability.

cheers
Ozzi '67 220ss

Hi, I'm that guy from New Zealand and initially made the mistake by having the extra width on the outside of the wheels, that caused a lot of bumpsteer on uneven roads, (no problem on smooth surfaces) so I had them all changed to an offset of 20mm (1 1/4")and its fine now. First the offset was zero. Original 4" wheels had 1" offset.

The rims used were new, only the wheel centres were used. I know that some workshops actually cut the rims and weld another 2" extra rim in between, whichever way you do it, specialist equipment is required to get it right. The best advice is not to change the Offset too much from standard specifications, I think. In other words, when widening the rims, make sure that the extra width is going to be split evenly on the inside and outside of the wheels mounting area. (for normal road use that is)

Below is a link to a diagram to show you what backspace and offset are, there is a lot of confusion about this terminology. Backspace depends on the rim construction, but offset is more defined. Backspace should only be used to for clearance purposes.

I found that in the 60s wider rims for 122S were available with different offsets, I suppose for different use, rally, race or road.

Jim Hekker
New Zealand
volvoadventures.com

Great info and very informative drawing. One minor comment, though.
a 1 1/4" offset is 32mm, not 20mm. 20mm is closer to 13/16"
(25.4mm = 1")
--
George Downs, The "original" Walrus3, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

would i just and .5 inches and 1 inch to each side of the offset respectively?
think it could work?

Ozzi
'67 220

I have no experience with the handling of very wide wheels, also the handling depends on other issues like camber and suspension settings. I suggest you first borrow some wheels and see whether you like the handling, Where do you live ? USA or Australia ? Ford Australia have 6" wide wheels that fit, very well. In USA wheels are available too from wreckers to try.

Please check this page for further information:
http://www.vclassics.com/archive/wheeltip.htm

Jim

volvoadventures.com

ohh
now it makes complete sense. So you purchased a set of steel wheels and had the rims removed and your volvo centers inserted at the proper offset. Could you even go to 16 inch width then? Will any generic steel rims be okay?

thanks

Ozzi
'67 220

I am running 7" Western mags on my 66 122 with 215/60 R 15 Falken radials. They fit fine without clearance restriction hold the road like glue, but are suseptible to bump-steer. I have replace tie rods twice in 20 years and I suspect it is due to the extra stress placed on them by this modification.

I've replaced tie rods about every 3 or 4 years. I think they just
aren't very sturdy.
--
George Downs, The "original" Walrus3, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

The guy in New Zealand actually had his wheels widened by a reputable wheel shop who added extra stock onto the outside. That was 2" if I remember correctly. I would definetly recommend NOT doing this yourself as you will have horrible results with balance and seal. Get it done at a shop or buy new wheels.
-Josh

I put a set of 15X6 American Racing wheels on my 544 (Torq Thrust II's - with 3 3/8 inch backspacing). They fit perfectly with only the most minor rolling of the rear fender lips. The steering effort is pretty much unchanged (205/60/15 Yokohamas vs. 165R15 Firestones) and I haven't noticed any change in bump-steer, etc. I have noticed a great increase in stability under hard cornering - those skinny tall original sized tires are not good at all.

I think that the skinny tall original tires are perhaps a little more tolerant of bad alignment - and wider tires may require a realignment just to make sure everything is in spec.