# Lip extension on a one piece wheel? The gears are turning...



## VertigoGTI (Apr 1, 2001)

I have a set of 95 GLX BBS wheels that I refinished in graphite for my Mk3 VR6. Honestly, I love them. They blend in well with the textured moldings and moody paint. They're fairly light for what they are and havae help up to Cincinnati highway potholes. I wouldn't want to change a thing on them... well, maybe just one.
They simply aren't wide enough. Stock VW fitment = wheels lost in fender arches. http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif 
Has anyone ever bolted, machined, welded, hell even thought about taking a lip from a BBS RS (or any other 3 piece wheel of the same diameter) and combining it with their current one piece wheel? I know I'm going to catch a lot of crap for this but I'm VERY serious about hearing some feedback on this idea.
I know people are gonna be like "just get a set of RS's" or "just get different wheels" or something similar. Well, I can't get RS's unless I go to a 17" wheel for 5X100. I'm not looking for much, just 1 or 1½ lip on a 15X6.5 ET43. 
I know it sounds absurd and this thread will probably get locked from the amount of people that will make fun of it. But, I'd really like to hear if anyone has considered it, or better yet, actually done it.
Thanks


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## VertigoGTI (Apr 1, 2001)

*Re: Lip extension on a one piece wheel? The gears are turning... (VertigoGTI)*

Forgot to mention one last thing. It's not to get the effect of having spaced out wheels. I'd actually like to get some wider tires on as the car is auto-xed.
Thanks for any kind of positive feedback you can give. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## VertigoGTI (Apr 1, 2001)

*Re: Lip extension on a one piece wheel? The gears are turning... (VertigoGTI)*

Hmmm. No one has ever thought about this?


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## Geordie (Jun 22, 2001)

*Re: Lip extension on a one piece wheel? The gears are turning... (VertigoGTI)*

Since yousaid you were expecting a lot of crap for this it makes me think you already know the negatives so why would anyone voice them?
Your wheels are not designed to bolt to anything except the car, so unless you want to spend thousands of dollars on research there's no way you can do this. Wheels are not something to play with, they undergo huge forces,so amateur modifications of wheels are something to strongly discourage. 
To put this in perspective, where I used to get my tires in the UK you could see the safety posters, a number of them showed where people had been killed by commercial tires. One guy was fired into the side of his building when he decided to unbolt a split rim on a big truck without letting the air out first. There's less pressure in a car tire, but it's still not something to play with.
Anyway, your question showed you already know the answer.


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## vwfox93 (Jan 15, 2004)

*Re: Lip extension on a one piece wheel? The gears are turning... (Geordie)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Geordie* »_Since yousaid you were expecting a lot of crap for this it makes me think you already know the negatives so why would anyone voice them?
Your wheels are not designed to bolt to anything except the car, so unless you want to spend thousands of dollars on research there's no way you can do this. Wheels are not something to play with, they undergo huge forces,so amateur modifications of wheels are something to strongly discourage. 
To put this in perspective, where I used to get my tires in the UK you could see the safety posters, a number of them showed where people had been killed by commercial tires. One guy was fired into the side of his building when he decided to unbolt a split rim on a big truck without letting the air out first. There's less pressure in a car tire, but it's still not something to play with.
Anyway, your question showed you already know the answer.
 I agree with vertigo this a very touchy subject. Wheels that are one piece are made to be one piece not frankenstein wheels. Also with a wider lip extension you risk that lip bending. Almost like a negative camber on your rim. I believe with even with the strongest welds this shouldn't be done. The welds may warp the wheel. If you are considering this just save your money and get 3 piece wheels. They are made stonger. And are designed for the wider lip. But nomeans no.


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## VertigoGTI (Apr 1, 2001)

*Re: Lip extension on a one piece wheel? The gears are turning... (vwfox93)*


_Quote »_I believe with even with the strongest welds this shouldn't be done. The welds may warp the wheel. If you are considering this just save your money and get 3 piece wheels. They are made stonger. And are designed for the wider lip. But nomeans no.


True. I was thinking more along the lines of machining off part of the stock outer lip and tapping holes into it to match the lip. The more I think about it, the less and less I like the idea. I wouldn't weld anything on a wheel, even welded extensions on steel wheels kinda turn me off.
Honestly, I'm not trying to find a cheap way out on getting a 3 piece look or anything like that. To be honest, I was thinking about having the lip painted the same graphite color as the rest of the wheel.
I think I'm just getting desperate in finding options for a wider 15" wheel for my car. 15"/16" RM's and RS's are in clear abundance for those with enough cash AND 4 lug. It's just dissapointing that I can't find small mesh wheel for a MK3 VR6 without resorting to wheel adapters. And as much as people think that those are fine, I don't want to roll something like that on an auto-x track. There's way too much stress on that, I'd be better off with my idea if executed right.
Despite what other people think of typical MK3 owners, I'm not out for ultimate BBS uber bling with 17" RSs. I don't have any need for that. Just looking for a decent 15X7.5 or 15X8 that'll fit a 5X100. It looks like they aren't out there.

_Quote »_Anyway, your question showed you already know the answer.


I knew that I'd catch a little hell for it. Call me dumb, I think I was a little too hopeful about this. 


_Modified by VertigoGTI at 8:52 PM 3-22-2004_


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## ubercrap (Feb 18, 2003)

*Re: Lip extension on a one piece wheel? The gears are turning... (VertigoGTI)*

I saw a set of Porsche phone dials on ebay that had be narrowed and rewelded to fit the front of a Beetle, so it would stand to reason that it would be possible to widen them. A good idea? I don't know. Apparently, these had held up OK. Last time I checked, welding was pretty strong, but I imagine there could be some issues with fatigue in the long run.


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## VertigoGTI (Apr 1, 2001)

*Re: Lip extension on a one piece wheel? The gears are turning... (ubercrap)*

Welding an extension to the barrel would create another problem for me, clearing the suspension. I could run gargantuan spacers, but I have issues with those as is. If I didn't, I'd get a set of 911 RS 16's, bolt the adapters on, bolt the wheels on and call it a day.
Here was one of the ideas I was thinking. 
1.) Machine off part of the existing outer lip.
2.) Drill & tap holes in the remaining lip and body of the wheel
3.) Fit and bolt on Kodiak 1" lip
4.) Seal it and call it a day
I know there'd be more to it than that, but that's the general idea that I had.


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## mr_brent (May 12, 2002)

*Re: Lip extension on a one piece wheel? The gears are turning... (VertigoGTI)*

my opimion.. if you want wider wheels.. sell the ones your got now and buy wider ones.. the money your going to spend on parts, labour and new tires, it'll be cheaper to get all new stuff..


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## VertigoGTI (Apr 1, 2001)

*Re: Lip extension on a one piece wheel? The gears are turning... (mr_brent)*


_Quote, originally posted by *mr_brent* »_my opimion.. if you want wider wheels.. sell the ones your got now and buy wider ones.. the money your going to spend on parts, labour and new tires, it'll be cheaper to get all new stuff.. 

True.
Tires aren't really an issue though. Right now, I'm rolling some no-name brand tires that came with these wheels in a trade. I found the same ones at Wal-Mart for about $17 a pop.
Anyone know of a decent 15X7.5 or 16X7.5 with a mesh center? It's got to be 5X100.


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