Wheel experts have a look!

[benebob]

Brought one new wheel home for a test fit onto the TVR today. Take a look and give your opinions they are a 15mm offset and 7.5 inches. They stick out about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch more than stockers which were 14sx7 with a 25mm offset. Inside their out about a 1/4 of an inch. This was the only one my tire guy could find that he thought would work. Ya think I'll have issues with rubbing or not? How do you think they'll look? Oh and they're also a little more bling then I'd prefer but at least they're round. Planning on 205/45 16s or if I don't have any issues with rubbing 205/50 16s. Might go to 215s too.

http://s185.photobucket.com/albums/x.../TVR%20Wheels/

[essveeexxee]

10 characters.

[benebob]

Originally Posted by essveeexxee

I think they'll look sharp. Don't know enough to say whether or not they'll rub. The one's that were on there would give it the retro look which I think is cool and would do to save the cash. (But you said something about being round so I may be missing something with the old ones.)

Looks like you're making some good progress. What have you got done and what else is there to do? That's going to be a nice looking car.

2 of the old ones are way out of round, they are missing center caps, (nearly impossible to find for 'em), two are missing the center cap nubs and all would need refinishing. It was more of a cost issue to go with some new wheels then a look. Plus the added benefit of being able to get a z rated tire.

Car is running and most all the electrics work. I'd say it idles around 85-90 decibels with a very mean pushrod sound. Need a rear marker, rear pads front bumper tires and mirrors and it is ready for inspection.

[SubaROO]

Honestly, I think they're too flashy. Too much chrome, and not sporty looking enough. But that's just my opinion.

It may be from a Miata website: but you can use this to compare your stock tire/rim size to what you're planning, to see how much difference there is.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

It may not tell you if they rub, but you could like, measure it or something I'm sure.

P.S. What kind of car is that?

[wawazat??]

Friends don't let friends put chrome wheels on sports cars Ben

Just say NO to chrome

[benebob]

Originally Posted by wawazat??

Friends don't let friends put chrome wheels on sports cars Ben

Just say NO to chrome

Well lets see. I have exactly 1 real option for a 112x5 23 offset and this is it, I could however wait the 6+ months until they make a batch in silver and keep it on blocks til then.

[benebob]

Originally Posted by SubaROO

Honestly, I think they're too flashy. Too much chrome, and not sporty looking enough. But that's just my opinion.

It may be from a Miata website: but you can use this to compare your stock tire/rim size to what you're planning, to see how much difference there is.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

It may not tell you if they rub, but you could like, measure it or something I'm sure.

P.S. What kind of car is that?

Oh I know how much difference there is. it is out 4mm in the rear, 16mm in the front. As far as measuring goes you would need to know the compression stroke length to do so which isn't the easiest thing to find out unless you mount tires and hit some good old fashion bumps and skid pads.

[SVXRide]

Don't be haters! Let brother Ben roll with his AMG-ish bling rims!

-Bill

[SubaROO]

Originally Posted by SVXRide

Don't be haters! Let brother Ben roll with his AMG-ish bling rims!

-Bill

Never! For the good of the car, honest.

[benebob]

Originally Posted by SubaROO

Never! For the good of the car, honest.

You're right, its much better to just park the car on blocks and say it'll look better without wheels.

[SubaROO]

It would pull off the block look better than the new Scion xB at least?

[svxistentialist]

Originally Posted by benebob

Brought one new wheel home for a test fit onto the TVR today. Take a look and give your opinions they are a 15mm offset and 7.5 inches. They stick out about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch more than stockers which were 14sx7 with a 25mm offset. Inside their out about a 1/4 of an inch. This was the only one my tire guy could find that he thought would work. Ya think I'll have issues with rubbing or not? How do you think they'll look? Oh and they're also a little more bling then I'd prefer but at least they're round. Planning on 205/45 16s or if I don't have any issues with rubbing 205/50 16s. Might go to 215s too.

http://s185.photobucket.com/albums/x.../TVR%20Wheels/

Ben

Like Todd and the guys are saying, chrome wheels on an English sportscar are a total no-no. Don't go there man.

That looks a very neat car, you will ruin it. Also, to leave it even marginally authentic you need to replicate the deep dish route of the wheels you have on there.

These are the wrong style to suit the car, and the fact that they are chrome to boot just makes them

Your car, your choice, but you would be making a big mistake.

Joe

[YourConfused]

Originally Posted by benebob

2 of the old ones are way out of round, they are missing center caps, (nearly impossible to find for 'em), two are missing the center cap nubs and all would need refinishing. It was more of a cost issue to go with some new wheels then a look. Plus the added benefit of being able to get a z rated tire.

Car is running and most all the electrics work. I'd say it idles around 85-90 decibels with a very mean pushrod sound. Need a rear marker, rear pads front bumper tires and mirrors and it is ready for inspection.

I don't care for the chrome or the M-class look of them on such a clean little British sports car.
I know that around here getting the wheels round again isn't that expensive, but I don't know what it cost to get them painted, blasted, or polished (whatever the finish you would like them to be) and the fact that you can't find the center caps sucks too. If you buy these just get the car driving would you be able to sell them and recoup most of your investment on them when you can get more 'fitting' wheels for the car?
As for the tire availability.....Why Z rated?
Is a re-drill an option that would offer up more wheel choices?

[BoxerFanatic]

Chrome is not necessarily a problem... classic cars have lots of chrome details. But that flat-face wheel design doesn't suit that car much at all. It isn't a late-80's, early 90s Mercedes Benz.

This car is begging for Panasport/Minilite-style wheels.

Several brands offer them...

Panasport ultralight: (may or may not offer 5-bolt pattern...)


Rota RB: (although only in 5x100 bolt pattern, or 4-bolt.)


What is the bolt pattern on that TVR? It is obviously 5-bolt from the pictures... but somehow I thought some old TVRs had 4-bolt hubs.

Being british, and older... I figure it is probably imperial measurement, and probably 5 bolts on a 4.5 circle. (5x4.5 = 5x114.3, same pattern as SVX, coincidently.)

If all else fails... there are these: MB Wheels Mesh X, 15 inch diameter, 6.5 inches wide (good for 205mm tires), 38mm offset. Even if the offset is too high, it is easier to add thin spacers to lower the offset, than to fit low offset wheels to cars like Subarus, which require very high offsets.

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...1&wd=15&rw=6.5


Liquidmetal Static: a more modern design, if you really want a resto-mod look... (classic car with modern wheels...) 15x7, 38mm offset, again, spacers are available to lower that number.
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...r=1&wd=15&rw=7


7-7.5 inch wide wheels, with shorter sidewalls, are starting to get into 215 or 225 width tires. Classic sports cars don't really look good (actually I don't think ANY car looks good) with tires narrower than the wheels. On cars built during the bias-ply tire era, even fitting radials to them, I would probably stick to a 50-series tire, and at least as wide as the wheel, if not a slightly over-sized width fitment, if it will fit in the old, narrow-ish wheel wells.

For 7.5, I would probably go with 215/50, or maybe even 225/50 or 215/55
For something closer to 6.5 or 7 inches wide, 205/55 or 215/50 as a wide fitment. 40 or 45 series might be a little short on sidewall for a car built for the Bias-ply era.

[bwb3]

Check out the Panasport wheels at Moss Motors (British Car Specialists)

http://mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProdu...eIndexID=71614

Panasport Wheel - 16" x 7"
Note: Weight 17.10 lbs, offset +22mm

Gene