itr WHEELS

[hopes]

would this be a good choice for beat?

beat has 4 studs right?

is it better for the rear wheels to be bigger than the front ones??

or is 15" front 15" rear alright?

kinda urgent cuz somoene is selling itr wheels for cheap

[tinytim]

Hi Hopes,

Don't be tempted by a quick bargain, it could cost you a lot more in the long run.

There's a bit more to it than the rim size, the Beat studs are on a 100mm PCD ie the centre of the studs diagonaly opposite are 100 mm apart (ford are larger, some are smaller)

You also need to consider the width of the rim. the front ones on the Beat are 4.5 inches the rear are 5. If you go too wide the tyre will foul the springs.

There is also the "offset" (Cut and paste this link)
http://www.u-ukhbc.co.uk/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=282&highlight=offset

I've just fitted 15 x 6 rims all round in order to do this I had to fit 15mm spacers to the rear and 25mm to the front, I also had to fit extended studs, these were not available from honda so I had to fit Ford ones. Ford studs are 1/32nd of an inch larger than the original so I had to remove all 4 hubs and ream the holes to the larger size.

If you do this the wheels will sit proud of the wheel arches (illegal on the road) so be prepared to flare them.

[hopes]

is it 'better' to have the rear real larger than the front..
ie if i were to upsize my wheels.. to have 15 rear and 14 front.?

or is 15 f and 15 r alright?

if i hvae both 15''s... would it be better to have larger size tyres at rear?

[tinytim]

Hi Hopes,

The ideal situation would be to fit a tyre/wheel combination that matches the original overall diameter. To do this with 15" rims on the rear you need to loose 1" off the tire profile BUT the tyre profile is given as a reference to the tyre width i.e. 195/45 R15 means the tyre is 195 mm wide with a profile at 45% of the width and fits a 15" rim. A 185/45 R15 will have a slightly lower profile and thus make the diameter of the wheel smaller. SO the tyre selection depends on the rim width aswell. Why does all this matter? the speedo works off the number of revolutions turned, changing the diameter of the wheel changes the distance traveled per revolution and so means your speedo is not telling the truth.
The other problem is that the tyre/wheel forms the final calculation in the cars gearing. If you put a larger wheel on you will reduce the torque at the road and so slow the cars acceleration. Will you gain more on top speed? No, not without increasing the engine output.

These issues really only apply to the rear wheels as the front wheels simply roll along the floor BUT (there is always a but!). The smaller front wheels lower the front of the car, if you lift it you will affect the air flow and MAY find the front of the car lifts at speed (I did). Now the Beat is never going to go fast enough to flip but the front wheels provide the steering and the bulk of breaking force. I have found the steering becomes very light and gettig hit by the crosswind on the Severn bridge is not a pleasent experience, don't forget the car only weighs 700kg and most of that already sits on the rear axle.

I'm in the process of fitting 15" 6JJ (6in wide) rims all round, there are a few issues of creating clearence from the body, which I've sorted out but I'm now looking for an economical way of lowering the front end.

In answer to your questions, fit the original size if you can or speak to an expert if you can't. (Halfords, in my experience, is not the place to go for advice go to a specialist if only to get the information.)
I can send you a sheet that gives tyre diameters in mm against the tyre size if you PM your e-mail.

Tim

[Midship]

Hi Tim- lot of good points there.. just wondering if the car handled better with 15`s all round? im going for 14" all round with the standard 165-60-14 tyre in the hope of eliminating some understeer

[tinytim]

I fitted 15" x 6JJ with 195 low profiles on giving the same diameter as the standard rear wheels, steering was a little heavy when manouvering but managable. The biggest problem was the lightness at speed. I'm guessing that lifting the front end is causing it and so either weight is needed in the front or some other form of down force (scoops) OR drop the sus on the front.
I can't really run it with the new wheels on cos they stick out a bit on the back and a lot on the front. To be honest it was bloomin' scary at the 100mph mark so beware when you do it, a decent gust of wind side on is likely to make your pants wet :(

[tinytim]

Further to you post Mids,

I take it you've done your A chip?

Your understeer is quite possibly due to tyre deformation, changing the profile from 155/65 to 165/60 may well solve it but if you could go onto a 165/55 your only slightly (5mm ish) bigger than the original fronts
Can you get 165/55 R14s?

Tim

[Midship]

Thanks Tim, No chip yet :( I take your point about changing the profile between the front and rear, but i have 4 165/60/14`s knocking around so im gonna use them, ill put a post up when i have them fitted. Just saw an LSD on yahoo looks yummy but at over a grand i think i can forget about drifting in my beat for now

[tinytim]

Yes! Do post when you've done it I'd be interested to hear how you get on, I'm simply assuming that lifting the front is causing the lightness in steering but it could be a host of other things.