Wheel deal?

[Jeb Stuart]

I put this in modified but did not get a response. I am hoping someone who reads this forum will have an answer thansk, Jeb

I would like to switch to 14" wheels on my SIII. Is this a good deal and a good fit? These are not Minilite wheels but copies by (the hubs say) MWS and sold by Great Britsh Car.

Below was pasted from their site

14x5.5" Minilight Wheels for Sunbeam, UK Ford- Silver
In Stock: 1 Details

Silver with polished lip 14x5.5 Minilight Wheels for Sunbeam Tiger, Alpine, UK Fords etc. 4x108 PCD (4x4.25). +23 offset. Chrome 7/16 lug nuts and center caps are included. Price is for a set of 4 wheels.
Price: $560.00

Thanks, Jeb

 

[dmich2]

Jeb. I read your post in modified and figured you probably received some PM's. Guess not.. Anyway, I'll chime in here. I have a SIV with 14" X 5.5 wheels and when I bought mine 215/60 x 14R
's were mounted. The only time I had a rub was pulling into my driveway where the twisting of the uneven concrete caused the rear to rub slightly. This past year, just before the Invasion, I replaced all the tires (as I knew the 215's were old and didn't trust them for the long trip) with 195/70x14's and WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!!! The car steers easier, due to the smaller 'footprint" of the tire, it's quieter and NO RUBBING at all. I've read in the Forum a key factor in wheel replacement is the offset. I know Jose has spoke on it as have others. My wheels are from a mid 80's T-Bird pictured here

Now here's how I understand it. A wheel consists of two parts, one I call the 'hub' which is the part that has the bolt holes and would be the spokes on a minilite, the second part is the 'rim' which the hub is attached to. This part, the rim, attaches to the tire. As I see it the offset of the hub needs to be towards the 'outside' of the rim and car, NOT towards the car, as one towards the inside would never allow clearance, unless you did some cutting.

I've seen plenty of Alpines with Minilites and I wouldn't think you'd have a problem, but hey.....I'm no expert.

That's my $2 and 47 cents worth.

Dennis

 

[Bill Blue]

I put this in modified but did not get a response. I am hoping someone who reads this forum will have an answer thansk, Jeb

I would like to switch to 14" wheels on my SIII. Is this a good deal and a good fit? These are not Minilite wheels but copies by (the hubs say) MWS and sold by Great Britsh Car.

Below was pasted from their site

14x5.5" Minilight Wheels for Sunbeam, UK Ford- Silver
In Stock: 1 Details

Silver with polished lip 14x5.5 Minilight Wheels for Sunbeam Tiger, Alpine, UK Fords etc. 4x108 PCD (4x4.25). +23 offset. Chrome 7/16 lug nuts and center caps are included. Price is for a set of 4 wheels.
Price: $560.00

Thanks, Jeb

Jeb, these wheels will "fit" your Alpine better than most of the aftermarket wheels fitted to Alpines. The 23 mm offset on 5.5" wheels should be very close to ideal. I have 13" X 5.5" with 18mm offset and 165mm tires. They work very well, but a few more mm of offset would be better. The 5.5" width will fit tires from 165mm to about 205 mm.

Are they a good deal? Beats me. Depends on what you want and what else is available at that price.

Bill

 

[Jeb Stuart]

Dennis and Bill,

Thanks for your replies. I think I'll go ahead and order these wheels. I'll let you all know how they turned out. I'll have to save up for tires so I won't have everything on until Spring. The tires I have on are in great shape but - my son just turned 16 and I was thinking about him driving the Alpine then I remember that I bought those tires shorty after he was born! Plenty of good tread but after 15 years of service it's time to replace them.