13inch to 14inch, straight 4ward swap and fit or not?

[Alex37]

Hi,

I have 13inch standard, and am thinking of getting 14inch VTR Alloys on 185/55/14s. Would they be a straight 4ward swap and fit?

[LuS1fer]

You have to retain the same rolling radius as standard or your speedo will be out - so use an on-line tyre calculator to determine what tyres you need - usually a 1" increase in wheel size requires something like a 10% drop in profile, dependent on width.

[Alex37]

Oh yeah i didnt know its 10% but other than that, as long as they are the same stud pattern, it would fit wouldnt it?

So is it like for every inch increased is 10% per inch?

[mick_coupe]

Try this http://www.etyres.co.uk/tyre-size-calculator.htm

Mick

[Captain Muppet]

I'll do the tyre calcs for you if you like. Pop up the size you have on your 13" wheels.

All that I ask is that you don't mix numbers and letters in words as I find them very hard to read.

[Krikkit]

Yes they'll fit (assuming you have 4-stud hubs), but what's the point? You're seriously increasing unsprung weight which will reduce the ride quality - for a bit of shiny on a 1.1 Saxo.

[Alex37]

Okay i will put up the 13 tyre sizes in a bit, cba to go and freeze my tits off atm.

Im not doing it for the size, because otherwise i would just pick up some 17s. Im doing it because they are cheap as chips and are better than steelies

[monthefish]

Krikkit said:

You're seriously increasing unsprung weight which will reduce the ride quality -

He's changing from steel wheels to alloys, so he isn't necesarily increasing weight.

Ride quality may decrease slightly by virtue of smaller profile tyres (assuming he's maintaining rolling radius), but if the wheels are lighter then that may offset this somewhat.
Regardless, there is a good chance the steering will feel a bit more direct on a smaller sidewall tyre which is a good trade-off in my book (within reason of course)

Krikkit said:

on a 1.1 Saxo.

1. What's wrong with a 1.1 Saxo? Agreed it's not going to feature on any exotica lists, but neither is a 106 Rallye, and Saxo's are quite good little cars for their day.
2. There's probably more scope to modify a 1.1 Saxo into a PH'er car than there is a 106 Rallye.



OP - Ignore grandpa Krikkit.
Do what you like - it's your car. I take you've checked all offset compatibility etc?

Edited by monthefish on Thursday 4th April 14:01

[Alex37]

The current tyres i have on the 13s is 155/70/R13. Whats offset copacity ?

[Alex37]

copacity? WTF? i meant compatibility.

[monthefish]

Alex37 said:

copacity? WTF? i meant compatibility.

Wheel offset info

You'll probably be OK if they're both Citroen wheels, but worth checking before you buy.

[Captain Muppet]

doogz said:

Offset won't be a problem, your speedo will be out by around 2.2%.

As long as you have 4 stud hubs as opposed to the early 3 stud ones that came on the 1.0 and I think some of the 1.1s, you'll be fine.

The speedo will be under-reading by about 1mph at 60mph.
Your ride height will go up by just under 6mm.
Your car will accelerate a tiny bit slower.
>opens can of worms<
And you'll have to tell your insurer.

[430T]

Remember to tell the insurance company

[Krikkit]

monthefish said:

Krikkit said:

You're seriously increasing unsprung weight which will reduce the ride quality -

He's changing from steel wheels to alloys, so he isn't necesarily increasing weight.

Ride quality may decrease slightly by virtue of smaller profile tyres (assuming he's maintaining rolling radius), but if the wheels are lighter then that may offset this somewhat.
Regardless, there is a good chance the steering will feel a bit more direct on a smaller sidewall tyre which is a good trade-off in my book (within reason of course)

Krikkit said:

on a 1.1 Saxo.

1. What's wrong with a 1.1 Saxo? Agreed it's not going to feature on any exotica lists, but neither is a 106 Rallye, and Saxo's are quite good little cars for their day.
2. There's probably more scope to modify a 1.1 Saxo into a PH'er car than there is a 106 Rallye.



OP - Ignore grandpa Krikkit.
Do what you like - it's your car. I take you've checked all offset compatibility etc?

Edited by monthefish on Thursday 4th April 14:01

You're right monthefish - it's his car and he can do what he likes! I'm just playing devil's advocate really.

The 13" steels are definitely lighter than the VTR alloys in 14", steel wheels are lighter than OE alloys in every case that I've encountered (right up past 15").

A bit more direct steering is a bonus, but the ride and handling on the 1.1's are a good balance of comfort/grip for their power, why mess it up?

I've no pretensions about my own car - it's a cheap, crappy french hatchback that occasionally makes a minor list of unimportant warm hatchbacks... In 50 years no-one will say "Wow, remember those, I saw one parked up next to a Ferrari F50 today and there was no-one looking at the Ferrari!".

But, having been loitering around the 106/Saxo brigade for a couple of years (for better or worse), I've picked up on what most folks reckon are the best things to do. In my opinion the 1.1 and lower-powered ones are best left alone (as are the higher-powered ones, but that's another story); if you want to spend money on them get some suspension bushes and shocks replaced to get the ride just-so and enjoy.

Edited by Krikkit on Thursday 4th April 17:01

[Alex37]

Im not going to lie but i think im reading into this just a little too much. Yes, steering, ride height, comfort and weight are all important components dont get me wrong,they all count, but at the end of the day its my first car. its no GTR and it gets me to work and back.
For the moment, and for the next 8-9months it will do. If i was building a race car which was my 4-5th car then yes, throw money at it, and think about these components, but at the end of the day its 40 pound for alloys and tyres all in. People tell me not to waste my money but untill i do it, im not going to listen I will keep you all posted anyways.

Cheers all

[Krikkit]

It's your first car? Apologies! That's what they're for. As long as you don't end up with Lexus-alike lights and a shopping list of tuners down the side you carry on!

[Buff Mchugelarge]

It's your first car. Stick VTR wheels on it, chuck a silly back box on it too while your at it. The 1.1's sound great

Most of all enjoy!

My first car was a diesel 106, I loved that car. Noone else did! but I loved it. Small French things are great fun

[AlexRS2782]

Krikkit said:

It's your first car? Apologies! That's what they're for. As long as you don't end up with Lexus-alike lights and a shopping list of tuners down the side you carry on!

No just a set of neons based on his most recent post

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

In answer to the original question, the Saxo VTR wheels,once fitted, will stick out of the arches a bit on a 1.1 non bodykitted saxo. The width & offset of the wheels on the VTR/VTS models is different to the basic 4 stud steels on the non kitted cars.

All this info is pretty much covered numerous times over on a forum like Saxsperience & easily found using a simple Google (other search providers available ) search.

Edited by AlexRS2782 on Thursday 4th April 18:10

[scott15]

Just do it. Its just a 1.1 saxo. You'll notice absolutely no difference at all, apart from it will grip more in the corners. Offset will be fine, aswell as centre bore. The speedo's on 106's and Saxo's are bad anyway from standard.

Before anyone says i am wrong, and not to listen to me, Ive had three of these now, and there is nothing to worry about at all. Ive changed the wheels on each one ive had, and had no adverse effects whatsoever.

If you are planning on lowering, you will need to roll the arches, however this is a normal thing to do with these cars, and doesn't take much effort at all.