After market wheels

P

Phoenix

New Member
Guys.... can any of you please give advice and thoughts about after market wheels for our cars?

Can the P6 happily accept larger diameter wheels and if so what size tyres should be fitted? What would be the largest diametre wheels that can be fitted without damaging the ride and handling of the car?
 
Hello Phoenix. This is an old chestnut that has been discussed on here ad nauseum! The short version; there's not a lot available that fits! The unusually large 'pitch circle diameter' combined with the transverse movement of the De Dion axle and the design of the 'D' post part of the inner rear mudguard are all possible problem areas. There's a recent thread in the Suspension and Steering section with an overview of alloy wheels. People have fitted Jeep Cherokee rims, I've seen Jensen Interceptor wheels on a P6, it really is all here if you take the time to use the search function ;) Cosmic and Dunlop alloys are perios dorrect and look nice. There are all sorts of varieties of eight-spoke 'Minilites'/'Superlites', some are poor quality, more expensive ones aren't likely to be badly made. If you are brave and have a deeep wallet you could get custom wheels made to measure. I've spent many a winter evening getting creative with image manipulation software, a good sideview of a P6, and custom wheel pictures of the web...
 
I have 205 14's on mine, it has improved the handling and braking, I havent noticed a change in fuel consumption. I think that a standard p6 handling is not the greatest in the world at best and that other improvements should be carried out first such as larger sway bar uprated shocks all of which are slated to be done on mine shortly ( have done the shocks). I have driven one p6b here in CHCH NZ which has had extensive work done on suspension and steering but the overal affect has ruined the character of the car and made it uppleasant to drive, so I would suggest that changes in geometry and spring rates plus tyres needs to be tempered with pleasantness of ride.

Graeme
 
Hi Phoenix

I'll have a go at reprising the collected wisdom on wheels..

The problem is the layout of the base unit (not the wings) at the rear. There is a very limited clearance between the rear of the mudguard and the small piece of double skin D post at roughly 10 past the hour as looking at the offside rear. The biggest tyre section that will fit in this gap is 205, and only then if you get the offset of the wheel spot on. The problem is compounded by poor quality control on the base units - mine is substantially different between offside and nearside! If you want to go beyond this then major bodywork mods beckon including to the rear doors.

The only readily available wheel that does the job for this tyre size (205/65 X 15 to keep the same rolling diameter) is the 15" cross-spoke design off the SD1 Vitesse. Even then you may need to skim the mating face by a couple of mm.

To my knowledge nobody has yet actually bought and fitted a modern wheel new. In theory it should be possible to get wheels of the correct offset made up to order by some of the American custom wheel shops.

The P6 responds vey well to wider tyres, amongst other things reducing (!) the steering effort and reducing roll understeer. Low profile doesn't suit the character of the suspension unless you are going all out for a harsh race set up. There are some well established suspension mods which improve things significantly, notably Classeparts' enlarged front roll bar and adjustable AVO shockers. It is possible to get firmer single or dual rate springs for the rear as well.

None of these need dramatically alter the basic charcter of the car, just sharpen it up usefully.

Hope that helps

Chris
 
I think realistically, you can't fit much wider than 6.5-7" rims on without serious mods to the D post. Also, the larger the wheel diameter, the lower profile the tyres you have to fit and unless you are planning serious suspension stiffening, the P6 suspension design tends to round the front tyres off on the edges. This is not a big issue on higher profile or wide oval tyres, but with modern low profiles with their square shoulders, you could render them illegal in 5000 miles.
How far do you want to go? If you are planning a track day car or race vehicle, then by all means chop up the D posts, flare the arches, lower and stiffen the suspension and put some 17"s on it but if you just want to bling up you road car a bit, the super low tyres will just ruin the ride quality and wear out quickly. Better to stick with 15 x 6.5" rims and 205/65 tyres.
Also, suspension clearances seem to vary from car to car so just because someone got some Jeep Cherokee wheels to fit without mods, doesn't necessarily mean that you can. Choose carefully and trial fit before you buy if at all possible.
 
Just to be a nitpicking, pedantic ass; Jeep Grand Cherokee wheels are typically 17 inch and 7.0J width,127.0mm PCD and +31.7mm offset. Should fit a P6 ( with spacers and a stud change )

Need to change the P6B Wheel stud lengths to M11 to fit these too

I run 17" x 7.5in ( 225/50 / 17 tyres ) aftermarket alloys with King Springs and a small amount of "creative hammering" to one sides "B" pillar effected clearance with no issues, 7.5inch width will work if you have the wheel offset sorted

As for affecting "ride quality" the P6 was way too softly sprung to begin with and anything that firms that up and reduces the wallowing barge effect has to be a Plus...

GW
 
Just to be a nitpicking, pedantic ass; Jeep Cherokee wheels are typically 15 inch and 7.0J width, 114.3mm PCD and +31mm offset. Should fit a P6 ( with spacers and a stud change )

Jeep (Grand ) Cherokee wheels, a different Beast, will also fit, with spacers. 5mm to the Front, 10mm to the Back. The Cherokee tyres are: 225/50/17"s

Grand Cherokee Wheels are: 114.3mm PCD, Offset is +31.7mm Need to change the P6B Wheel stud lengths to M11 to fit these too
Click to expand...

Sorry, I should have specified the 'Grand'. However, just to be even more picky, Grand Cherokee wheels have a 127mm pcd, same as the P6. Regular Cherokee wheels with the 114.3 pcd will not fit without redrilling the hub.

As for affecting "ride quality" the P6 was way too softly sprung to begin with and anything that firms that up and reduces the wallowing barge effect has to be a Plus...
Click to expand...

It does of course depend on what you expect from your car. You can spend many thousands of $$$ getting your P6 to accelerate like a Ferrari and corner like a Go-kart or you can spend $3000 on a 15 year old Japanese car that will leave the P6 for dead (performance wise) without any mods at all.
I personally buy P6s because I love the style and quality and appreciate the comfy ride and capable performance and handling. I certainly wouldn't buy a Ford Pop or such simply because they aren't built well, don't go, stop, corner or keep up with traffic.
One of the best things about P6s IMO is that they are an entirely useable and practical bona fide classic without having to totally upgrade them. :)
 
over the years i hasve found myself with about 6 different sets of aftermarket p6 wheels
assuming tat rostyles are after market that is!
i have 14" rostyles
15" rostyles
a set of minilites,
wolfrace slots
a set of minilie copies calles carbonaro or something
revolution wheels which i'm fitting saturday
the chrome dunlop ones i put photos of on here before
and a set of star mags!
obviously i can't count cos there are 8 sets!
i put them on purely for the cosmetic effect cos i like it!
not too keen on the wolfrace but thety have no centres!
couldn't afford centres for my rostyles so i used a silver jamjar lid with a rocer badge stuck over the retaing screw i put in the middle! it works for my bank account!
they all ride and handle ok
but then my main car has a 5 speed box, p/steering and a small wheel so its hardly original anyway!
the small steering wheel is terrific!
apart i never know if i'm on full beam or not! but i'm soon told if i am!
jules
 
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