50 replies to this topic

[Bungle]

why not ask if they can be rated for road use

[cradley-heathen]

oh dear this is getting a bit heated isnt it?

my opinion, and it is only that is....... if i was driving my car with these golf cart wheels on it would always be in the back of my mind that they may not be up to the job.

every time i hit a pot hole by accident, or (heaven forbid) clip a curb etc, i would always be waiting to hear the sound of the wheel letting go and to feel the car pull across the road as the bottom ball joint digs into the tarmac.

now maybe you may never have a problem with them, maybe they might fail the first time you go out, who knows? but having this niggle in the back of my head would spoil a good drive for me. is it worth spoiling a good drive purely for the purpose of styling? not in my opinion.

[Shifty]

These things pop up every now and then and the same arguments always arise.

I personally don't like them and certainly wouldn't fit them to my car, they're gonna be an insurance nightmare in the event of an accident, I'm also not convinced that the tyres will fit properly.

Thats not my major concern though, these wheels are easily available and are cheap. There are people who sell them in the uk and I believe a company in Warwickshire imports them.

My over riding thought is that there is obviously money to be made out of these wheels, so why hasn't it been done already? Why are MWS not listing them on their website? I bet the amount they could buy would make them a very profitable proposition.

Why has some major parts supplier not started to import them, is it because they cannot be made safe for road use, are the tyres not up to the job, are they worried about the implications of selling a golf cart wheel for road use and then being responsible if it goes wrong?

[cradley-heathen]

that is a valid point shifty, and one i hadnt thought of.

[Driezzie]

Good point shifty !

still I also think they are the same as the potenza's back in the day. They could indeed bend or something like any other wheel on regular roads.

On the other hand I also believe that people who put some money in their car don't drive around like a maniac on regular roads and most likely drive with procaution. Bit too pricy for that.

[Mini_Magic]

Just because they've been fine on a race car, doesn't mean they're ok for a road car. Race tracks don't have pot holes and speed bumps for starters.

Also as said above, I bet your insurance company will love it when you tell them you've fitted golf cart wheels to you car.

[minimarco]

Kinda puts it into perspective what you are doing when you put them side by side doesn't it?

So to be on topic, no I'm not the least bit interested in your service, thanks anyway.

[buddylove]

I know that this will always be a heated discussion. My plan is to buy a set of one of the wheels in January and run them on my own Mini that I daily. I have to commute on some fairly pot hole filled roads. I am going to do it for my own piece of mind. If that goes well, I'll set up something small for those that are interested. We all know that Midland wheels has had issues with their wheels and that Force Racing modifies wheels and that people are running them with no issues. I have had a few wheels and none of them have had any stampings saying something about road legal use. If no one knew these wheels were Golf Cart wheels, I strongly doubt that we would be having this discussion. I am also planning on contacting the manufacturers for load bearing results on the wheels

[Driezzie]

@buddylove

JeffreyPang had them on his vtec mini this last season. He lives in Canada and the roads are also kinda horroble there. They are stamped with max load capacity of 500 lbs per wheel. You can also try contacting him.

[sonikk4]

Has anybody thought about asking the various insurance companies we use for our mini's to see what their thoughts are?? In the end these will be the people who have the ultimate say about what we can fit on our vehicles.

And yes before everyone says "but do you declare everything on your car" personally i do after a serious accident last year i for one could not of afforded the £20k plus fallout of the accident.

We as the forum team on behalf of TMF cannot condone the use of these wheels so if you do its entirely at your own risk.

[Bungle]

i guess the answer is to tell your insurance company you are running wheels not suitable for a road car and that the tyres fitted are also not for these wheels

if they are still happy to cover you get it in writing and your sorted if the worst should happen

Has anybody thought about asking the various insurance companies we use for our mini's to see what their thoughts are?? In the end these will be the people who have the ultimate say about what we can fit on our vehicles.

And yes before everyone says "but do you declare everything on your car" personally i do after a serious accident last year i for one could not of afforded the £20k plus fallout of the accident.

We as the forum team on behalf of TMF cannot condone the use of these wheels so if you do its entirely at your own risk.

[sonikk4]

Yes bungle i saw that you have said the same thing and i agree with you entirely.

[roofless]

these wheels were sold commercially for use on minis, via Gianni Potenza.

he had some special logos and text laser etched onto them, but its the same wheels which actually come originally from china.

he had TUV approval on them, but Im not sure what approval process is needed for wheels in the UK ??

mr Potenza appears recently to have removed his mini parts from his website to concentrate on monkey bike parts....the slammed bare metal racer is wearing potenza's version of these wheels.

theyre easy enough to buy direct from the manufacturer, but you have to take them 100 at a time minimum....but they can be in various anodised effect colours ( which I think is actually tinted laquer )

[buddylove]

I do see what you are saying, but please show me the proof that these companies have gone through all the testing that you guys say is necessary in order for them to be road legal. Both companies sell a lot of wheels, and I see no mention anywhere on their site of such a notice. Also, if the manufacturers are stating a load rating per wheel that is more then capable for our cars, I really don't see the issue.

http://www.force-racing.co.uk/

http://www.midlandwh...ByCar/MINI.html

Other then opinion, like everyone in this thread, please let me know the exact documentation as to why these won't work.

[Ethel]

I can guess what the insurers will say...

"No" because it's less hassle for them and zero risk.

Do we know what the 500lb mark means? A front corner of Mini may weigh slightly less, but it will generate a lot more load hitting a bump at Mini speeds than a golf cart ever will.