Technical 14" wheel option?

[IndianaMark]

Hello everyone,
I'm new to this forum and in need of advice. I have a 76 x19 that I have owned since new. I done several upgrades over the years and don't think I'll ever be able to part with the car at this point. I recently have been looking at what I'm going to do the next time I put tires on the car. The last couple sets have been Yokos 186/60 13s on some Speedline aftermarket 5.5" wheels that have been on the car for years. Of course the market for 13" performance tires seems to have dried up which has me to looking at 14" wheels. I have several Alfas and a set of Ronal 14x5.5 for an Alfetta which has the 98 bolt pattern. But the offset is so different that it would take some sizable spaces and wheels bolts to make them work. So before I go any further, I thought it best to ask those that have tried this before.

What cost effective options would be advisable considering....
14" 98mm bolt pattern
5-6" width
compatible offset
wheel well clearance
other 14" Fiat wheels that may work?

What has worked for you?

Thanks for the help,
Mark

 

[jimbro1000]

As a rule of thumb the modern Fiat wheels, despite being similar fittings are not really compatible. The offset is the problem as you've pointed out and yes you need pretty hefty spacers to make it work if you do follow that route.

My choice has always been to have them made - recently I've used compomotive. Their CXR wheels are superb, suit the car and are not expensive, the downside is they dont come in 14" sizes. 13" is ok and 15" upwards but not 14". They do other wheels that do come in 14" though but not all of them are attractive on an X1/9.

Revolution are another good choice for custom made wheels but their website is down for relaunch at the moment so not much to see unless you have an old catalogue (no doubt the new site will be up in a couple of weeks in time for the autosport show).

Speedline are an alternative source but I've never tried their wheels and no next to nothing about the sizes available. Finally there is Team Dynamics and while I've never tried them either I know plenty of people who have and been caught out by their somewhat shoddy customer service.

The basic rule is that you should never try ordering wheels between October and March. Most of the wheel makers (of any repute in competition circles) will be completely booked up with orders from the big teams. Most of them are quite honest about the matter but some of them are quite underhand and make promises they simply cannot keep. If you need the wheels in a hurry you will be disappointed.

 

[Barry Mcleans]

Hi All, New also. In Australia. Are "Probe" mag wheels 13 X 5.5 off a Nissan Pulsar likely to be OK for 1980 Australian X19 1300 fitted with original pressed disc wheels 13X4.5? Have looked at a lot of posts and understand difficulty. Will check 4 stud (bolt) PCD with owner. Does anyone know what the PCD it is for my car?
Barry

 

[jimbro1000]

PCD is 98x4 - standard for Fiats

 

[Barry Mcleans]

Thanks. The wheels for sale have a PCD of 110.

 

[jimbro1000]

If it was 100mm you can just about get away with it with suitable bolts but 110mm is time to get the wheel redrilled or find a new wheel

 

[Barry Mcleans]

Thank's for that. There seem to be a few 4x100 nice mags available in OZ from other small cars. What do you men by suitable bolts? I'm only into street & country driving.
Cheers

 

[jimbro1000]

You can get what is referred to "joggle-bolts" which are basically sleeved bolts with an offset in the bore. The alternative is to have the sleeves fitted to the wheels themselves which requires the bolt holes in the wheels to be enlarged to suit and the sleeves pressed in - a somewhat pricier approach.

It is even possible to sometimes misalign the bolts slightly and use brute force and ignorance to do them up tight.

Or a completely different approach - get your hubs redrilled and tapped to use the 4x100 pattern. Your discs will need the same treatment but once done you can fit those 4x100 wheels without aggravation until the discs wear out.

 

[Barry Mcleans]

I have X1/9 1980 1300cc.with original steel wheels. Will Fiat 13x5 ½ inch mags of a 124 spider fit?

Thanks Barry

 

[jimbro1000]

In short, yes they will. I believe the old 124 wheels bolt straight on, if there is a problem, it will be the offset of the wheels.

 

[mcheatham]

Hey IndianaMark, just in case you want to keep the 13" wheels, there are still some good high performance tires available. Both Toyo (Proxes RA-1) & Sumitomo (HTR) make 185/60 R13 and 205/60 R13. There are also other brands like BF Goodrich, etc. I like this setup on my X1/9 for front and back, respectively. Right now I have Yokohamas on it in those sizes, but I will buy the Toyos when I need a new set because they don't make the Yokes anymore. Personally, the wheelbase is so short on this car that bigger wheels look awkward to me (just my opinion). I decided to lower the car a few inches, use 13" wheels and 60 profile tires...the wheel well is full which gives the perception that the wheel is bigger but the car still looks balanced. I have had a lot of people shocked when they find that I'm running 13" wheels. But I also don't have the bumpers on which makes the car look even shorter. Anyway, good luck!!

 

[lepercolony]

howdy all, i been wanting to answer here for awhile but the reg proccess didn work till now.
anyways, i used 14" alfa wheels on my x, i think from alfetta,no spacers but used cheap coil over kit from ebay on the struts, looks great
also drilled out the bolt holes and installed arp wheelstuds
great forum u guys got

 

[mcheatham]

Hey Lepercolony, Do you have any pics of your X to share?

 

[lepercolony]

its in the weeds at my in-laws
, but it will give me an excuse to go there and fiddle around with it this weekend for a pic or 2