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We offer four different VW tires for your classic Volkswagen. If you are interested in replacing your tires with the original tires, we offer the radial equivalent of the stock bias ply tires, VW Stock Tire 165/80R15 (165SR15).
We offer three other VW tires with different tread heights and specifications. You can find a brief description of the Volkswagen tires that we carry and instructions for identifying the size tire that you need in the footer of this page.
We also carry a large selection of Volkswagen Wheels, Hubcaps and accessories HERE.
We only carry tires for use with 15 Inch rims.
We offer three other VW tires with different tread heights and specifications. You can find a brief description of the Volkswagen tires that we carry and instructions for identifying the size tire that you need in the footer of this page.
We also carry a large selection of Volkswagen Wheels, Hubcaps and accessories HERE.
Products:
More About Our VW Tires:
Tires are critical to the overall safety, reliability and performance of your Volkswagen. It is important to properly maintain your VW tires, keep them inflated to specifications, correctly balanced, and replace them when the time comes. It is best practice to replace all four tires at the same time.
With a few exceptions, all Volkswagen models originally came with bias ply tires. We do not offer bias ply tires because they do not offer the quality or safety features that radial tires offer. Radial tires are better equipped for long distance, high speed driving, and wet weather conditions.
We offer four different VW Tires. We only carry VW Tires for use with 15 inch rims. Below is a brief description of each tire and its application.
Volkswagen Tire Options:
VW Stock Tire 165/80R15
The 165/80R15 is the modern day replacement for the factory size 165SR15 tire. For most all Beetles, Ghias and Type 3s this is the stock replacement tire. The 165/80R15 tire will fit the stock VW 15x4.5" wheel. It will also fit all of our aftermarket 15" wheels in widths from 4" to 6.5".
** This tire is closest to stock VW tire size. Considered most "standard fit" tire.
VW Stock Tire 165/80R15
VW Tire 145R15
The 145R15 is a lower than stock profile tire. It is both smaller in diameter (it is shorter) and width (it is narrower) than stock. If you are lowering the front of your vehicle you will most commonly need a smaller than stock tire. This is a necessity if you are installing drop spindles or lowering struts. Stock tires will not clear if you are lowering your vehicle! The 145R15 tire will fit the stock VW 15x4.5" wheel. It will also fit all of our aftermarket 15" wheels in widths from 4" to 5.5". Due to the very narrow tread width we recommend only using the 145R15 tire on the front of your car.
VW Tire 14R15
VW Tire 135R15
The 135R15 is a lower than stock profile tire. It is both smaller in diameter (it is shorter) and width (it is narrower) than stock. It is smaller still than a 145R15 tire as well. If you are lowering the front of your vehicle you will most commonly need a smaller than stock tire. This is a necessity if you are installing drop spindles or lowering struts. Stock tires will not clear if you are lowering your vehicle! The 135R15 tire will fit the stock VW 15x4.5" wheel. It will also fit all of our aftermarket 15" wheels in widths from 4" to 5.5". Due to the very narrow tread width we recommend only using the 135R15 tire on the front of your car.
VW Tire 135R15
VW Tire 165/45R15
For extremely lowered vehicles we offer the 165/45R15. This is a very low profile tire that will be about 20.75" tall when mounted on a 15x5.5" wheel. The tire has a contact patch of roughly 4.5 to 5 inches (depending on load and tire pressure). Because the tire is wider than our other low profile tires it can be used on the front or rear of your VW. However, due to the small diameter of the tire we do not commonly use them on the rear. The 165/45R15 tire can be mounted on a stock 15x4.5" wheel. It can also be mounted on any of our various aftermarket wheels from 4 to 6 inches wide.
VW Tire 165/45R15 ** Recommended for lowered cars only. Will leave gap between fender and tire if used on stock height VW.
How to Read Your Tire:
Tire Section Width:
Measured in millimeters. Tire section refers to the width of the tire. Measurement is taken from sidewall to sidewall.
Tire Profile (Sidewall Height):
Measured in percent. Tire profile refers to the height of the tire.
We can use a 165/80R15 tire to illustrate this.
80% of a 165mm tire = 132mm tire profile height.
Wheel Diameter (Rim Diameter):
Rim Diameter refers to the inside diameter of the wheel. Most stock VW's had 14" or 15" rims depending on the year and model.
Tire Construction:
"R" Designates radial tire construction.
