16" imola wheels all round?

16" imola wheels all round?

Author
Discussion

madmarsie

Original Poster:

122 posts

150 months

Saturday 31st May 2014
quotequote all
Dammit! smile , ended up buying a pair from ebay. Hopefully they will go on with spacers because i would really like to keep the more standard look. I cannot believe how many wheels are available for the 4x108 fitment but dont look right on a chim?? The SP12s are about the nicest i have seen but at a price. Hopefully mine will look as good as Richard 858s car a few posts up^^^^

Edited by madmarsie on Saturday 31st May 21:20

QBee

20,906 posts

143 months

Saturday 31st May 2014
quotequote all
These might interest you

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...

SP12 lookalikes with words on.

madmarsie

Original Poster:

122 posts

150 months

Saturday 31st May 2014
quotequote all
Thanks QBee, but if i can make the imolas work then i will be happy. Until i can find and afford a set of either SP12s, racelines or even better OZ pegasus smile like in this thread (retrowheels pic yes)
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Paul

ChimpOnGas

9,637 posts

178 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
TVR designed the Chimaera with 15" wheels on the front & 16s on the rear to achieve the correct rake, so if you choose to go 16s all round you really need to ensure the correct rake is dialed back in.

Easy if you've got adjustable coil overs, or you could select tyre profiles to help, I have 16s all round and did a bit of both.

Here's my car with some nose down rake dialed in on my Gaz Gold Pros with the rest courtesy of my tyre choice.
  • Fronts 205/45/R16
  • Rears 225/55/R16


I wanted the correct rake and a practical ride height, but I also wanted to fill the arches for the right look, the taller 55 profile rears help here.

The 55's also put a bit more air at the rear which noticeably improves the ride quality over our wonderfully paved roads in the UK rolleyes

I'm not big fan of low profile tyres on the road, all you end up with is a terrible ride and tram lining.

The Chimaera was designed as a modern interpenetration of the classic 60's sports car, stick rubber band tyres on and it looks totally wrong to me.

In 1887 John Boyd Dunlop came up with the genius idea of the pneumatic tyre, by filling a rubber bladder with air he revolutionised personal transport at a stroke.

These days it seems everyone thinks its a good idea to delete almost all the air by fitting low profile tyres, you might get away with it on a modern car with extremely sophisticated suspension designed for these rubber band tyres from the outset.

But on a Chimaera.... you definitely benefit from the genius of Mr Dunlop yes


Classichims

12,424 posts

148 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
Such a good explanation I'm thinking of putting my original wheels back on!

I like the old cars and their massive tyres, E Type race cars etc

I have a tyre width gauge somewhere, I'll dig it out and measure the outside dia of my original 15 up against the 17 I'm presently using!






madmarsie

Original Poster:

122 posts

150 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
I am currently on standard coilovers but adjustables are on the cards. My new 16s should be here early next week so i will experiment with tyre sizes. Did you have any problems fitting 205s to the 16s? Seems a bit narrow for a 7.5 wide rim?

I currently have 225/50/16s on the rear and was considering either a 225/40/16 or 215/45/16 but chimpongas's looks good with 205s on (which are the same size as my old 15" fronts?)

Hmm??
Paul smile

madmarsie

Original Poster:

122 posts

150 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
Classichims said:
I like the old cars and their massive tyres, E Type race cars etc
I know what you mean, there is something very nice about big fat balloon tyres on old race carsthumbup . Although i wont be going quite this far they are still cool. Like these-

http://www.redbubble.com/people/roibrooks/works/64...
http://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=269183
http://www.boldride.com/ride/1968/ford-gt40-gulfmi...

Paul

ChimpOnGas

9,637 posts

178 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
I have a thing about steering feel, steering feel is one of the tactile pleasures of driving, put unesserily wide tyres on the front and all you'll do is dull the steering feel.

This is why I went 205 on the front which fit perfectly on the 16" rims

There's really absolutely no need to have wider front tyres on a Chim than 205's unless you're into track days.

Call me old school but I also like to see some tyre wall on a classic...



Look how right this original Cobra looks on it's correct rims & boots cloud9





Now look how awful this replica Cobra looks on nasty aftermarket aloys and low profile tyres vomit





Wheels & tyres maketh the car yes

QBee

20,906 posts

143 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
The TVR standard set up of 205/55 15 and 225/50 16 gives a rolling diameter difference of 25 mm.
Chimpongas's set up gives a rolling diameter difference of around 63 mm.

I am not saying he is wrong......but I have always thought it was 25 mm for a reason.
Two of us have run the cars on track days with the same size wheels and tyres all round, and that has handled fine.

I am now careful to keep my set up as close to 25 mm different as possible - perhaps I am wrong?

To be fair to Chimpongas, he is more interested in comfort, I am more interested in flat high speed cornering.

Classichims

12,424 posts

148 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
You beauty, that's the idea, the Lotus, see the negetive camber on the rears, looks toed out also?
Looks broken, years ago another chap I knew had a Ford mustang with small front tyres and huge, massive rear ones, now that that some rake. I had an Opel Manta once and that came with American Firestones, rock hard stone cold tyre but I painted the Firestone White and loved em, hahahah, deadly in the wet.

I think Chimps on to something yet again!
Maybe a 14 in rim with bulging tyres over them.

I also like the look of all that smooth rubber on the side walls of these retro tyres all the classics are racing on.

The other week I watched a guy driving a 60's MBG Roadster flat out into Paddock hill( turn 1) Brandshatch and just leaning all over the rear tyres, sliding and scrubbing speed off in a deliberate action, he blew the others away, those tyres can take some stick.

I'm realising the only way I'm going to get 17's to feel good on the road is to get the softest tyres I can.

Alun

madmarsie

Original Poster:

122 posts

150 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
So is the 225/50/16 the genuine size for the chim?

Had a look on a tyre comparison chart and the tyres are as follows

225/50/16 631.4mm
205/55/15 606.5mm
225/45/16 608.9mm

So the size that Richard uses on his car (earlier in this thread) aren't too far from standard 15" combo diameter but with the extra width. So i think i will start there
Paul

ChimpOnGas

9,637 posts

178 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
QBee said:
The TVR standard set up of 205/55 15 and 225/50 16 gives a rolling diameter difference of 25 mm.
Chimpongas's set up gives a rolling diameter difference of around 63 mm.

I am not saying he is wrong......but I have always thought it was 25 mm for a reason.
Two of us have run the cars on track days with the same size wheels and tyres all round, and that has handled fine.

I am now careful to keep my set up as close to 25 mm different as possible - perhaps I am wrong?

To be fair to Chimpongas, he is more interested in comfort, I am more interested in flat high speed cornering.
When fully gassed up and with a 5 gallon fill of petrol I've got 30kg of additional weight in my boot Anthony, I've found this additional weight aids traction & improves handling, as we all know these cars are very light at the rear.

But in truth its all about balance, and in my case perfect balance is achieved adding by a small amount of additional forward biased rake.

A bit more tyre at the rear does help improve the ride quality too, so you can have optimised handling and a more refined ride at the same time.

Corner weighting helps take the guess work out of it wink


Edited by ChimpOnGas on Sunday 1st June 23:08

ChilliWhizz

11,990 posts

160 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
ChimpOnGas said:


AWESOME biggrin



GROSS... and just wrong on so many levels frown
Nice one CoG wink

Classichims

12,424 posts

148 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
Can anyone tell me what the outside diameter of the original 15F and 16R wheels with factory spec tyres are!
I have 17's all round and following chimps considerations I'm thinking similarly.

SILICONEKID345HP

14,997 posts

230 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
ChimpOnGas said:
I have a thing about steering feel, steering feel is one of the tactile pleasures of driving, put unesserily wide tyres on the front and all you'll do is dull the steering feel.

This is why I went 205 on the front which fit perfectly on the 16" rims

There's really absolutely no need to have wider front tyres on a Chim than 205's unless you're into track days.

Call me old school but I also like to see some tyre wall on a classic...



Look how right this original Cobra looks on it's correct rims & boots cloud9





Now look how awful this replica Cobra looks on nasty aftermarket aloys and low profile tyres vomit





Wheels & tyres maketh the car yes
That`s two extremes ! there is a half way house .

madmarsie

Original Poster:

122 posts

150 months

Sunday 1st June 2014
quotequote all
Classicchims 5 posts up ^^^
Paul

QBee

20,906 posts

143 months

Monday 2nd June 2014
quotequote all
ChimpOnGas said:
QBee said:
The TVR standard set up of 205/55 15 and 225/50 16 gives a rolling diameter difference of 25 mm.
Chimpongas's set up gives a rolling diameter difference of around 63 mm.

I am not saying he is wrong......but I have always thought it was 25 mm for a reason.
Two of us have run the cars on track days with the same size wheels and tyres all round, and that has handled fine.

I am now careful to keep my set up as close to 25 mm different as possible - perhaps I am wrong?

To be fair to Chimpongas, he is more interested in comfort, I am more interested in flat high speed cornering.
When fully gassed up and with a 5 gallon fill of petrol I've got 30kg of additional weight in my boot Anthony, I've found this additional weight aids traction & improves handling, as we all know these cars are very light at the rear.

But in truth its all about balance, and in my case perfect balance is achieved adding by a small amount of additional forward biased rake.

A bit more tyre at the rear does help improve the ride quality too, so you can have optimised handling and a more refined ride at the same time.

Corner weighting helps take the guess work out of it wink


Edited by ChimpOnGas on Sunday 1st June 23:08
That's interesting Dave. I agree that the cars look like they would be tail light, with all that air behind the petrol tank. But then I was told the balance, with just about all the major weight between the wheels, was close to a perfect 50/50, which confused me, because when you stand and look at the car, that makes sense.

I did think about sticking a paving slab in the boot........but decided it might just make me spin on track faster, rather than the (desired) less! And I am not about to test it out on the narrow twisty confines of Cadwell Paek today. hehe

I agree with your comments about over-trying 100%. I always have 215 fronts, and my track rears are 225 or 235. I would rather my tyres had some bite in such a light car.

Richard 858

1,882 posts

134 months

Monday 2nd June 2014
quotequote all
madmarsie said:
So the size that Richard uses on his car (earlier in this thread) aren't too far from standard 15" combo diameter but with the extra width. So i think i will start there
Paul
Just to clarify I have 16" Imolas all round with Toyo Proxes T1R 245/45/16 rear and currently 225/40/16 front. The fronts do not foul anywhere even without spacers but the previous fitment of 225/45/16 do look a bit better within the arch profile (IMHO & Daz's)) however ride height does need adjusting & 5 - 7mm spacers fitting to clear inner arches & wishbones properly.

I do like the look of some of the spider type wheels but as everyone knows, I'm a stickler for keeping everything original !!!!!

madmarsie

Original Poster:

122 posts

150 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all
Time for an update. Current set up is what came on the 2nd hand wheels-

Fronts 225/45/16 bridgstones on standard rear imola with 5mm spacer to clear brakes
Rear 225/50/16 Avons on standard rear imola with no spacers

Although the ride is quite good, on anything other than perfectly smooth surfaces the car tramlines really bad. So much so that if you hit a bump at more than 40mph it can tear the wheel out of your handeek

With the old 15" wheels (205s) i didn't get any tramlining or bump steer so am considering going to either 205/45/16s or 205/50/16s to try and settle it down a bit

Any advice?
Thanks guys

roseytvr

1,788 posts

177 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all
SILICONEKID345HP said:
Are you sure the 323 discs fit behind a 16" rim ? I have gone for 300mm just to be on the safe side .
I have 323 brembo conversion and they just fit behind my 16 inch estorils with 12mm spacers. They do not however fit behind my 16 inch TD wheels which will now have to go. If your thinking 16" Imola's I would try fitting them on someones car who has the upgrade fitted unless someone has already done it. I am Burton on Trent if that helps anyone.