Club 80-90 Forums

Right, I'm a chartered engineer and have rebuilt engines and like to think I'm mechanically minded, but wheels and tyres seem to be out of my grasp for some reason.

The more I read the more I get confused.

I just want some steels, like the look of Slowcoaches 16".

The merc wheels he has on though are currently in short supply on the web, with only a reasonably ropey set in Germany at present that would need a decent refurb.

For slightly less I can get a set of 'Alcar' (whooo?!) steels brand new, which may still need powder coating for longevity, but are new. I could also get 15" mefro, but they are quite a bit more as far as I can see for very similar quality.

Only thing is ET on the Alcar is slighty more - 37 against the merc 31 which I know fits, or 30 on the Mefro which again I know fits.

Spec as given is:

ALCAR
Rim type 5-hole steel wheel
Size 7 x 16
Bolt pattern 5 x 112.00 x 66.50
Offset 37.00

Now is the extra 6mm of ET going to spoil my fun?

Thoughts people before I go mad?!

Simple answer is no. If you fit a 7mm spacer then it will bring down your overall et to 30.
You'd need to check stud lengths and inner clearances but you could fit a slightly thicker spacer to lower your et to below 30 to account for the wider 7j rim.

1988 Hightop Camper originally 2.1dj now Subaru ej2.5 powered

6mm spacers

or, as you are an engineer, read this

http://archive.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic ... 1&t=38048&

or this

https://www.performancealloys.com/alloy-wheels-offset

Wheels are complicated, diameter, width, PCD, offset, backspace, centre bore, net / bolt seat face

Thanks for the links. I feel less like an engineer every time I read anything about wheels!

According to the top link maximum ET is 35 with a 7 inch wheel at 16inch dimeter, so presumably a 2mm spacer is the minimum required, but best a bit bigger for comfort and less chance of chaffing....

You'll struggle to buy 2mm spacers, 6mm is readily available and gets you right where you need to be