I wanted to write and thank all of you for the huge response I
got from my question. I sent my question to several lists that I
subscribe to that relate to a variety of cars I have an interest in. I
tried to keep the subject general although I would not have been upset if
someone had written and told me the part number of the wheel I want!
<grin>


I tried to keep the question general so the information would not be
too far off topic for each list.


The short version of what I am trying to do is take my '78 VW Westy
camper van and run 15" plain Jane wheels on it. The factory saw fit
to equip it with 14" wheels and I don't like the small wheel look
and I would prefer to have less side wall than the 14" wheel offers.
I don't seek to change the final gear ratio.


Several folks advised me that AUDI and VW PASSATS would share wheels
with a same bolt pattern but two problems arose with that - the vehicle
weight and the wheel offset they use. Too little and too much - in that
order.


I refuse to use spacers and wheel adaptors because they are very
expensive ($150 per axle for one quote - direct from the manufacturer.
(He told me to be careful, these were for light duty use only - I have to
wonder what light duty means to a daily driver vehicle like mine...) and
I don't trust them for my family's safety. I also can't restud these hubs
without placing the new studs between the old holes and thus between the
strengthening webs. The hubs are pretty small so anything larger than
5x120 or so wouldn't fit anyhow (on the front hubs). I don't want to weld
on the cast iron hubs since the only safe way that I was taught in
welding class involved pre-heating and post heating the hubs. Cracks here
are BAD!


This leaves me with custom wheel shops who can build me wheels to
specs, or taking a wheel like a basic white spoke wheel and having it
drilled to the right pattern from the start. Since one requirement of my
project is to allow my wife to buy food for us once in a while, this
isn't an option right now.


Tire Rack and their cousins were of little use. Some of the sales
folks told me that they had no offset and center bore charts to check
against. I could hang up and call right back and get another salesperson
and they had a chart. I could get no one to just glance down the list and
tell me which model had a wheel that was the closest to my needs. This
was after they confirmed they could sell me dealer take offs/replacement
steel wheels that the snow belt folks like to buy to run their snow tires
on. I could buy the wheels I need for about $25 each - I just have to
find out which model Mercedes - and be pretty sure about it.


The local tire stores didn't have any lists to check so I guess I'll
have to either make a trip to Chattanooga to the local Merc dealer with a
VW hub or spend alot of time on the phone with them. Hope if I say VW
they don't turn into snobs...


Some VW listers said Mercedes wheels should work fine. Yes but as I
found out - Mercedes made 30 different models (or more) of their cars and
most had different wheel specs. They did make some lighter cars whose
wheels might be pretty flimsy for a van though.


Fortunately, the heavier models use the right wheel so (I think) it
will all work out. Unfortunately I live in Cookeville, TN -- a little
west of BFE -- and if you look closely at the city limits signs -- they
proclaim our fair city to be a registered "Rusty Maverick Hell"
reserve and that all import drivers/owner beware! Needless to say if it
wasn't built in SE Asia or North America there won't be many of them in
the junkyards here. Consequently the junkyard owners think that these
parts are worth a little more...


(Once I actually had a local fellow tell me that VW Bus parts are
very rare so engine cooling tin is VERY expensive... Told him, thanks but
I guess I'd just buy the part