I took the (some might say) rash step of digging out the alloys that were stored over the cold months and decided to chuck them on the car today.

Well, I say 'chuck', I spent a couple of hours cleaning the car first, then considerable time applying a couple of coats of wheel sealant (poorboys stuff I bought when I got the car but never bothered to apply) to all of the wheels, before thoroughly cleaning under each arch (clean black suspension and blue under arches again!). So by the time I had all of the wheels on, it was dark, which means I'm afraid there's no pics!

So here's one from 18 months ago to remind myself



Interesting to do a ride comparison again - the car feels a bit more 'grown up' with the (much) heavier, wider wheels. It pitches more, rolls less, and is quite boingy, but seems happy and I like it, and it looks loooooooovely.

But the springs and dampers still suck!

They're gritting around here this evening.

Temps are going up to double figures in the forecasts next week, don't forget I'm living daaaaan saaaaaf.

The tyres aren't in their ideal temp range yet, granted..

Hi BGUNN

Any tips on how to clean the chrome exhaust....giving my TA a spit and polish tomorrow, but not sure how to tackle the exhaust?
Thanks in advance

Solvol Autosol metal polish.

My 500 has worn its alloys all through the winter

306maxi said:

My 500 has worn its alloys all through the winter

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B' B' But...

You traitor!

B b b but it never moved a wheel when it was snowy and when it was cold i took the Panda

True, makes sense really..

In my current situation, more than one car is impossible - otherwise I'd do the same (or similar)..

Strangely enough, i may chuck the steelies on the 500 and run them till they're worn out.

I swapped my alloys around, front to back so that the wear is evened out (the fronts were a couple of mm lower than the rears when I took them off), as I'd rather bin the whole set of tyres at once.

same here. If,not for the dealership stuffing my tracking up I'd be on my original summers still at nearly 50k miles.

306maxi said:

same here. If,not for the dealership stuffing my tracking up I'd be on my original summers still at nearly 50k miles.

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Nahhhh, you got something wrong there. Dealership... ...not ..get a job right?

Hmmmmm.

bgunn said:

Nahhhh, you got something wrong there. Dealership... ...not ..get a job right?

Hmmmmm.

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To be fair they've been pretty much spot on otherwise. We all make mistakes. Now am I going to take my car back? Hmmmm not sure.....

306maxi said:

To be fair they've been pretty much spot on otherwise. We all make mistakes. Now am I going to take my car back? Hmmmm not sure.....

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You're lucky. Mine has been universally ****e. Still, the car is fully under my custodianship for service, and it's never felt better. Keeps me amused at the weekends too..

Now, where did I put that bank card for these B14s...

Your car looks lovely with the alloys on! Best wheels too imo (although the new 500s 16" alloys may just be nudging ahead in my eyes)

According to weatherpro, it was -4 here overnight, but it's going to be going up to +12 by Wednesday so alloys back on for me today too.
The winters have barely worn so this 2 sets of wheel malarkey will imo work out no more expensive by the time both sets need replacing, and will even save money in the long term.

Took the car out for a couple of hundred mile drive today, and I have to say, with the current suspension, I prefer it with more unsprung mass (i.e. the bigger wheels), and less tyre sidewall deflection.

The car is jiggly and twitchy, just the same, but it feels a bit more 'grown up'. Turn in is more immediate, and obviously the car feels more planted when pushed harder. Amusingly, the fuel consumption appears to be better too, despite the tyres being 20mm wider. I suspect winter tyres probably have a pretty high rolling resistance compared to the rather treadless (in comparison) summers.

bgunn said:

Took the car out for a couple of hundred mile drive today, and I have to say, with the current suspension, I prefer it with more unsprung mass (i.e. the bigger wheels), and less tyre sidewall deflection.

The car is jiggly and twitchy, just the same, but it feels a bit more 'grown up'. Turn in is more immediate, and obviously the car feels more planted when pushed harder. Amusingly, the fuel consumption appears to be better too, despite the tyres being 20mm wider. I suspect winter tyres probably have a pretty high rolling resistance compared to the rather treadless (in comparison) summers.

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My fuel consumption is always better with winters on! What summers/winters are you running?

Continental TS800 winters, and the Continental Sport Contact 2 (I think? whatever was fitted as original) summer tyres..

306maxi said:

My fuel consumption is always better with winters on! What summers/winters are you running?

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As for the handling, turn in is always going to be better with wider tyres with nice stiff blocks.

The one thing I love about the winters is that they're so predictable. My summers are hardly on/off, but the winters really do let you know when you're asking enough of the tyres.