Quick question about the value of a set of wheels...

I have four good BFG 195/60/15 tires mounted on a very nice set of chrome 4-lug 5.5" Mangels sitting out in the garage that I'm not going to be needing anytime soon, and could really use the money for something else...so I'm thinking about posting them for sale.

Now here's where I'm running into a problem - I have no idea what they're worth. I definitely don't want to rip anyone off, but I'm not real interested in short-changing myself either.

Any ideas?

I'd say do some comparison on The Samba's wheel section and see what is out there already. I just took a quick look (and not knowing exactly what yours look like), this is some of what I found.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1202746

Those are a bit different than mine. The ones I have a more like this, but in much better condition...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=794140

Basically "standard" 4-lug Mangel chromies. I'll try to snap a couple pics of mine tomorrow to give a better idea of condition.

Ok, I rolled one of them out from under the bench, wiped the dust off with a paper towel and snapped a few pics to show the overall condition. I grabbed the one closest to me (easiest to roill out), but the rest look just like it...

how much you thinking

I was thinking $300-ish, since new chinese-made chromies are about $100 each, and these tires are still pretty good.

Am I in the right ballpark?

The DOT on the tire is a factor as well. BFG have a 5 year shelf life and a 5 year service life. as soon as they are mounted the life expectancy is about 5 years before the rubber starts to break down. If they are 8+ years old they would probably have to be given with the wheels not sold as part of the deal. Last 4 of the DOT is the Week and year ie; 3609 36th week of 2009. You will only find the "born on date" on one side. Just a little info for ya not that anyone really cares but there it is.

PS i cant see any pics.

Muffler Bearing wrote: The DOT on the tire is a factor as well. BFG have a 5 year shelf life and a 5 year service life. as soon as they are mounted the life expectancy is about 5 years before the rubber starts to break down. If they are 8+ years old they would probably have to be given with the wheels not sold as part of the deal. Last 4 of the DOT is the Week and year ie; 3609 36th week of 2009. You will only find the "born on date" on one side. Just a little info for ya not that anyone really cares but there it is.

PS i cant see any pics.

I'm having to replace some tires due to age, if you've ever seen the effects of what tire separation can do to your car, you'd know why

Muffler Bearing wrote: The DOT on the tire is a factor as well. BFG have a 5 year shelf life and a 5 year service life. as soon as they are mounted the life expectancy is about 5 years before the rubber starts to break down. If they are 8+ years old they would probably have to be given with the wheels not sold as part of the deal. Last 4 of the DOT is the Week and year ie; 3609 36th week of 2009. You will only find the "born on date" on one side. Just a little info for ya not that anyone really cares but there it is.

PS i cant see any pics.

You know, that's something that I didn't think about. I haven't checked the age of the tires.

I'll check the date on them later butI may just roll them back under the bench until I finish the rest of the car. If I can't get ~$250 out of the set I'm better off holding onto them.

According to the date code on the sidewall they were manufactured in March of '03.

I'm not sure when they were originally mounted, but I think I've had them since '06 when I picked them up in a trade deal and they've been stored in my climate-controlled garage ever since...but they're still 9 yrs old.

I'd run 'em.

Grifspop wrote:

Muffler Bearing wrote: The DOT on the tire is a factor as well. BFG have a 5 year shelf life and a 5 year service life. as soon as they are mounted the life expectancy is about 5 years before the rubber starts to break down. If they are 8+ years old they would probably have to be given with the wheels not sold as part of the deal. Last 4 of the DOT is the Week and year ie; 3609 36th week of 2009. You will only find the "born on date" on one side. Just a little info for ya not that anyone really cares but there it is.

PS i cant see any pics.

I'm having to replace some tires due to age, if you've ever seen the effects of what tire separation can do to your car, you'd know why

I was thinking the same thing. If you've ever had a tire blow out on you you take heed of this.

If you decide to use them, make sure you tighten the lugs,,,,,,,,,,,,


BTW, I picked up a set of these same wheels with mounted tires at a show about 10 years ago and paid 200 if I remember right.

vw57drvr wrote:I'd run 'em.

I'd run them as well, but I know how they've been stored. I've definitely run much older tires, in worse condition, on heavier cars, and at much higher speeds than most aircooled VWs are capable of...but I've never claimed to be the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Ive had the same set of coker white walls on my oval for about 15 years. I dont like them anymore and dont drive it, but they still look new as far as tread. Probably dangerous now, but if a tire blows out becuase its been on the shelf for 4 years, and then on a car for 3, then that tire had a problem to begin with.