<VV> [fastvair] BMW wheels for your Corvair

[Kevin Nash]

I would bet that those wheels could be converted to a much more common 15" rim size just by machining the rims on a wheel lathe. 
Kevin
 

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 From: "sethracer at aol.com [fastvair]" <fastvair at yahoogroups.com>
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org; fastvair at yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Friday, September 5, 2014 2:14 PM
Subject: [fastvair] BMW wheels for your Corvair
  


  
I read 
an ad in our local Penny Saver newspaper on Wednesday night. It was for 5 BMW 
wheels & tires from a 1984 533i. I have heard of folks using the 5 on 120mm 
wheels on their late Corvairs (5 on 120.65mm pattern.) So I thought I would at 
least take a look at them, and I made an appointment. They were not sure of the 
wheel/tire size. At $100 for all 5, it would be a bargain, even just to do a 
trial fit-up. So, at 11 AM on Thursday (retirement has its benefits) I stopped 
by the home of an elderly couple whom I had contacted on the phone. He told me 
they had just donated the car (original owners) to a “Breast Cancer Awareness” 
charity, and the long removed tires/wheels were most definitely surplus. The 
wheels had been in covered storage (California) for, maybe 20 years, but were 
clean. The tires were old and bald (I will draw no comparisons here) Michelins. 
When I looked at the tires, I realized why he had removed them – as a set – and 
installed new wheels and tires, 20 years before. These OEM wheels were Michelin 
TRX metric design and the tires were 295/60 – 390. If that doesn’t sound 
familiar, it shouldn’t! The French Company got a wild hair up in the late-70s 
and went their own way on a new wheel/tire design which was accepted by a couple 
of other countries’ cars, some BMWs, many Ferraris and even a Ford Mustang 
option. Goodyear actually made a few TRX tires for a while. The TRX was used for 
a few years and then dropped like a hot potato. A few years ago, 2008, Coker 
tire convinced Michelin to make some reproduction tires for the restoration 
market. They came on the market (specific size unknown) at $425 each.  I checked and they are still available – 
now at $514 a piece. So if you really want your Corvair to have a unique 
tire/wheel combo, unlikely to be seen at your local cruise night, this might be 
the ticket.  
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Posted by: Sethracer at aol.com 

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