paulweller84
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Has anyone put 18" Schumacher alloys on a 1.2 Active? I've heard i can lead to problems with driveshafts etc later on, is this generally true? 
Styling 18" Alloys on 1.2 Active
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Styling 18" Alloys on 1.2 Active
Well if you can afford 18's and the tyres then some new driveshafts now and then is no biggie lol.
I have to admit I was shocked at how heavy alloys are now, my 17" claws weigh a good bit more than the 15" steelies I took off the car! And as for them i've done 40,000miles with the Claws and no failed driveshafts. Not sure how much heavier the 18"s are!
I have to admit I was shocked at how heavy alloys are now, my 17" claws weigh a good bit more than the 15" steelies I took off the car! And as for them i've done 40,000miles with the Claws and no failed driveshafts. Not sure how much heavier the 18"s are!
paulweller84
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I've been offered a set of graphite coloured rims with nearly new tyres for £350. Don't want to pass that up! If 17"s are no problem I think I should be OK. Thanks
Scottie2065's stilo is sitting on 18" aftermarket rims so I'd say you'd be ok I doubt your fuel consumption would be ok though.
What you have to remember is the more weight you put on the wee lickle 1.2 the less friendlier to your pocket she becomes at the pumps
That's increased un-sprung weight and that's bad for any suspension system
Sure, the motor may look good but it's very likely you've reduced your car's cornering ability somewhat when on less than perfect surfaces.
That's increased un-sprung weight and that's bad for any suspension system
Sure, the motor may look good but it's very likely you've reduced your car's cornering ability somewhat when on less than perfect surfaces.
According to fiat a 1.2 can take upto 17" wheels with no problems at all int's only when you start going bigger than that. Isn't it?
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I've recently changed to after market 17's. They're a lower than average profile and I had to get the speedo adjust but hey. You certainly notice the extra grip on the road around corners and roundabouts but I think my suspensions on the way out as going over bumps is getting more and more 'waterbed-ish'. My suspension was fine when I had the 15's.
I upgraded to 17" claws yonks ago and mine has been fine no readjustment required or nout.....just fine
only prob i've had with my 1.2 on 7.5 x 18's it i bent a drive but that was no fault of the 18's i hit a badger and threw the shaft out of balance. i get my Kumho 711's for £65 a corner and they are a brilliant gripping tyre. i've had no probs with the speedo being out either its still within 10% error so its legal
my alloys are 4x100 Kahn RSC's ET42 offset - using wobbly bolts
my alloys are 4x100 Kahn RSC's ET42 offset - using wobbly bolts
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there you go so you should be very much ok with the Schuey 18s
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I only had to adjust my speedo as the profile of my tyres was so low. I find the lower profile makes them look bigger than they are as a few people have asked if they're 18's or not. Also needed spacers. Maybe the weight of the wheel and spacers has helped to do the suspension in.
Point to remember though is these alloys on the Schumacher were fitted as part of a balanced package (and the Schuey had a significantly uprated suspension).
Can't see any problems on motorways and other good roads but you're almost certain to notice fall off of grip on poor surfaces. The best rubber in the world wont do you any good unless it's in contact with the road surface!
oh well that was my 2 pennies worth onasis is on you if you wanna buy but Argo
here seems to know his stuff so I'd go with his advice more or less................I bought 17" wheels after finding out that my little baby had them originally (ex Arnold Clark Demo car) them someone took em off and sold em on for steelies so she probably came set up for them
If you look in the Stilo sales guide (if you picked one up in 2003 lol, I did) that the 1.2 Active didn't come with 17" alloys, and it wasn't even an option. But from the 1.2 Active (aircon) model up you could spec the 17"s!
This was probably due to marketing, manufacturers never sell base spec cars with top spec alloys. Plus I think the alloys were just £300 option on the other models. Unlike MINI who'll charge you £900+ for the big wheels! lol
I've had my 17s fitted since early 2005 I think, never had a driveshaft issue, although have needed both front springs and drop links doing.... I put that in majority part down to the huge number of speed bumps where I live.
This was probably due to marketing, manufacturers never sell base spec cars with top spec alloys. Plus I think the alloys were just £300 option on the other models. Unlike MINI who'll charge you £900+ for the big wheels! lol
I've had my 17s fitted since early 2005 I think, never had a driveshaft issue, although have needed both front springs and drop links doing.... I put that in majority part down to the huge number of speed bumps where I live.
i've had my 18's fitted since March 06 and i've put 50kmiles with no issues only that issue with the driveshaft which was the badgers fault. oops
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How much did that set you back???
Drop links were last years MOT advisory, so got garage to do the job £40 each I think all in. Could have done them myself i think, but was feeling lazy at the time.
Springs were £200, robbed lol! Although I did get full 4 wheel laser alignment done too which was £44 I think. Springs are one of those jobs I'd rather leave to someone else though lol.
Springs were £200, robbed lol! Although I did get full 4 wheel laser alignment done too which was £44 I think. Springs are one of those jobs I'd rather leave to someone else though lol.
Damage from wheels that are too big is nothing to do with how heavy the wheels are.
The bigger wheels completely send the gearing to cock, also the more grip they provide as they are wider means even more stress on the shafts and the box, it'll take it for a while but at some point the stress will find the weak point and either blow a CV or the box itself.
If you want to be slow and potentially do damage to your car, but look good in the process, do it.
The thing is if he puts cheap ass 18" tyres then they may well grip less than expensive 15" tyres! Contact patch is important yes, but so are grip characteristics!
Unsprung weight is the biggest problem, not gearing! If he fitts 18"s then he'll have to fit lower rolling profile tyres, and ultimately the rollowing radius will be the same as the 17's or for that matter 15's!
Unsprung weight is the biggest problem, not gearing! If he fitts 18"s then he'll have to fit lower rolling profile tyres, and ultimately the rollowing radius will be the same as the 17's or for that matter 15's!
The thing is if he puts cheap ass 18" tyres then they may well grip less than expensive 15" tyres! Contact patch is important yes, but so are grip characteristics!
Unsprung weight is the biggest problem, not gearing! If he fitts 18"s then he'll have to fit lower rolling profile tyres, and ultimately the rollowing radius will be the same as the 17's or for that matter 15's!
You don't blow shafts or boxes because the wheels are heavier. He may be able to acheieve the same or similar radius but it will still be more brutal on all the moving parts because there is no give in the tyres if they are low profile. Cheap tyres just tend to be softer anyway, and all tyres, no matter how cheap have to be passed and approved so they will all grip more than standard 15's especially due to the width of them. It depends on driving style too, if it isn't thrashed you won't find a problem, least not for a while anyway. If it gets plenty of stick it wont be long til you're looking round a scrappy for some CV's or a box.
A mate, well was a mate, blew his punto box up twice with stupid 17's on and 205/45 tyres. I had the 15 inch abarth alloys on my punto, because they were the right wheel, designed for the car, gave it probably as much if not more stick than him and never had a problem. Mine was quicker too.
