New wheels!

My search for some new wheels has finally proved fruitful, I decided it was definately BBS style 5's for me, and managed to secure some on ebay yesterday...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=464 3970202&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2Fsearch% 2Fsearch.dll%3FMfcISAPICommand%3DGetResult%26ht%3D1%26shortc ut%3D0%26from%3DR41%26query%3D4643970202%26category0%3D%26Su bmit%3DSearch%26fvi%3D1

They are a bit scuffed etc but I don't mind as I use the six every day and don't want to have to worry about kerbing them! (my reverse parking isn't what it should be !!)

They are off an e34 M5 i think, i was wondering whether the centre bore of 72.6mm would require hubcentric rings..

Also, the tyres are 235/45 R17 (Fuldas), is anyone running these at the moment or experienced any problems?

Cheers

I thought the rears should be 255/40 too, however I have been told by someone else the car will corner better with 235's as the tyre is "stretched" over the rim allowing less sidewall flex..  am confused! Anyway one of the rear's has good tread (the other needs replacing as has been run flat and wrecked), so I might get a part-worn 235/45 and see how it works out first.

Had a pretty appalling day with the six yesterday. After sitting in the searing heat (aircon needs re-gassing!!) for ages in traffic, only to get a ridiculous quote at a tyre centre, some horrible little old lady decided to run into the back of the six  . As if that wasn't bad enough she decided to drive off and I had to chase her for 15 minutes around north london before getting her to pull over!! Fortunately the sounds of breaking glass and crumpling metal all came from her flimsy Nissan micra which was probably a write off  (there is some justice then). The six? A scuff on the rear bumper which will probably polish out with a bit of elbow grease . That is one solid motor car.

 

mjf297 wrote: ....some horrible little old lady decided to run into the back of the six  . ....Fortunately the sounds of breaking glass and crumpling metal all came from her flimsy Nissan micra which was probably a write off ...

I once launched my Six from standstill right into the back of a Ford Fiesta. The Fiesta was written off, so a Micra's got no chance!

 

phb10186 wrote: .....the occupants who tend to be about 110 years old on average:

A strong argument for referring them to these people

Horsetan wrote: A strong argument for referring them to these people

I have the old ladies address, maybe I'll send her a leaflet...

Check it out! wrote: I have those wierd trx sizes. are these worth anything to sell on as?

Not really unless you find someone who's a stickler for originality. Mine are hiding in the corner of the garage for when I need to have my Style 32's refurbed.

It's a matter of personal taste but I think 18"s make the Six look a little over-wheeled. Originals were a rather weedy 14" & the last of the line wore TRX's equivalent to 16.5" (hence the hard time the front bushings have).

It's generally accepted that 15"s give the best ride, 17"s look the best & 16" are the best compromise between the two for ride & handling. Having said that I find my Six rides & handles a lot better on 17" than the TRXs so it's down to personal choice.

You may well run into clearance issues with 265's on the rear unless you use spacers or run wheels with more offset.

These pics are taken straight from autotrader, but it did clean up well, and im going to get some pics on the site soon.

Tyre pressures should be at around the 30psi mark. For normal running i run mine at 30psi at the front and 32psi at the rear. On a trip to Le Mans with the car loaded i went up to 35psi at the front and 38psi at the rear.

Tyre size wise the six was designed with narrow 195/205 tyres in mind. By the time the highline came with it's 245 tyres the car was if anything over tyred. I have driven mine with 220 metrics, 225 16" wheels, 235 17" wheels and i have driven others with the 245 metrics and one other with 265 18" rims at the rear and 235's at the front. IMO for what it's worth i think the perfect size in width terms is to run with 225's. Bigger than this and the car understeers at the front. Grip wise the car is a*sey at the rear, but with decent rubber i don't think you need a massively big rear tyre width. For reference i run mine with 225/50/ZR16's and Alpina rims all round. If i had more power ie M635/ Alpina B10 levels then i might go up to 245/45/16's at the rear, but i would go no bigger than 225 at the front.

Hope this helps

James

Thanks James, Andy

I'm pretty sure the car needs aligning as I took it on a long motorway journey at the weekend, and there is still quite a bit of vibration around 70-80mph. I'd hoped the new wheels (metrics were slightly buckled) and balancing might sort it out, and although there is definately some improvement, it's still not the smooth cruiser it should be!

I've read up on big coupe that the car needs to be weighted down whilst a full alignment is done - is this true? Sounds like a bit more of a specialist job that the local kwikfit would definately overlook!!

Thanks DM,

I have thought for some time from the feel of the car that the front bushes and control arms needed replacement but was told they were OK so left it.

Anyway, took it in today for the 4 wheel alignment and my mechanic said there's no point until the above mentioned items are replaced, as there is play in several of the joints. Am waiting for a quote tomorrow, suppose I may as well get the whole lot done while I'm at it...

cheers,

Mark