Discussion
Worth looking at this post for measurements.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gAssing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Quite a few have tried aftermarket wheels with various opinions on the results. Personally I think some of the aftermarket wheels look silly on the S, they just do not look right for the period and are just fitted to 'bling' the car up, and it doesnt need it. Anybody who desires bling should go modern, anybody who has an S should be more tasteful!! IMO!
I things the original 5 spoke OZ look right for a classic car, however the 'minilites' as fitted by Philpott on the pics on that thread also look 'right' for this period, lovely on the S, and are one of the few changes I would consider.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gAssing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Quite a few have tried aftermarket wheels with various opinions on the results. Personally I think some of the aftermarket wheels look silly on the S, they just do not look right for the period and are just fitted to 'bling' the car up, and it doesnt need it. Anybody who desires bling should go modern, anybody who has an S should be more tasteful!! IMO!
I things the original 5 spoke OZ look right for a classic car, however the 'minilites' as fitted by Philpott on the pics on that thread also look 'right' for this period, lovely on the S, and are one of the few changes I would consider.
greymrj said:
Worth looking at this post for measurements.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gAssing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Quite a few have tried aftermarket wheels with various opinions on the results. Personally I think some of the aftermarket wheels look silly on the S, they just do not look right for the period and are just fitted to 'bling' the car up, and it doesnt need it. Anybody who desires bling should go modern, anybody who has an S should be more tasteful!! IMO!
I things the original 5 spoke OZ look right for a classic car, however the 'minilites' as fitted by Philpott on the pics on that thread also look 'right' for this period, lovely on the S, and are one of the few changes I would consider.
Hihttp://www.pistonheads.com/gAssing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Quite a few have tried aftermarket wheels with various opinions on the results. Personally I think some of the aftermarket wheels look silly on the S, they just do not look right for the period and are just fitted to 'bling' the car up, and it doesnt need it. Anybody who desires bling should go modern, anybody who has an S should be more tasteful!! IMO!
I things the original 5 spoke OZ look right for a classic car, however the 'minilites' as fitted by Philpott on the pics on that thread also look 'right' for this period, lovely on the S, and are one of the few changes I would consider.
Don't agree with all above( except minilites do look nice on the S), each of us likes different wheel styles, nothing to do with bling or period, who is to say what is tasteful.
Alan
When I had my S I fitted these
as I never really liked the std wheels. They are compomotive MO 6 spoke in anthracite, 7x16 in std offset (ET25 I think from memory)
with hindsight I would have done 2 things a bit differently.
1, Opt of ET15 offset to bring the wheels out more.
2, Go for 205 55 16 tyres and not 205 50 16 tyres as I think the basic nature of the S chassis deserves some sidewall compliance.
Cheers.....Tony..
as I never really liked the std wheels. They are compomotive MO 6 spoke in anthracite, 7x16 in std offset (ET25 I think from memory)
with hindsight I would have done 2 things a bit differently.
1, Opt of ET15 offset to bring the wheels out more.
2, Go for 205 55 16 tyres and not 205 50 16 tyres as I think the basic nature of the S chassis deserves some sidewall compliance.
Cheers.....Tony..
I like modding more than most but all the subjective evidence suggests the s chassis doesn't like it..
I believe the basic problem is the lack of suspension travel on the s so a little tyre suspension helps.. Put rubber bands on and you are asking a lot of the current set up.. It to soak up minor road imperfections while still not bottoming out or rolling too much.
Let us know how you get on but even Mr Heaths book states larger wheels don't equal faster times.
If ifs just for looks the go right for it I would probably go to 8" on the back if i was doing it.
Thanks
Damian s3
I believe the basic problem is the lack of suspension travel on the s so a little tyre suspension helps.. Put rubber bands on and you are asking a lot of the current set up.. It to soak up minor road imperfections while still not bottoming out or rolling too much.
Let us know how you get on but even Mr Heaths book states larger wheels don't equal faster times.
If ifs just for looks the go right for it I would probably go to 8" on the back if i was doing it.
Thanks
Damian s3
Got to back Damian on that one.
Depends what you want to use the car for but if it is primarily a road car you intend to drive hard then you have to reach a compromise between handling and grip. Try driving your car fast on the existing wheels with the tyre pressures right, it will already be pretty reactive to road bumps etc. Now try it at say 45psi in the tyres. That will dramatically reduce the part of suspension compliance provided by tyre deformation. See how it handles then! A large, low profile tyre will not necessarily add to the performance of the S on the road and would make it much harder on you and any passenger. Drive it a lot before you change it would be my advice.
I am not sure what you have done with the suspension but unless that is all in very good condition first changing to bigger wheels would be a complete waste of money.
Depends what you want to use the car for but if it is primarily a road car you intend to drive hard then you have to reach a compromise between handling and grip. Try driving your car fast on the existing wheels with the tyre pressures right, it will already be pretty reactive to road bumps etc. Now try it at say 45psi in the tyres. That will dramatically reduce the part of suspension compliance provided by tyre deformation. See how it handles then! A large, low profile tyre will not necessarily add to the performance of the S on the road and would make it much harder on you and any passenger. Drive it a lot before you change it would be my advice.
I am not sure what you have done with the suspension but unless that is all in very good condition first changing to bigger wheels would be a complete waste of money.
I see your point all of the bushes have been polybushed with new ball joints,the coil overs have done 7k miles so not worried about the suspension condition.The main reason for change is don't like the 8 spoke standard wheels.Fancied gold minilites to contrast with dark blue metallic body maybe 16" would be a compromise from a suspension point of view I would appreciate your thoughts
Cheers Keith
Cheers Keith
I am sure the minilites will look good, I think pretty well everyone says they suit this particular car. They will look good whether in 15 or 16". I am cautious about gold rather than silver as there is nothing else on the car that colour. Might look dramatic but 'better' is questionable and a matter of taste.
I am going to ask you direct, why do you want to go to a bigger wheel? I need to be convinced that it would make the car more FUN overall. I think you need opinion from someone who has made that change and is convinced it has improved his driving experience.
I am going to ask you direct, why do you want to go to a bigger wheel? I need to be convinced that it would make the car more FUN overall. I think you need opinion from someone who has made that change and is convinced it has improved his driving experience.
I have 17 inch 45 profile tyres on mine (think its it 205/50 R17s front, 225/45 R17s rear) and while they do look good and fill out the wheel arches nicely, its does make for a pretty hard and sometimes uncomfortable ride. Admittedly I haven't ever driven it on 205/60 R15s for comparison, but I actually prefer the look of the 8 Spokes so am going to track down a set and throw them.
While many people like the 17 inches for 'filling out the arch better', it's important to note that there really is bugger all difference between a 225/45 R17 (as on mine) and the original 205/60 R15. In fact, R17s are only 1.2% larger so you are really only swapping larger shiny alloy rims for larger black, rubbery side-wall; only you can decide if the aesthetic appeal outweighs the harder ride.
While many people like the 17 inches for 'filling out the arch better', it's important to note that there really is bugger all difference between a 225/45 R17 (as on mine) and the original 205/60 R15. In fact, R17s are only 1.2% larger so you are really only swapping larger shiny alloy rims for larger black, rubbery side-wall; only you can decide if the aesthetic appeal outweighs the harder ride.
Low profile vs "normal" is a debate which is going in in F1 at the moment.....
"..Such a move would largely be for cosmetic and commercial reasons ....."
So even at this level it's all about bling then?
"For integrity reasons you still want a relatively tall sidewall," said Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery. Such are the lateral loads being passed from the tread into the wheel via the sidewalls, that geometry of very short sidewalls will make them want to pull off the rim in turns."
I'm with Paul Hembery on this one, but in my case it's for comfort
"From onboard shots, we can see the tyre accounts for a large proportion of the car's suspension travel.Going for a lower profile tyre will mean the car's suspension will have to account for the lost tyre compliance. This means it will have to be softer, with longer travel."
More here http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114907
So if you have replaced your dampers with rose jointed ones with stiffer springs, and changed your relatively soft rubber bushes for polymer ones you will feel the jolts even more sharply. For the full osteo-experience why not go the whole hog and fit un-upholstered bucket seats.
"..Such a move would largely be for cosmetic and commercial reasons ....."
So even at this level it's all about bling then?
"For integrity reasons you still want a relatively tall sidewall," said Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery. Such are the lateral loads being passed from the tread into the wheel via the sidewalls, that geometry of very short sidewalls will make them want to pull off the rim in turns."
I'm with Paul Hembery on this one, but in my case it's for comfort
"From onboard shots, we can see the tyre accounts for a large proportion of the car's suspension travel.Going for a lower profile tyre will mean the car's suspension will have to account for the lost tyre compliance. This means it will have to be softer, with longer travel."
More here http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114907
So if you have replaced your dampers with rose jointed ones with stiffer springs, and changed your relatively soft rubber bushes for polymer ones you will feel the jolts even more sharply. For the full osteo-experience why not go the whole hog and fit un-upholstered bucket seats.
Hi
Pirelli motorsport are talking about a different type of tyre to a road car, there competitors say otherwise, I think Pirelli mean the existing tyres would not work on a 17" rim saying that they only work for a few laps these days. Michelin says it can make a tyre for 17" rims to last and work better than the exiting tyres made by Pirelli.
All in all tyres need to be part of a set up, you need a good anty roll bar set up with low profile tyres as you need to keep them as flat as you can, second you need better control of your suspension, springs, coil rebound and compression. On a STD TVR you have none of these (suitable for low profiles) so I guess 255-30-17 would be a waste of time for road use but the bling would be great.
Pirelli motorsport are talking about a different type of tyre to a road car, there competitors say otherwise, I think Pirelli mean the existing tyres would not work on a 17" rim saying that they only work for a few laps these days. Michelin says it can make a tyre for 17" rims to last and work better than the exiting tyres made by Pirelli.
All in all tyres need to be part of a set up, you need a good anty roll bar set up with low profile tyres as you need to keep them as flat as you can, second you need better control of your suspension, springs, coil rebound and compression. On a STD TVR you have none of these (suitable for low profiles) so I guess 255-30-17 would be a waste of time for road use but the bling would be great.
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