Getting a cheap set of wheels for winter tyres...

[charliegolf]

What are the chances, and the best ways to find a set of 17" wheels for a brand new car that will have 18" wheels?

Can it even be done legally/safely?

I have snow tyres and low profile snow chains* for my current Volvo V60, and the new one comes in Sept.

New tyres and chains will cost me at least £350-400 but both my existing ones will last 3 years if I can pull it off.

Cheers.

*Natch I picked a car that can't use £10 chains! In France you have to carry them in the Allps in winter. And they check!

 

[sxturbo]

I don't think you can these days, everyone thinks the sh*t is worth gold.

Best thing to do is look out for selling sites on Facebook and gumtree.

People tend not to use eBay to resell stuff if they feel it's tat they are trying to flog.

There shouldn't be a problem going down a wheel size, however it is possible that the Speedo may read incorrectly.

 

[just pumps]

If the 18" wheels have low profile tyres and the 17" tyres are high profiles would that make up the difference?

 

[sxturbo]

If the 18" wheels have low profile tyres and the 17" tyres are high profiles would that make up the difference?

No as your smaller chains wouldn't fit the smaller wheels with larger profile.. as the larger profile would be to keep the circumference of the wheel the same as 18's

 

[rsgaz]

and the new one comes in Sept.

Can you download the manual for it now and see what tyre sizes it says are OK?

Most insurers don't care if you fit winter tyres, you don't need to even tell them, but, for example Horizon Insurance state you don't need to tell them...

provided the winter tyres/wheels match the sizes fitted by the vehicle manufacturer as either standard fitment or as an optional extra.

 

[Avocet]

If you have the EC "Certificate of Conformity" for the car (assuming it's not a very old one), it should list all the wheel and tyre sizes that are homologated for the car. Often, manufacturers of high performance cars, will have a narrower set of tyre and rims homologated for use with snow chains. On the Continent, the Certificate of Conformity tends to get used much more than it does here.

 

[JohnD]

What are the chances, and the best ways to find a set of 17" wheels for a brand new car that will have 18" wheels?

I have a car that takes 20"/19"/18" wheels, according to order. It came with 20" but I have a second-hand set of 18" that I can use with winter tyres (the 20" are also known for being more noisy due to low profile tyres, and easily bent). I have an idea there is a 17" wheel fitted to some versions, but I have very big discs and they are not listed for my model. I looked up the manufacturer's "options" pricelist to check wheels listed.

Second-hand alloys vary in price mostly depending on fashion. Some are very sought-after by people who want to bling their cars. A popular model that has used the same wheel size for several years will be easier to find.

To my eye the manufacturers wheels have more metal, and thicker, closer spokes than some aftermarket ones. I suspect they are not as strong but I don't know.

For another car, I bought a full-size wheel in fine condition from a breaker because I didn't like the space saver spare. I forget the price, but it was very cheap. You usually need different wheelnuts for steel wheels because the fit is different.

I would not buy a wheel or a tyre that had any signs of damage, apart from a bit of gentle curb scrapes. Some companies sell used wheels that have been blasted and recoated.

You can repaint them yourself, but professional recoating is expensive. You say its a brand new car so I don't suppose you will want shabby wheels. Powder coating is much harder and glossier than a repaint.

 

[JohnD]

p.s.

I didn't understand the comments about chains. On my car, the bigger wheels have lower profile tyres, so the radius on the road is the same and the speedo does not have to be recailbrated.

 

[Avocet]

p.s.

I didn't understand the comments about chains. On my car, the bigger wheels have lower profile tyres, so the radius on the road is the same and the speedo does not have to be recailbrated.

Sometimes it's because the lower profile tyres on the bigger rims are also wider, and there's not enough clearance between the chains and the wheelarch or running gear components.

 

[JohnD]

thanks

the sizes I have are
235/50 R18 Y (101)

255/30 R20 Y (92)

can you tell if they are a different width? I thought they were the same.

 

[Avocet]

thanks

the sizes I have are
235/50 R18 Y (101)

255/30 R20 Y (92)

can you tell if they are a different width? I thought they were the same.

The one on the 18" rim is 235mm wide across the tread. The one on the 20" rim is 255mm wide across the tread. However, it's not that simple in practice because the wheels could have different offsets. In other words, if they each have the same offset, the sidewall of the 255 tyre would be about 10mm closer to the strut. (10mm is because 255 - 235 = 20, and half of that would be extra width on the inside edge, and half on the outside edge). However, the 20" rim might have more offset to compensate for that.

 

[JohnD]

so the 20" are a bit bigger, and the chains would need even more room.

not sure I can tell by eye and hand measurement.

 

[Avocet]

so the 20" are a bit bigger, and the chains would need even more room.

not sure I can tell by eye and hand measurement.

Yes, they'll be a bit wider, so the chains would have to stretch over them, which would further add to the width. NOTE, however, that because the 20" one is a lower profile than the 18" one, they're pretty much the same diameter. In fact, at leat according to this size calculator, the overall diameter of the 20" one is a bit less than the 18" one!

https://www.tyresizecalculator.com/tyre-wheel-calculators/tire-size-calculator-tire-dimensions

 

[Mottie]

Some cars have different size wheels on the back to the front. I once ordered in a pair of tyres for the rear of my mates daughters MR2. I took the size from the front tyres. When they came, I wondered why I couldn’t fit them on the rims of the rears.

 

[johnny2007]

Some cars have different size wheels on the back to the front. I once ordered in a pair of tyres for the rear of my mates daughters MR2. I took the size from the front tyres. When they came, I wondered why I couldn’t fit them on the rims of the rears.

I thought you were a professional, Mr Mottie