Wheel adapter source(s)

Does anyone have a reliable source for 4-bolt VW to 5-bolt Porsche wheel adapters?

I've had a set of the cheap Taiwanese jobs, but they're finally giving in to too much track time and are beginning to warp. They were also cast, not machined, and probably soft, so I'm now looking for a set of hub-centric, machined T-6 Aluminum ones.

Specs are:

4-bolt VW hub to 5-bolt Porsche wheel (Fuchs)

130mm bolt circle on both (one bolt position is common to both patterns)

1" thick to a maximum of 1.125"

Front Hub flange Outer diameter is 3"

Two (fronts) must be hub-centric, while the other two (rears) will have to be bolt centric (the rear hub on a '69 beetle has a taper, but is about 1.90" at the drum, although the hub nut has a flange that is about 1.85, so a 2" hole would be loose)

I would prefer NOT to have a two-piece version, as sveral people have cautioned me not to use them (they come apart at the worst possible time).

If anyone knows of a good source for these (especially you West Coasters) I would greatly appreciate it. I've looked here in the Southeast and on Ebay and so far have come up empty.

Thanks, Gordon
One of the "Speedstah Guys" from South Carolina

Gordon,
Have you considered drill & stud drums/discs for porsche pattern?
Or
you can buy drums and discs that are drilled for Porsche pattern wheels at CIP1.com

CBperformance or other quality parts supplier has the hardened studs in various lengths.
Consideration needed if you to space your wheels out when calculating stud length. Cbperformance or PepBoys has wheel spacers.

Greg.

Greg:

I thought of that, but I honestly thought it would be easier to just get the right adapters.

THAT was before I started this seemingly fruitless search. I haven't yet come up with a source, although I have a couple of potentials in the works and should know better tomorrow (they're both local in the Southeast). Several places recall making them "quite a few years ago" but no one has had any demand for them in recent memory |>(

So that may leave me with re-drilling my existing hubs and drums (and maybe weakening them), getting new hubs and drums drilled for 5-lug 130's, or making friends with the machine shop in town that has a Cincinatti/Millicron CNC machine that I can probably write the program for (I played with one of those when I was in college) and then just find a source for blank adapter billets (I think I have one) and blast them out.

Still......it would be nice if someone had a source for the adapters. That would be the easiest route.

gn

Some of the of the racers that we know use these guys:

http://www.ezaccessory.com/Porsche_Adapter_s/73.htm

They use billet and offer hub-centric adapters

We had spacers (not adapters) done up by EZ for the MGB to mount a set of rare British made wheels from the 60's and they were just beautiful!

The Ol' Skool adapters that mounted late Porsche wheels to the five lug 356's never had the centering boss for the hub and are probably too old to be of any use.

Luck!

TC

Hi Gordon,

I think I have 4 to 5 lug adapeters in storage. Let me know if you are interested. If so, I will go pull and take some pictures for you.

Todd

Todd: Just sent an email....

TC: Called EZaccessory, but they couldn't help. Actually, they had something similar, but minimum thickness was 1.5" and I can't exceed 1.125"..... 8>(

Your link is for a Porsche adapter/spacer, such as those used on 930's with the flared rear ends, and they offer them from 1.5" thick to 3" thick(!!)

A couple of places I called used to make what I want years ago, but they haven't had a call for them in 10 - 15 years so discontinued them.

I actually found a set of VW Wide-Five to Porsche adapters here in Beaufort, and another set of VW Wide-Five to Chevy but then I don't have wide-fives!!

Ooopppsss . . .

Two years ago I did a similar search. Do a Gogle search under "wheel adapters". Here are some sources I found back then. Sorry, they are not links, only addreses:

Performanceproducts.com

hrsprings.com

csp.com

Wheel A Dapters, (626) 288-2290

p.s. Beware of the dreaded wheel offset. Also, you won't find any adapters thinner than about 1 1/2 inch. I had some machined down to 1 1/8, about minimum I could go.

Wheel A Dapters has a site at http://www.wheeladapter.com/home.asp

Gordon,
According to the ad in Hot VW's March 2007 issue, http://www.pacificcustoms.com has 4 lug VW to 5 lug Porsche Wheel Adapters for $60.00.

Greg B

Greg:

Those are the same ones that CIP1, Street and Sand Toys and a whole bunch of others have. They are the same soft, cast, aluminum ones that I currently have, and they will warp out of round over time given the stress I put them through (too many passes on the road tracks).

I'm looking for a set of billet T-6 aluminum ones, but it's getting frustrating. I did find a machine shop near Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Wheel Fixit) that might be able to machine some T-6 versions of what I already have, but make the ID sized to fit the disk hub - we'll see.......I have to pull one of mine and UPS it down to him to see if he can do it, but he usually doesn't drop below 1.5" AND usually makes a two-piece adapter. This will be a little different for him, but we'll see.

Bruce: Already contacted them via their website for a quote and got an email from Fred Goeske saying that they couldn't make them. I'll try calling them tomorrow, now that I have a phone number.

Anyway....I'm still looking.

Bruce:

Finally got someone at Wheeladapter.com on the phone in California.

Don't know why, but when I asked about 4-to-5-bolt converters the guys just said "we don't do those." When I asked why, his reply was "I don't know why, but that's our policy."

Guess I just keep on looking... Now I see why people get their hubs and drums re-drilled for Porsche 5-bolt patterns. It's a hell of a lot easier to get a re-drill and spacers than to find the right adapters.

I have Brazilian drums in the back and also drilled the fuchs pattern... Now I have been considering a wide five pattern. I don't think that I will ever settle on one thing.

Gordon, what did the guy with the chevy to wide 5 adapters want for his? I'm interested.

I don't mean to go in a different direction or hijack but I have a question: I know this subject has been discussed adnauseum(sp?) I've done the search and can't seem to get it straight yet. I have been entertaining a wheel change myself and was curious-

I have discs up front and drum in rear(IRS). I would like to do the 205 wide 5 wheels but there is little to no room in the rear for adapters. I can switch rotors in the front if needed, but I don't want to replace or switch the rear drums. The best I can figure is 4 to 5 bolt adapters using a deeper backspace wheel in the rear. Is the 3 7/8 backspace wheel deep enough? I was wondering if by using adapters will there be enough room in the rear? Can I use those sweet looking drum covers for a clean look or will I be stuck with an ugly adapter showing in the center? I'm shooting for that nice look Ricardo has on his car.

Mickey:

After many weeks and a LOT of phone calls to every American and Canadian wheel adapter manufacturer that shows up on Ebay or a google search AND pouring through their info, I am pretty confident that you WILL NOT find a wheel adapter that will take you from a VW 4-bolt (130mm pattern) to a VW "Wide Five" (205mm pattern). There may be some adapters like that from the 60's - 70's that might still be lurking in someone's garage, but I doubt that, too.

There are a few out there that make an adapter to go from 205mm wide five on the car to a Porsche (130mm) or Chevy (4.25") bolt circle, but I didn't see any that went the other way around (small to big).

The best alternative to get you to wide five's is to buy new, blank front hubs and rear drums and get them drilled for the 205mm Wide Five pattern and get it over with. Several places (CIP1 comes to mind, but there are many others) offer VW hubs/drums already drilled for wide fives and available as a kit with necessary seals and so forth. THAT's the way I would go.....

Happy hunting!

BTW: Why am I screwing around with 4-to-5-bolt adapters on MY car? Because I have flared fenders and need the extra 1" of space between the hub/drum and my 7" Fuchs wheels to push them out into the wheel well and "look" right. Alternatively, I, too, could get new hubs and drums and get them drilled for the Porsche 130mm 5-bolt pattern and just run spacers (and that's prety common, too), but I chose to go this route so I could bang my head against the wall ;>)

gn

mickey,
You asked:
"Can I use those sweet looking drum covers for a clean look or will I be stuck with an ugly adapter showing in the center? I'm shooting for that nice look Ricardo has on his car."

According to CBPerformance the drum covers will only work with the wide 5 disc. brakes or stock wide 5 VW drums.

They WIll NOT work with adapters.


Greg B

Mickey,

http://www.cbperformance.com/catalog.asp?ProductID=694

Look at the one on the bottom of the page, #4266. An old friend used these on his car and by using some grade 8, flat allenhead (sort of like a wood screw) that he got somewhere I can't remember, was able to use the drum covers for the look he wanted. Real nice. Seems that the adaptors were about 1/4" steel, perhaps thicker.

He started with the VW 4 bolt pattern on discs, I don't know how it will work with drums.

He used original porsche 3-1/2"x16 wheels increased to 6" wide. This was hot! He also did a pretty trick thing to make it look like the axel nut is in the right spot. Real neat Trick!

Here is a picture of his rear wheel.

Dale - I really like the look of that wheel, kinda like the early Carrera's! COOL.

Crap! I had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. I love the look I have with the red wheels now I was just hoping to do it with wide 5's. I thin it would look really cool with res wheels and the silver drums in the middle, ala old school Carrera. Oh well, when and if the time come that I can justify the $1,000 to $1,200 to make the switch I'll do it then. Probably go all the way and do discs in the rear and custom widened wheels, etc...

Put down the crack pipe, Mickey. Your wheels really, really set off your car.
Don't change a thing. (My opinion.)

Mickey:

I stand corrected, but then, I didn't look at CB's site because I knew all they had were the cast aluminum adapters of the type I was looking for.

HOWEVER! if you re-read Dale's post, and go to the CB link he suggested, you'll find the VW 4-bolt to Wide Five adapters you'll need to do what you want, and they probably fit BOTH disks and drums.

Thanks, Dale!

gn

Thanks Dale! I guess I didn't read it right the first time? Does you friend recall where he got those allen-head bolts to use for the adapters? And do you guys think the cb performance drum covers will fit neatly over the adapters?

Cory - I would keep the wheels red but instead of caps I'd have that sweet brushed drum cover in the middle. I wanted to get the older more original looking wheels with the 10 slots and have them powder coated instead of the painted ones I have now - but I am still not going to put my crack pipe down no matter what!

My friend is now in Florida and his car is in the Netherlands. I have basically lost touch with him but I do know he called lots of fastner places. He needed to use the flat head style so the drum skins would sit flat on the spacers.

He is/was a bit more mechanical than I. I would bite the bullet and buy the discs with wide five pattern. At the time Rich did this, the wide 5 was not available in disc brakes.

Mickey, I have a fantastic powdercoater, if you wind up needing his services. My chassis was sand-blasted AND powdercoated for $750 or so.

Crap again! Thanks Dale. I'm gonna wait til I get my car back on the road this Spring and see where to go from there? I'm having the engine rebuilt, new exhaust and a few other loose ends ties up. I'll probably just wait until I address the suspension and do the rear disc conversion then.

Cory, I'll be sure to let you know when I move on it - Thanks