PS, I'm still running the 165/80s the car came with (some rather ragged Pirellis that are showing their age). I've only had the car a month though, and want to drive on this size tire a bit before making a decision on what to mount.
It handles crisply with these, but I'm not happy with the look of the steelies. For now though, I've put this off until I need to replace these tires, which appears to be sooner than I'd hoped.
Chas
tyres
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Chasm61
Re: tyres
In case you are curious and think my math is off... a 5.5" wheel is ACTUALLY about 6" overall width due to width of the inner and outer flanges. Published width of a wheel is measured INSIDE the flanges. Backspace is measured from the mounting plate to the inner flange.
The extra 1/2 inch (.25+.25) is not exact, and differs a little based on the wheel type, material, width, etc, but it's close enough for estimating, or so I've been told...
Chas
The extra 1/2 inch (.25+.25) is not exact, and differs a little based on the wheel type, material, width, etc, but it's close enough for estimating, or so I've been told...
Chas
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Ed Levin
Re: tyres
Chas
A decent rule of thumb is that any wheel used on any Fulvia will work on any other model Fulvia, with the exception that the 6" rims only work on the 1600 coupes (and the 6x13 Cromodoras from the S1 1,6HF won't work on S2 1600s, which need 6x14s for brake clearance).
The 5.5x14 Cromodora Flavia wheels will also work on Fulvias (as both models are FWD, which require similar offsets), and this seem to be a very popular choice for Fulvia coupes because they look like the 6x14 wheels, but don't have clearance problems. BTW, add-on arch extensions won't cure the problem with the 6" rims.
165 tires will work with 5.5 rims, as will 175s, but the latter is mostly a moot point, as 175/70s are *not* an equivalent for 165/80. Theoretically, 175/75s would work, but why? A better answer is a good set of 165/80s, such as the re-issued Michelin XAS.
A decent rule of thumb is that any wheel used on any Fulvia will work on any other model Fulvia, with the exception that the 6" rims only work on the 1600 coupes (and the 6x13 Cromodoras from the S1 1,6HF won't work on S2 1600s, which need 6x14s for brake clearance).
The 5.5x14 Cromodora Flavia wheels will also work on Fulvias (as both models are FWD, which require similar offsets), and this seem to be a very popular choice for Fulvia coupes because they look like the 6x14 wheels, but don't have clearance problems. BTW, add-on arch extensions won't cure the problem with the 6" rims.
165 tires will work with 5.5 rims, as will 175s, but the latter is mostly a moot point, as 175/70s are *not* an equivalent for 165/80. Theoretically, 175/75s would work, but why? A better answer is a good set of 165/80s, such as the re-issued Michelin XAS.
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Chasm61
Re: tyres
Huib...
If the 5.5x14 wheel is used with the same tire (165/80) and backspace (~4.5 inches) as the narrower wheels, can you clarify the need for a bump-stop adjustment? Not doubting you, just want to understand
the details as best I can given my limited experience with Fulvias...
Thanks!
If the 5.5x14 wheel is used with the same tire (165/80) and backspace (~4.5 inches) as the narrower wheels, can you clarify the need for a bump-stop adjustment? Not doubting you, just want to understand
the details as best I can given my limited experience with Fulvias...
Thanks!
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Huib Geurink
Re: tyres
Well, 5.5 is 1 inch wider than 4.5.
This extra width is always on the outside of the wheel. NEVER on the inside because there is simply no room. If you keep the width of the tires at 165 mm it means the outer edge of the tire moves outward by a1/2 inch. This is enough to give an interference problem with the rear wheel arches. You may not notice it if you have healthy springs, light people in the car, nothing in the boot and no traffic bumps. I always like to play very very safe and make sure there is no problem never. Not with 4 people and luggage in the car and not with 2 people and a 100 bottles of wine in the boot (the usual load when I return from Italy). Even with a broken spring (this happens) I like to be able to drive home.
I had the interference problem on Elena my S1 coupe with the 6x13 Cromodora's with 165/80R13 tires. I changed to 5.5x13 Stilauto wheels hoping the interference would go away. It did not. I added 40 or 45 mm (don't remember exactly) to the rubber bump stopper at the rear. This worked. However, with 200.000 km extra on the springs, the axle hits the bumper at almost every bump in the road, which is no good for the car, no good for the wheelbearings and no good for myself. I don't know about the wine. Since april 1 I am driving Tina, my other S1 coupe. She is on the standard steel wheels.
This extra width is always on the outside of the wheel. NEVER on the inside because there is simply no room. If you keep the width of the tires at 165 mm it means the outer edge of the tire moves outward by a1/2 inch. This is enough to give an interference problem with the rear wheel arches. You may not notice it if you have healthy springs, light people in the car, nothing in the boot and no traffic bumps. I always like to play very very safe and make sure there is no problem never. Not with 4 people and luggage in the car and not with 2 people and a 100 bottles of wine in the boot (the usual load when I return from Italy). Even with a broken spring (this happens) I like to be able to drive home.
I had the interference problem on Elena my S1 coupe with the 6x13 Cromodora's with 165/80R13 tires. I changed to 5.5x13 Stilauto wheels hoping the interference would go away. It did not. I added 40 or 45 mm (don't remember exactly) to the rubber bump stopper at the rear. This worked. However, with 200.000 km extra on the springs, the axle hits the bumper at almost every bump in the road, which is no good for the car, no good for the wheelbearings and no good for myself. I don't know about the wine. Since april 1 I am driving Tina, my other S1 coupe. She is on the standard steel wheels.
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Chasm61
Re: tyres
LOL...
I can't imagine ever loading this car down with that much weight! I guess it happens though. As for camping gear and kids, I have neither!
Interesting that the extra inch in wheel width, all outside as you point out, makes such a difference. You'd think the section width of the tires, up closer to the arches, would be more important to clearance than the width of the wheels themselves. What is the section width difference of the same 165/80 on a 4.5 vs 5.5 inch wheel? Anybody done that math?
I can't imagine ever loading this car down with that much weight! I guess it happens though. As for camping gear and kids, I have neither!
Interesting that the extra inch in wheel width, all outside as you point out, makes such a difference. You'd think the section width of the tires, up closer to the arches, would be more important to clearance than the width of the wheels themselves. What is the section width difference of the same 165/80 on a 4.5 vs 5.5 inch wheel? Anybody done that math?