9 replies to this topic

[MiniMonty]

Hi all,

Mimi has rubbish tyres. Came with a set of wheels I bought via ebay and the seller was honest about it.
("Great wheels - cheap but legal Polish tyres- say no more").

So I recently started looking into what I could replace them with.
I referred to ANORAK's thread about wheels and mine turn out to be RSP minilites.
Looks like I can fit 165 yokos to them but in his excellent and exhaustive essay he suggests that
I should put 5mm spacers at the rear - and longer studs - do people agree ?

Only reason I ask is that I looked up a pair of 5mm spacers on the Minispares site and it says (to quote)
"these come without studs because they're so skinny the original studs should work".

Mimi is a daily drive and has to ferry my own (and sometimes other people's) kids to and from school so although
I MUST fit better tyres I want to do it the safest (and of course best looking) possible way.

All and any advice much appreciated.


Best wishes
Monty

[Bungle]

when the 165 tyres first came out you could get them in a kit

4x165 tyres, longer wheel studs and 2x 5mm spacers

thats how i bought mine

[Ibexx]

You could fit the 5mm on the original studs. However while you're taking the wheels of you might as well replace them (depending how old they are). How old is Mimi? Has it got the build in spacers at the back. If it does I wouldn't bother.

[jaydee]

its all depending on wheels offset..
With rover minilites (4.5x12") u'd better fit 5mm spacer with longer studs (sportpack studs??). U can fit 165 without spacers, obviosly, but u gonna have a very little clearence betwheen tyres and radius arms, so to be safe fit spacers. I fit longer studs too because with this kind of spacer u'll have only a few threads remaining to lock nuts in a safe way.

[Lukie-J]

I have had 5mm spacers on my car for over a year now. I never bought longer studs and they have worked fine.
I have been round the go-kart track a few times at Haynes pushing pretty hard and had no problems with it.
I only changed them for 30mm spacers yesterday (and got new studs)
I believe the Sportpack studs are 85mm long? I bought these for my 30mm spacers and they were too long by a fair bit.
Easiest way to do it is to measure your wheel stud and add 5mm to it (not guess like i did )
Although, depending on the age of your car, you may already have spaced drums and might not need them.
Where's anorak when you need him!!

Edited by Lukie-J, 27 April 2009 - 09:58 AM.

[Prawn]

30mm spacers :S that's pretty scary! DO you own your own wheel bearing company?

[rozzer1275]

96 rover cooper had 165 wide dunlops fitted to the 12" 4.5 mini alloy wheel, and there was not wheel spacers fitted to the rear, but worth fitting if the rear arms are worn, and if you want it to look a little wider, could try 3mm with the original studs.

I would have the nuts screw onto the studs at lease the thickness of the stud.

as already said, alot depends on the wheels, how deep are the stud holes, what is the offset like.

[Wil_h]

You'll be fine with 5mm spacers and standard studs.

The additional rear track with the 5mm spacers can affect the handling. Basically changing the ballance to slightly more understeer. Not something you'll notice if you're just pootling around though.

[MiniMonty]

So I bowled down to Minispares Midlands and got 4 Yokohama A539s.
Sorely put out that the TMF+ discount doesn't apply at the Midlands brach by the way...

Bought two pairs of 5mm spacers (as I thought they might be needed on the front) and went to see
my tyre place. Fitted no probs - no spacers needed on the front and no studs needed on the back.
Tested them lock-to-lock in the place and all was well but driving home I start to hear some odd noises
from the front with full lock and noises from the back over the odd speed bump .

At the front I think the tyres are fouling on the arches (which are about to be removed and replaced with
works type / group 2) so no worries there (I hope) but what do people think about noises from the back
over bumps ?

Mimi was born in Birmingham in 1988 as a Mayfair with front discs by the way.

Best wishes
Monty

PS - they look well tasty and she no longer spins her wheels every time I pull away : )

[998dave]

Noise at the back will be why you need the spacers, tyres touch the radius arms in bump and cornering, (wall flex).

Front touching the arches, you may need to look at where they're touching, and how badly they're scrubbing, if it's only on full lock and bump then don't worry too much, if it's everytime then check it staticly again, and work out where it's touching and what's going on.