I have a second set of 6.5 x 15" 5x130 bolt pattern Mini Lites, yes the real mini lites and not the other cops that do odd things like but a lug in the wheel paddle

The are going for [s]$2500Reduced $2250 per set. Buyer pays shipping. Come with Lugs Nuts, washers, center caps, and 4 wheels. Last set I know that sold with all the parts was listed at $2900, they sold for $2800 shipped.[/s]

These are off the market now, and going to a good home

All clean no curbing, that I am aware of.

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For a bit of history here Mini-lite still has the molds for these wheels. Downfall is they do not fit in their new presses. And do to the limited sales they have no plans of remaking the 6.5" wheels.

I know I am preaching to the choir here but if this is your wheel of choice getting a set with lugs and caps is really rare

Lugs are pretty easy to find. They are a standard size used on things like the Range Rover, and other oddly British vehicles. And Mini-Lite will still sell you a set.

The caps, first set I have ever seen. Did not even know they made caps for them, and image my surprise when they showed up. Guy I got them from never mentioned it had caps, or all the lugs while negotiating the sale.

I have owned 2 sets of these wheels. A buyer needs to know that these wheels are not particularly light. Also the lug nuts for these wheels make it hard to center the wheels on the hub. I would not suggest the lug bolts to be used as It is next to impossible to center the wheels with their lug bolts. As we all know, not centering the wheels on 914 makes for a most unpleasant ride.

Although I had the lug bolts that came with the wheels, I threw them in the garbage can. I was looking for the width, so I took the wheels and a standard lug nut to a machine shop. I had a set of 5 spacers made for each lug and epoxied them into place. This allowed me to use the acorn nuts as I had studded the hubs. This would allow a buyer to use standard alloy lug bolts, if desired. If your machine shop gets it right, which mind did, then they went on centered every time. The cost of the machining was very reasonable.

GLWS

Lightness depends on the substance they are manufactured from. These are Aluminum, and pressure cast Aluminum. The Fuchs is the benchmark Porsche people go for. They are Forged, and for that reason, can be manufactured with thinner materials to achieve the same function. These being pressure cast, needs to be a bit beefier. They are also much more rugged that a Fuch ever dreamed of being.

My magnesium Mini-lites have the inserts he is talking about. On a stock car, I would not run them, due to lack of thread engagement on the wheel studs. The Mini-Lite hub center is a pretty thick piece of metal, the studs barely protrude out the hole. The Mini-lite lugs are designed for full thread engagement.

If you are worried about centering, which I never had an issue with, ran Mini-lites for years. And raced with them for years. Maybe the better solution would be a set of centering ring adapters. Lots of wheels use the adapters to make their wheels hub centric. This allows them to manufacture one wheel in a couple of bolt patterns and then sell it to multiple vehicle manufacturers. Even Tangerine racing got into the act selling a rear hub centric adapter for the 914.

To me that is the solution for a off center wheel.

What I like about the wheel inserts is I am not fitting with the seat washers. My set will take the acorn style nut. I will be using the Mini-lite lug nuts as the thread engagement is so much more important to me. Seen to many wheels part company with a car. Really don't want to see that on my -6.

BTW, centering rings can also be done by any talented machine shop, Delrin would be my choice here, and the wheels would need to be machined also to accept the ring. This is as simple as cutting the grove into the backside to create a place for the ring to sit flush with the wheel back side.

I will post more detailed pictures tomorrow.

If the buyer wants hubsentric ring adapters, I can have that done, for the cost of materials, and shop time. They would be Delrin, and the rears could also be made, to fit the rear hub. I do highly recommend Chris' Tangerine Racing's inserts, they are really good. And well I don't get any promotional fee for this, though he has always treated me well, and for the quality of the parts, I feel it is a bargain. Using Chris insert than the Hubsentric insert all done the same would allow for easier tire rotations.

If you want lug inserts that can also be done. I will not be epoxying them in. You can do the inserts so that they are a friction fit. You just machine them a bit oversized, we are talking a few thousands of an inch here, based off steel expansion rates, you chill the inserts, and drop them in place. Once the chill wears off, they don't come out unless you press them off. Pretty simple math when you get down to the brass tacks here.

Only reason I see to epoxy them is your wanting an insulation layer between the dissimilar metals. I doubt most people would be thinking about galvanic corrosion. Most car manufactures don't even think about galvanic corrosion between metals.

I sure as hell know VW does not seem to have heard about galvanic corrosion. All my VWs past 2000 seem to love to build a corrosion layer between the wheel and the hub. solves this, but it is so frustrating to take a block of wood and BFH, and a wheel.

Mini's on a 914 look awesome. Just wish they were 4 lug like my wife's former cruiser.Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Now it is my cruiser. Sorry Ric didn’t mean to rub it in.Click to view attachment

That is a beautiful 914

Yes it is. Glad it's with someone who loves it and drives it as much as he can. its not a garage queen!

Bump - Still for sale

Bump - Price Reduced

I'll admit these are calling out to me. Hmm...

Two questions: 1) Did they make these in aluminum and magnesium, or only aluminum? 2) Can you provide an estimate to have these set up by your machine shop for hub centricity and Porsche lug nuts?

Pete,

I had a set of the 6 1/2 inch aluminum Minilites on our 1973 911 in the 1980s as our track wheels. I never had an issue with the wheels centering up using the Minilite lug nuts. I don’t know if cutting a taper into them is appropriate to use stock Porsche lug nuts as the wheels are drilled for the diameter of the sleeve section of the Minilite lugnut. I still have the set of 5 Minilites. I’ll measure the hole diameter of the Minilite and a stock Fuchs alloy in the morning for comparison.

There were a a couple of folks who used magnesium Minilites on their 911’s with slicks at the track in the 1970s and 80s but I believe they were 15x7s. Rick and Laurel Townsend had a set on their 1970 911S and Dennis Thovsen had a set for his old 1967 911S. Both cars were not flared. They looked great!

Charlie

Pete,

Yes I could get an estimate togther to convert them.

I have an relationship with real Minilites. Reason is the way they where designed. I hate the Panasport super-lite CTOs.... That have a lug bolt in the wheel spoke instead of the hub. Don't get me started on how many people get the wrong wheel on Instagram and do the #Minilite hashtag, hardly ever a real mini-lite.

Mini-lites in the 6.5" x 15" sizes came in both Mag and AL.

If it was me I would mount them and see what you get, having ran 3 other sets of these, I never had an issue. All three where Aluminum. Never had an issue with the Aluminum sets except my own stupidity. The only issue I ever ran into was "loosing" the damn washer at that track, only to panic, run to home depot, find something close, run back to the paddock, to find it was still on one of the wheels. I swear I looked at all the wheels 100s of times. Maybe on hte race wheels I should have painted the washers, bright OSHA Orange And that was before I became old and my eyes can't see stuff right in front of my face.

And the first attempt I would use would be hub centric guides., as I would prefer to keep the wheel looking original. It is just me.

I'm with you on these vs the CTO stuff. While I like the CTO wheels better than some of the other choices out there, nothing looks as good to me under a narrow 914 as Fuchs and vintage Minilites. There was a lowered white -6 in my neighborhood growing up on a set of these in 15x6.5 (I think they were mag) and it looked GREAT.

Thinking about this, the last thing I need right now is a set of project WHEELS. I'll probably kick myself for passing these up later on—much as I have about the last well-priced set that came up for sale here—but I came here to get rid of some parts in the garage. This forum....

GLWTS!!

Thank you Pete, sentiments appreciated.