arter market wheels

[vodkakid]

i've been thinking of new wheels does anyone know what size you can go to and a good style that suits the car?? andy c

[PetrolTed]

Oooh sacrilege They look ok with the later Chimaera wheels but (IMHO) they look so good with a polished set of the original seven spokes.

[Paul V]

I saw an S with 17’s on it, I was surprised how good it looked with the big wheels, I thought mine looks good with the originals but now thinking of a set of 17’s or something similar. I don’t like the chimera wheels on the S.

[JSG]

I'm with Ted on this one - keep it original. 17" wheels - very max power, could go for wide rubber and flare the wheel arches as well. Each to their own, but I prefer originality. In most cases the manufacturer engineers the car for best all round performance (I know that maybe TVR could be viewed as an exception) and any changes will detract in some way, ie it may look more racy with 17" rims and very low profile rubber but the ride and handling will suffer. Some of the posts on the Tuscan wheel options bear this out. However I'm ok with Chimaera wheels as they were an option on the later S models, in fact I wouldn't mind a set for regular use - the OZ seven spokes are rare now and a bugger to keep from tarnishing. Anyone know of a decent set of Chimp wheels going s/hand? Do all year Chimp wheels fit or did they change during the production run? JSG Edited by JSG on Friday 28th September 15:02

[vodkakid]

i know this goes against the grain but my wheels and tyres arent to hot so i thought id do both in one go! i quite like the tuscan ones (a bit smaller though) andy c

[vodkakid]

plus its my every day car so i cant have it of the road to have the wheels cleaned up. plus i can feel the tyres roll side ways on corners ie side walls not up to much andy c

[johno]

In the world of S wheels my hat goes into the ring for the original S1 - 5 spoke wheels. I have some on mine and a spare set in the cellar. I don't like the 7 spoke ones - shoot me down in flames - but the Chimeara wheels look OK, but not convinced. In Steve Heaths book there is a picture of his original S1 with 18" Speedlines ! Looks OK, but not for me.. The other issue you will want to consider is that if you go to 17" wheels then you will be running 40/45 profile tyres. Can you imagine what it will be like to go over Cat's Eye's. You will feel every bus ticket you ride over. If it is your everyday car then this needs serious consideration.

[vodkakid]

i must admit i like the s1's slots andy c

[johno]

Did have the spare set for sale but since bending one of my mint condition (recent refurbed) 'slots' ended up refurbing one of the spares to go on the car. Thinking I will definitely keep them now as they do not make them anymore and the last set of good condition ones I saw for sale was £500. Not prepared to split the set either.

[PetrolTed]

Don't suppose that SO3's are available in the right size are they (whatever the profile should be). I'm running 205/55x15? at the moment and they do look a bit lost in the arches.

[johno]

SO2's and SO3's are only available upto 55 profile. I have just replaced my old RE71's with Bridgestone RE720's (avail. in 60 profile) which I am very very impressed with. I can't compare to SO whatevers, but in comparison to the RE71's they are leagues ahead.

[LeeBee]

I have the later Chimaera style wheels fitted to my S2, these were actually off of a V8S as these were fitted to the S4 and V8S (though I have seen all the wheels on V8S's).The difference is the Chimaera runs 16" wheels on the rear which do not fit on a S1/2/3 but will fit on the V8S and S4 due to the rear track being wider (as they have rear discs) the later cars did have 15" all round even though the 16" wheels fitted.I sold my set of original OZ's for these and regret it as they were near mint (and I almost gave them away ) but I will be fitting the 16" rears on mine as soon as I have sorted the rear disc conversion out.The original 7 spokes are very rare especially seeing as they were 8 spokes! Cheers LeeBee Edited by LeeBee on Friday 28th September 19:27

[loudandfast]

i run 17" alloys on my s2. i you have to be careful on style as this can make or break the cars looks.tyres are 215/40/17,s and the only mod is to trim the front wheel arch lip on the inside to stop the wheel on full lock slightly fouling. must admit they do look good in my opinion.

[JSG]

quote:The original 7 spokes are very rare especially seeing as they were 8 spokes!

Glad you spotted that one LeeBee, Of course although I typed seven - I meant eight.... Edited by JSG on Friday 28th September 22:51

[PetrolTed]

quote:i run 17" alloys on my s2. i you have to be careful on style as this can make or break the cars looks.tyres are 215/40/17,s and the only mod is to trim the front wheel arch lip on the inside to stop the wheel on full lock slightly fouling. must admit they do look good in my opinion.

Any pictures?

[vodkakid]

so will 16's be a straight fit? and do you just get them in a sierra fitting? andy c

[PetrolTed]

Anyone gone back to RE720's after S02's? I'd like to have tyres that fill the arches, but don't want to compromise my track day fun.

[PetrolTed]

Andy (LoudAndFast)'s profile now includes a piccy of his 17" wheels

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?memberId=765

[speedsix20]

Very interesting indeed, but I would not emphasise the presence of the rear brake drums by painting them bright silver.

[vodkakid]

i have now decided what to do about my wheels. im gona bye some suitable aftermarket ones and use them for every day running and while the originals are off i will get them tarted up and use em for special occasions

andy c