HI
I am a returning member with my first post. We have two fiats in the house a 1999 Punto sporting 1.2 16v model 176 version 5261 my sons, and a more recent 500 standard but with lovely red leather interior seats my wifes from new. Its the Punto i need help with my son has just passed his test and the insurers are kicking up because i can not prove that his 15 inch black alloys were a standard fit as all the web sites say they should be 14 inch i have found a couple of references to 15 inch but not definitive. can any body steer me towards proof that some were 15 inch otherwise they are trying to charge him loads more for non standard modification they discovered on black box fitting unfortunately the original sellers of the car have gone into liquid so i cant ask them

From my limited knowledge I don't think any Mk1 Punto's came with 15" wheels form the factory. My Mk1 75sx came with 14" steelies, and I've had a set of 14" alloys from a Mk2 on it and now a set of 15" alloys from a Panda 100hp.

If you have a picture of the wheels someone might be able to tell you something more, but it might be worth buying a set of 14" Punto alloys to avoid the big insurance hike for 15s

Good luck!

P.S. I still have that set of 14" alloys if you're interested in going that route

Yeah my thoughts too , the mk 1 gt has got the 14 s on , think the wheels could be off something else .

100% no mk1 in UK came with 15s from factory, even the abarth option alloys are 14s.

get a pic of them, one of us will no doubt know what they are off.

I have just sold a set of GT 14's but have a set of 1.6 Sporting ones available...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263569446669



...if that's any help. As stated above no 176 Punto was sold with fifteen inch wheels as standard.

Thanks for all your help, here is a picture of the alloy

PS: don't tell the insurance company they are 15"

tallwilliam said:

Thanks for all your help, here is a picture of the alloy

PS: don't tell the insurance company they are 15"

Click to expand...

Wouldn't advise that you run the risk of being uninsured in the event of a crash
They will find anyway our of a claim if they can

Definitely non standard, they're not even from any Fiat, absolutely aftermarket.

Forget the 15" wheels, they are totally wrong and the insurance company is doing you a favour by rejecting this foolishness!

The alloys in Liquid Knight's post aren't factory Sporting but they would do fine.. they look like from a Seicento or maybe the Fiat "Brio" accessories range?

They actually look a bit like the 14" spoked design that was on the earlier 1.6 Punto sporting Mk1s.

Anyway make the effort to get the genuine tyre sizes to avoid any insurance issues... Fiat knew what they were doing when they designed the cars. You've now got the chance to right someone else's wrongs!

with the tyre sections available for 15" you won't get them under the arches when you turn the steering wheel. Forget it.

yeah they arent fiat wheels, look like team dynamics wheels, like the old version ofg what is now the pro race 2... think they were called monza? anyhow, 100% not factory or even off another fiat.

bluejohn125 you really really dont like non standard wheel sizes do you lol. Couldnt count how many posts of yours i've seen strongly advising no-one ever changes wheel or tyre size. Whats with that exactly??

rolandbrindley i totally dont understand your post at all, puntos got massive arches - remember they all used to run round with 17 or 18 inch wheels back when that was a thing, you need some seriously wide and/or extreme offsets to not fit a 15" wheel on a punto!! and since when has tyre choice in 15s been limited

@bluejohn125 you really really dont like non standard wheel sizes do you lol. Couldnt count how many posts of yours i've seen strongly advising no-one ever changes wheel or tyre size. Whats with that exactly??

Click to expand...

And I can't count how many posts there are on the Forum where some div thinks it's a great idea to "improve" on what was designed and specified by randomly sticking something incompatible or unsuitable on their car. If they are asking for advice then they generally want some like-minded enthusiast to say "Awesome idea buddy, go for it" but they may also be looking for a more sensible, informed response from someone else.

My feeling is that most older cars will have been messed about with and scrapped by now, the "Max Power" mentality has now thankfully disappeared and any worthwhile surviving cars should now be treated with care and respect and fixed properly.

As for wheels and tyres, of course subtle upgrades can lift a car but you should basically stick to what was specified for the car, there are plenty of options within that range. If you have to pay an extra £10 a corner for a decent, correct tyre then just do it. If you have to get a proper Fiat / Alfa bolt fitting instead of bodging something on with wobble-bolts, just accept it.

Just my (informed) opinion...

I had no trouble fitting 195/45/R15 wheels on my (lowered) Mk1, as the increased rim size combined with lower profile meant the wheels were nearly the same diameter (using that online calculator), no interference anywhere.

However I should have used the online calculator again before getting new front tyres last week - I went for 195/50/R15 with a bit more profile to get slightly better ride (debatable but worked for me) and I now get rubbing/scraping on the outside wing/bumper.

Lesson learnt and will be swapping the larger wheels to the back of the car (plenty more arch space), which is annoying as my speedo reads correctly now

Back on topic - listen to what others have been saying, if you desperately want to keep those wheels then you'll have to pay the premium for them. Alloys off another Fiat may be a good compromise, but I wouldn't advise trying to swindle the insurance company!

I fitted a set of 17" Fiat 500 Abarth alloys to my GT back a few weeks ago. fitted fine but the tyre size was incorrect so it did rub, but with a smaller tyre they would run fine.
They looked to big anyway so wont be going on there at all and sticking with the 14" standards and my project wheels that I'm currently in the middle of sorting.
15" Compomotive's sprayed standard GT3 Anthrite.

Also just to stir the pot abit more my main car is a Audi A4 Avant and I have changed the wheels from 19" to 20" haha

Quoting from my Punto Mk1 registration document the only permissible tyre sizes for the Punto 55-S were 165/60 R14, 165/65 R13, and 135/80 R13. No 15 inch tyres are to be found anywhere for the Mk1.

Any other sizes found on your car will get you a fine, an ITV annual test fail, and if you are involved in an accident resulting in serious injury or a fatality, a possible prison sentence. And needless to say your insurance will be invalidated.

I have tried on my 55_S a set of 14" BMW 100mm wheels mounted with 185/65 tyres, just to see if they look comfortable inside the arches. They don't and would contact the edges of the arches if driven very far.

Stick to what's on the sheet, and be safe!

These are the right ones for the earlier (1.6 8V) Mk1 Punto Sporting...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SET-of-F...r:2014&hash=item239b2ac717:g:2kcAAOSwS45anVme

I think the later ones (1.2 16V) had alloys similar to the GT (Turbo) and possibly with wider tyres.

they look great