just wondering what would be the widest wheels before i start having to get body work done on my breadvan being a novice to them

for instance would 6j 13" be ok?

6 should be fine, standard is 5.5 (G's were 6J). what tyre profile?

Depends on the offset dude. 6j should be ok. 7j if u have a high offset like 20+ probs. May have to roll the arches tho

6 should be fine, standard is 5.5 (G's were 6J). what tyre profile?

Wrong, standard for a squareback is 4.5J and G40 is 5.5J.

G40 BBS RAs are 13"x5.5J ET38, which should fit okay.

There are some optional extra BBS RAs which are 13"x6J ET33, on my squareback these caught on the rear arches over bumps with standard suspension. If they'd been ET38 I think it'd just about be okay.

With a 40mm lowering kit I needed to roll and pull the arches to fit 14"x6J ET38 wheels, but now that's done they fit fine.

Depends on the offset dude. 6j should be ok. 7j if u have a high offset like 20+ probs. May have to roll the arches tho

Have you ever tried 7"s on a squareback Eric?!!!! You'd need something like ET43 on a 7" and then it'd hit the springs. Only way to fit 7"s is to butcher the arches.

Here's a pic of my car (with rolled and subtley flared arches) and a 13"x6J ET20 rim to give you an idea of what you'd have to do to fit a 7" rim...

I've seen a few breadies with 7's and they dont look like theyve had too major arhwork?? idkk

I've had 13x6 et 13 with 165 55 tyres and no rubbing but not very low either

Mine caught on the rim with 13"x6J ET33!

If you're 13"x6J ET13 I'm certain that under full compression your arch will scrape on rim or tyre - unless of course you've got solid springs or massive bump stops. It'll stick out another 7mm over the rim in the above pic.

i was down 40 on the front andy and std on the rear no rubbing at all and that was with wieght in the back I'm pretty sure i could have gone 30mm on the rear without arch work tho

I've seen a few breadies with 7's and they dont look like theyve had too major arhwork?? idkk

They'll have had signficant archwork to accomodate them. Mine's got no lips on the arches and they're pulled out - about as far as I could go without cutting and re-welding, and 6J ET20 would catch.

Having said that, if you're willing to go further and completely re-shape things then there's scope for fitting much wider rims. Ben's got 8"s on the rear of his squareback - but the rear arch lip's flared completely outwards, and tyre/arch clearance looks tight.

Yah must be down to how low u go then i spose

Not really, even on standard springs and tyres, there's some tuck going off.

Simply measure the gap between the strut and the arch lip. That tells you how wide a rim you can fit, if you get the offset perfect. The tyre would need just enough stretch not to stand proud from the rim.

I've had a few things on my many breadvans over the years. Here are some of the tyre/wheel widths I had

175/60/13 5.5x13 ET38 40mm lowering - catch on sides of tyres. I think this was a bit unusual even for a bready, Rim protection or something making the tyre wider.

175/65/13 5.5x13 ET38 Stock height - no issues.

185/55/14 6x14 ET38 Stock height - catch on sides of tyres

185/60/14 6x14 ET45 Stock height - no issues!

165/55/14 6x14 ET45 40mm lowering - no issues (plenty of room)

So for a 6" you want ET45 unless you run stretch, much more than a 6 and you risk catching the wheel never mind tyre on the arch especially if you're thinking about some lows

I've had a few things on my many breadvans over the years. Here are some of the tyre/wheel widths I had

175/60/13 5.5x13 ET38 40mm lowering - catch on sides of tyres. I think this was a bit unusual even for a bready, Rim protection or something making the tyre wider.

175/65/13 5.5x13 ET38 Stock height - no issues.

185/55/14 6x14 ET38 Stock height - catch on sides of tyres

185/60/14 6x14 ET45 Stock height - no issues!

165/55/14 6x14 ET45 40mm lowering - no issues (plenty of room)

So for a 6" you want ET45 unless you run stretch, much more than a 6 and you risk catching the wheel never mind tyre on the arch especially if you're thinking about some lows

I have acquired some BBS RA's 6 x 14's ET33 which i was hoping to put on my Mk2 Bready, am I knackered even if I put 165/60/14 tyres on them? Alloywheels.com identified a number of wheel and tyre combinations for the Mk2 Polo and suggested 6x14 ET35 with 165/60/14 would be compatible in their fitment guide - anyone had this combination and with no issues?

Many thanks

Spearmint

195/45 on a 14x6...

Many thanks B-shaw

Spearmint

195/45 on a 14x6...

That's entirely down to offset!

It'd be perfect if it wasn't so gay lol!

I had some 14x6 to fit to mine (i later sold them) that tucked to fuck...

They are the perfect size tyre, you don't get any stupid gay stretch, which is 100% a good thing!

ET33 isn't bad. They are perfect, great on my coupe but not sure yet on the breadie.

They are gonna be very tight, fit some 165/55/14s and hope for the best. Wheel clearance is your main issue, not tyre clearance.

Also - I've found over the years that all breadvans are not born equal - they can take a wheel just fine on one side but for it to catch on the other. There is some sideways adjustment in the rear axle, but I think ultimately the arches just aren't identical.

14x6 ET38 only clear on mine because the arches have the lip folded back and are slightly flared. As Gaz says, it's wheel rim clearance you need to worry about because the arch covers so much of the wheel/tyre.

having run endless sets of wheel and tyre combos on various breadies I would agree with gaz. 165/55s would be the most suitable tyre size if you want to avoid arch work. 195s will rub unless you fold the arches up. 165/60s will mostly clear, but due to the high sidewall, they can sometimes baloon on bumpy roads and thus rub arches slightly.

a 165 wont look stretched on a 6j rim. the side walls will be pretty much straight.

the final option would be 155/55 r14, but they are much harder to come by and will look slightly stretched, which personally i'm not a fan of.

Many thanks folks for your input, very much appreciated, I will let you know how I get on

Cheers

Spearmint