Technical Will Bravo/a wheels fit the Tipo?

[jonti]

I am going to buy a pair of Winter tyres and to avoid the faff of refitting these would like to buy a spare pair of steel rims.

I wondered if Bravo/a steel rims will fit a Tipo ? Reason for asking is that these are in more plentiful supply in scrapyards but they have more/smaller holes drilled in the rim so they were obviously a slightly different design.

If anyone knows then fantastic.

Cheers

 

[Hellcat]

Yes, no issues there.

Do you mean the holes drilled in the face of the rim? If so this is simply for lightening and asthetics.

The centre bore, and PCD are the same. Offset is close enough not to notice.

There must have been a good Fiat dealer in the area a while ago for there to be plenty of Fiat wheels there. The main dealers here are Vauxhall and Ford so guess what the scrap yards are full of...

 

[bluejohn125]

I would be pretty confident that they will fit, but I'm equally sure that Fiat reduced the size / meatiness of the actual wheel bolts between these models. Probably not important, but interesting...

 

[Hellcat]

they went from a 19mm bolt with the collar onto the faces, to a 17mm one with a distinct collar. Certainly for the alloys, they are inter-changeable as the same locking bolt set fits almost all 1990s Fiats.

 

[jonti]

Very interesting answers and very helpful, thanks. Yes, the Bravo steel rim has more holes drilled in it which simply flagged to me it was a different design. But I presume I can lash them on with the existing wheel bolts?

 

[Hellcat]

I'd be almost certain that will be the case.

Keep an eye out for some Veccy C wheels while you're in there. 16" and 5 bolt 110 PCD please

 

[jonti]

I've mail ordered them from Abarelli in Sussex for £45 pair Hellcat.

The Scottish Borders is like your neck of the woods, the main dealers have been selling Renaults, Daihatsus and Nissans for years and there are no Fiats in the scrapyards here or on the roads.

 

[Hellcat]

Is that where you're at now?

 

[jonti]

Yes, someone had to live here. The Tipo is Edinburgh registered, so for him its just like old times.

 

[Hellcat]

Technically my family (or clan's) stomping grounds

 

[Adrian Bravo]

All my Bravo wheel bolts have always been 19mm accross the flats I have some in my room and just measured them to double check.

 

[jonti]

If an early Bravo perhaps a carry over from the Tipo? Fiat make it up as they go along. The Borders being a large area of not alot Hellcat, whereabouts?

 

[jonti]

Bravo steel rims have arrived. Interestingly they are 6.5" wide as opposed to the 5.5" which all steel Tipo rims were - regardless of whether 165, 175s or 185s were fitted. Reflects the trend to wider tyres. Bravo rims all round therefore would offer the possibility of increasing the tyre width for better handling, as the heavy engine doesn't help the car go round corners !

 

[jonti]

I put 2 x brava/o/marea steel rims on the front of my Tipo and they much improve the cornering over the old tipo wheels because they stick out more i.e. the negative offset is less. I don't know which model they came off as I ordered them over the phone.

They are stamped 5.5j and ET35.

I am tryin to get + 2 more for the back but all the breakers are telling me all their Bravas have ET37 rims. Does anyone know which Brava/Bravo model was fitted with a steel ET35? Could it be a Marea fitment?

Thank you for any light you can shed on this?

Jonty

 

[Hellcat]

ok..

5.5 R14 ET35 comes from....


Punto!

The Marea/bravo/a wheels are indeed ET37

 

[jonti]

Hellcat I have committed a sin because I also added this identical post on to an old thread in the Bravo section - will I be executed by the Moderators?

I am glad you cleared this up, thanks. I am wondering if the Bravo/a was actually limited to 37 for a reason (as it was to all purposes a Tipo underneath) as ever since I put these wheels on I have had a scuffing noise (which I put down to a worn gearbox) but I had that dropped out and the CV joints replaced and the noise is still there ! There seems to be no sign of rubbing, but something is not quite right - or wear has been exposed elsewhere. I have never ever had a problem putting Bravo parts on the Tipo - but the Punto is a different kettle of fish....

 

[bluejohn125]

Put the new, wrong wheels on the back and see if the scuffing goes away. It should be easy to figure it out with them still on the front anyway if the wheel is in the air. Maybe the brakes started rubbing for some reason?

I'm quite confused by what you are doing.. didn't you say last year that you got some 6.5" bravo wheels? And now you've got punto wheels on the front, and they really improve the handling... Have you put winter tyres on the front as well?

I don't know why you didn't just buy 4 x 5.5" Bravo / Brava wheels, since you said right at the start they were plentiful and even now the scrappies have them.

 

[jonti]

I only ever bought 2 additional rims. Didn't start using them until a few months ago as I put my Summer tyres on them and was using the old rims with Winter tyres.

Firstly I measured them wrong when I got them. So they were actually 5.5j all along not 6j.

Secondly I specifically ordered Bravo/a/Marea rims, but now we have established they sent me Punto rims by mistake

 

[jonti]

So I got my tape measure and out its not easy to measure but the positive offset on the old Tipo wheels is about 48mm, whereas the bravo/a is 37mm, and the Punto rims I bought are 35mm. With each downward increment the rims are moved outwards by the same amount and the track widens. Like I say the +1cm or so outwards makes a massive difference to handling. But the change seemed to expose CV joint wear (I'm pretty sure this is what the scuffing noise is), so it clearly imparts different stresses on the drivetrain. So whilst the 2mm increment to the Punto rim might seem inconsequential, I think I will refit with some 37mm offset Brava wheels soon.