Alloy wheels difficult to find

[D16PJM]

Hello second time typing as having trouble posting

I am looking for a set of alloys for my car but there seems to be lots for the larger range but not for the smaller triumphs, granted i am looking at changing size.

I am after a set of 15" Minilite style like the one in the link below.

https://www.randr-alloys.co.uk/classic- ... -6x15.html

Any advise on offset, tyre size, rubbing etc would be welcomed and also where to buy from.

I have seen a white dolomite on face book and i know not to everyone's taste but i think it looked pretty good.

Pete

[Carledo]

Ok, so the standard Sprint alloy (I know it's a 13" but bear with me) is 5.5" wide with an ET (offset) of 35mm and a PCD of 3.75" of 95.25mm.

These 3 key figures can be specced as easily for a 15" wheel as for a 13" one. They will fit your car without any issues and any one of a number of suppliers will custom drill a set of new "fake minilites" which I believe are mostly made by John Brown Wheels. You'll pay a small premium for having them made to order, rather than buying them "off the shelf" but that's all. Probably best to run with a 185/55/15 tyre.

A cheaper alternative is a 5.5x14 "fake minilite" with an ET of 31 and PCD of 95.25. This is a relatively common wheel as it's standard spec for TR7, so can often be got "off the shelf" from Midland Wheel Services and probably others too. MWS usually have some on offer at the MG/Triumph spares show at Stoneliegh in February. A couple of years ago, I managed to get a set of four for my Sprint from them for £145. True, one was a different colour to all the others but a lick of paint soon sorted that out. They fit My Sprint fine and look good too, without being TOO ostentatiously big.

Steve

[naskeet]

Let us not forget the MG 2000 Maestro 5½J x 15 inch cross-lattice style wheels with 3¾ inch (i.e. 95·25 mm) PCD & 31 mm offset.

https://forum.triumphdolomite.co.uk/vie ... =4&t=34572

[cleverusername]

How does a Dolly ride on bigger wheels?

I have to admit I hate big wheels and skinny tyres. One the worst things modern cars have brought us. Every car I have been in with larger than standard wheels has had the ride quality of 18th century cart. On our pot holed roads I don't see the point, but each to their own.

[cliftyhanger]

I have run my Tolly on 175/70 13, 185/60 13, 185/60 14 and 185/55 15

My foavorite size in terms of driving is the 14" wheels. May be because of the tyres? (crossclimates) but they are the same overall diameter as 115/80 13 or indeed 175/70 13.

I ran the 15" mgf wheels, but found I had to cut the arch lip back/off with a sprint axle. But the mgf wheels are very cheap. So cheap I weighed min in as nobody wanted them at £10 each (scrap I got £8.50 a wheel, with no grief)

[sprint95m]

Now I am a bit confused....

A cheaper alternative is a 5.5x14 "fake minilite" with an ET of 31 and PCD of 95.25. This is a relatively common wheel as it's standard spec for TR7, so can often be got "off the shelf" from Midland Wheel Services and probably others too. MWS usually have some on offer at the MG/Triumph spares show at Stoneliegh in February. A couple of years ago, I managed to get a set of four for my Sprint from them for £145. True, one was a different colour to all the others but a lick of paint soon sorted that out. They fit My Sprint fine and look good too, without being TOO ostentatiously big.

Steve

Not sure about the TR7 wheels Steve. They will reduce the track width?

The 13" Minator wheels that Rimmer Bros sell I think are ET25. These are good on a Dolomite because of the increased track width.
However, wanting both a bigger diameter wheel and more track width I went for this specification:
https://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?w ... offset2=22

Previously Steve, you did post that the wheels you bought at Stoneleigh were the same specifications as what I have chosen......?


Ian.

[naskeet]

Let us not forget the MG 2000 Maestro 5½J x 15 inch cross-lattice style wheels with 3¾ inch (i.e. 95·25 mm) PCD & 31 mm offset.

https://forum.triumphdolomite.co.uk/vie ... =4&t=34572

For those who want a wider 15 inch wheel, there is the MG 2000 Montego 6J x 15 inch cross-lattice style wheels with 3¾ inch (i.e. 95·25 mm) PCD & 28 mm offset.

If one prefers 14 inch wheels, then there is the MG 1600 Maestro 5½J x 14 inch "cheese-grater" style wheels with 3¾ inch (i.e. 95·25 mm) PCD & 30 mm offset. Personally speaking, I don't like this style of wheel, but it might appeal to some.

One advantage of the MG Maestro & Montego alloy wheels, is that they all appear to have a maximum load rating of at least 400 kg.

How does a Dolly ride on bigger wheels?

I have to admit I hate big wheels and skinny tyres. One the worst things modern cars have brought us. Every car I have been in with larger than standard wheels has had the ride quality of 18th century cart. On our pot holed roads I don't see the point, but each to their own.

I too am wary of using ultra-low-profile tyres such as 185/55 R15, owing to predicted ride harshness and susceptibility to pothole related damage, so unless any one can convince me otherwise, I will probably opt for 185/65 R15 size on the MG 2000 Maestro 5½J x 15 inch alloy wheels

[sprint95m]

Nigel, I posted earlier because, having been a member of the DSR, I well remember that
a lot of Sprint owners encountered rubbing in the inside of the back wheel arches from 185/60 tyres on Sprint alloys.
(It didn't occur on every Sprint though.)

My concern is that an ET31 wheel may have the same problem:
https://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?w ... offset2=31




Ian.

[naskeet]

Nigel, I posted earlier because, having been a member of the DSR, I well remember that
a lot of Sprint owners encountered rubbing in the inside of the back wheel arches from 185/60 tyres on Sprint alloys.
(It didn't occur on every Sprint though.)

My concern is that an ET31 wheel may have the same problem:
https://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?w ... offset2=31

Ian.

For several years I had Triumph Dolomite Sprint alloy wheels with 185/70 R13, Firestone S211 tyres on my 1974 Triumph Toledo with no inboard or outboard wheel-arch rubbing problems.

I have also provisionally tried an MG 2000 Maestro 5½J x 15 inch cross-lattice style alloy wheel with a nearly new Maxxis 185/55 R15 tyre on the Toledo's rear wheel hubs, but with the vehicle raised on axle stands, so I don't know how much outboard wheel-arch clearance there will be when the suspension springs are fully compressed.

https://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?w ... offset2=31

MG Maestro or Montego 15 inch cross-lattice style wheels

[sprint95m]

You should be okay Nigel.

The problem I mentioned was on Sprints. From your car's "hybrid" description I had presumed
you have a Sprint axle, because it makes sense to employ such on a tow car.....you did say your
Toledo towed a caravan, did you not?
Anyhow,
After reading your last post, I am now thinking it has a Toledo axle!?


thanks,

Ian.

[xvivalve]

I have a set of 6 spoke MGF 15" alloys (currently wearing near end of life 205 50 on the rear and 185 55 on the front tyres) for sale here in Stourbridge; cheap at £80...

[killysprint]

Going back more years than I care to remember when I was young and daft, a wise old(er) friend once said that "A car's wheels are it's jewellery".

They make or break the look of a car - and I'm afraid some of the wheels being discussed here will make the cars look like an old man with a fist of sovs.

[naskeet]

Going back more years than I care to remember when I was young and daft, a wise old(er) friend once said that "A car's wheels are it's jewellery".

They make or break the look of a car - and I'm afraid some of the wheels being discussed here will make the cars look like an old man with a fist of sovs.

What are "sovs"?

I quite like the appearance of the Dolomite Sprint wheels on my Triumph Toledo, but appropriate tyres of the widths & aspect ratios I would wish to use, are either unavailable or likely to be progressively less readily available and relatively more expensive, than future-proofing the car by substituting compatible 15 inch wheels, with either 55-Series, 60-Series or 65-Series tyres; given that I would probably need to replace my existing 30+ year old Firestone S211, 185/70 R13 tyres before I put the car back on the road.

These days, the most common sizes of wheels used on modern cars and relatively modern cars, appear to be of 15 & 16 inches diameter. Similarly, 16 inch wheels with 65-Series commercial-van tyres, seem to be an almost de facto standard for the majority of non car-derived vans, manufactured during the past 10 years or so.

You should be okay Nigel.

The problem I mentioned was on Sprints. From your car's "hybrid" description I had presumed
you have a Sprint axle, because it makes sense to employ such on a tow car.....you did say your
Toledo towed a caravan, did you not?
Anyhow,
After reading your last post, I am now thinking it has a Toledo axle!?


thanks,

Ian.

My 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 presently has its original Toledo rear axle (4·11 : 1 final-drive ratio) but at sometime in the future I might substitute a Triumph 1500TC rear axle (3·89 : 1 final-drive ratio) which I acquired about two months ago. It's questionable whether my 1296 cm³ displacement, 58 bhp engine could cope with a Dolomite Sprint rear axle!?!

During my refurbishment programme, I intend to complete installation of a second-hand Dolomite towing bracket that I bought and partially fitted during the late-1980s, unless I can find a Toledo specific towing bracket.

My intention is have the facility to tow a modest-sized baggage or goods trailer, but it's debatable whether I would ever tow a caravan (gross weight < 750 kg) using the Toledo, given that I also have a 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with 1911 cm³ displacement, circa 90 bhp, VW Type 4 style air-cooled engine .

[killysprint]

Silly me for using using a Colloquialism.

Rather than spell it out here’s a visual explanation

[naskeet]

Silly me for using using a Colloquialism.

Rather than spell it out here’s a visual explanation

If I am not mistaken those are rings incorporating late-Victorian half-sovereigns, but I am still not sure what sovs stand for, unless it is a major corruption of the word "sovereigns".

As an amateur numismatist who collects coins of the British Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Colonies, Protectorates & Mandates, the act of incorporating half-sovereigns into rings or other jewelry is an adulteration!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_sovereign

Modern half sovereigns, from 1817 onwards, have a diameter of 19.30 mm, a thickness of c. 0.99 mm, a weight of 3.99 g, are made of 22 carat (​91 2⁄3%) crown gold alloy, and contain 0.1176 troy ounces (3.6575 g) of gold. The reverse side, featuring St. George slaying a dragon was designed by Benedetto Pistrucci, whose initials appear to the right of the date.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_(British_coin)

Value: 1 pound sterling

Mass: 7.98805 g

Diameter: 22.05 mm

Thickness: 1.52 mm