13x6=cost over advantage

[Rabbit05]

do 13x6 wheels make a diference? i am a Poor($)racer and have been pricing new and used wheels.They will make a decent dent in my budget.so i am wondering the advantage over 13x5.5 wheels.i run a rabbit in ITC, and i see some guys run them and some don,t.besides the obvious wider tire=more grip i am worried about motor bogging as well . can the vw vets help?

[Bill Miller]

When these cars were classed, 13x6 wheels were pretty plentiful. Not OEM wheels, but probably half a dozen aftermarket brands (Rial, Ronal, Enkei, Borbet, BBS, Speedline, etc.), plus the traditional 'race' brands (Revolution, Panasport, etc.) available. Now, it's just the 'race' brands.

Unfortunately, if you want to run the 225/50/13 Hoosiers, you'll need a 6" wheel (which is really still too narrow). You can get away w/ the 185/60/13 on a 5.5" wheel w/o any problem at all. You'll give up some lateral grip, but you should cut down on straight-line drag. And, you should be able to get sets of used 13x5.5" wheels for $50-$100. You won't get one Panasport, Revolution, etc. for that.

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MARRS #25 ITB Rabbit GTI
SCCA 279608

[JohnRW]

Wider tires are harder to push down the straights. If you're not turning the edges of your current tires blue and eating the treadblocks off of them in a single weekend, you're not going to be any happier, or faster, on wider wheels and tires. You've said you're budget conscious...why spend more money to go the same speed or slower ?

Think "junkyard". Go find a junkyard if you want wider, or even just cheap, extra wheels. You can find alloy 13's on BMW's (old 320's), Hondas and VW's that will fit your bolt pattern. Sniff around and you might even find 13x6's (I did). Depending on your personal charm, negotiating prowess and the "goober factor" at your chosen junkyard, 13" alloys can be had for $15-$30 each.

If you do find BMW wheels, you'll need to snag the lug bolts off the car too, as BMW's use a straight taper lug vs. VW's ball taper. NAPA call sell you new ones for $2 each if need be.

[Rabbit05]

i am wondering what kind of time i will gain or really take off my lap times. Most of my racing will be at Lime Rock Park, so kind of looking at the optimal set up for that track. The blue on the outside of the tires is normal i guess? Just wondering if spending the money for new hoosiers and rims or just new 185's will do.Thanks for the input! ..... John

[Bill Miller]

Another option you've got for 'low-budget' wheels is to go w/ something like the Diamonds. They're steel, and they're not the lightest thing around, but they're 1/3 - 1/2 the cost of Panasports, etc.

I was just at a P&P junkyard in NJ and saw two BMW 320i's w/ complete sets of the 13x5.5 'turbine' style wheels. I asked the guy there, and he said he thought they were $80 - $100 per set.

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MARRS #25 ITB Rabbit GTI
SCCA 279608

[Mark LaBarre]

Most people won't notice the diff between the 5.5" to 6". I run both on my VW with the 185-60-13's and the 205-60-13's and have no difference in times or handling. Don't worry about the 6's untill you run across some CHEAP! I picked up my 5.5's for $10 a wheel.
Mark

[marker]

I am not so sure I would agree that there is no difference in time. I did some testing a few years ago, when I worked for a wheel company. We used the same tire, same tire size, same car, same day. We found about a .5 second advantage for the wheel that was .5" wider. We then swapped the tires over to make sure that it was not just differences in the tires, and we were able to repeat the differences.
But, in today's market, where a set of new 13X6" wheels will cost you $600+, that money may be beter spent elsewhere, for the time being.

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Pete Mills

[Rabbit05]

Thanks for the info guys,i wish i had a million dollars so i can try. i would like to test the 13 x 6,just to see. I have found steel wheels,I think diamond is the name of the company. My question is the flexability i heard of steel wheels.Will they effect handling? The car is good and don't want to screw it up to badly.

Thanks, John

[Joe Craven]

I have 5 sets of 13x6 wheels for my 71 ITB Capri. 4 of them are alloy, my favorite set are the lightweight steels versions. They are lighter than my allows, and seem plenty stiff for my needs.

Oh, I might mention that I've heard that FWD Diamond steel wheels can be much heavier than RWD steel wheels. Something to do with the thicker hub required.

check with Diamond, but I love my Diamond wheels.