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Pimp_Dudu Alfa Sprint
Joined: 17 Apr 2003 Posts: 157 Location: Helsinki, Finland
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Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 8:40 pm Post subject: what size tires can u put on the 33 |
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What inch tires, and alloys can i put on my alfa 33 92 1,7 ie????? I have now 14" which i believe is standard but if i want bigger ones what must i do?? is it possible to shove 15" ones immidietly???any help will be great...also the same question goes for the the eidth of the tire what is the standard and how can i get bigger tires |
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Guest
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Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 9:21 pm Post subject: Re: what size tires can u put on the 33 |
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Pimp_Dudu wrote: |
What inch tires, and alloys can i put on my alfa 33 92 1,7 ie????? I have now 14" which i believe is standard but if i want bigger ones what must i do?? is it possible to shove 15" ones immidietly???any help will be great...also the same question goes for the the eidth of the tire what is the standard and how can i get bigger tires |
It really depends on the offset - sometimes 15" won't clear your trailing arms. Anything over 15" and you'll probably need to make some modifications to your bodywork. Also think of tram-lining and aqua-planing with larger wheels. Being in Finland I could imagine that the alloys will only be used in the summer?
I'd go for original Alfa wheels, either from a 33 or a 155 (although Fiat Alfa's have a .5 mm smaller hub so fitting is tougher than normal).
Cheers,
James |
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Pimp_Dudu Alfa Sprint
Joined: 17 Apr 2003 Posts: 157 Location: Helsinki, Finland
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2004 6:44 am Post subject: |
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tram lining??? aqua thinga magigee??? what do these terms mean? I actually have a pair of aluminum alloys now on my alfa and they've survived the whole winter with me so i guess i'll be using all year round alloys. |
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James Granger Alfa 33
Joined: 10 Apr 2003 Posts: 302
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2004 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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Tram-lining is when the car takes it's own course from imperfections on the road. For example, if you are on the motorway the car may get stuck in tracks worn into the road surface by articulated trucks. The wider the tyres - the more tram-lining you get. The 195's on my car seem to be the limit - any wider and the drive would be too tiring and uncomfortable to comprehend.
Aqua-planing basically means when your car skims across a wet road. The narrower the tyre the more pressure applied over a smaller area, hence better driving qualities in the wet or in snowy/icy conditions (look at ice-rally cars). Wider tyres have a larger surface area and basically are more prone to skim over the surface of the water, like a pebble over a lake.
This is the reason why I'm asking whether the alloys are for summer use only. It's quite sensible to change your wheels with skinnier tyres for the winter. Also if you have a laquered rim (like the Speedlines I have) any salt that can get under the laquer through stone-chip cracks will basically corrode the wheel, making them look terrible!
Also the larger the wheel diameter, the slower the acceleration times. I'd seriously say that 15" is the limit on the 33 as far as road use is concerned. |
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Eddie W Alfa 33
Joined: 31 Jul 2003 Posts: 375 Location: new zealand
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2004 9:52 pm Post subject: |
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Hi
Been running our S2 1.7 QV on 15x6.5 wheels with 34 offset and 195/50 directional tyres. Absolutely awsome grip , wet and dry ,no discernable tramlining, a slight increase in torque steer, no rubbing even when well loaded( standard ride height). The torque steer is not a great problem and I suspect has more to do with suspension bushes than the tyres. The past 3 days,work has had me commuting through a local gorge road that is Alfa to a "T" The car was an absolute dream to drive in the dry( the booster bracing bracket a distinct improvement) and the last day was done in an absolute downpour with sheets of water running across the road, mini waterfalls spraying off banks and patches of leaves scattered on corners. Again it was quite confidence boosting. HOWEVER, running the gorge road at night on the return journey behind a couple of bloody Roman Candles is not for the faint hearted. The common sense of driving wthin your vision was clearly impressed on me and I can only say that the rubber is probably why I don't have to search for parts in our for sale forum.
Regards Eddie _________________ A LITTLE FURTHER A LITTLE FASTER |
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RFlower Alfa 33
Joined: 17 Feb 2004 Posts: 432 Location: S of France
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Posted: Sun Feb 29, 2004 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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James Granger wrote: |
The narrower the tyre the more pressure applied over a smaller area, hence better driving qualities in the wet or in snowy/icy conditions (look at ice-rally cars). Wider tyres have a larger surface area and basically are more prone to skim over the surface of the water, like a pebble over a lake. |
According to www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/tyre_bible.html , section "Fat or thin ..." , the contact area is the same whatever the size of tyre, provided the pressure is the same. This disregards any support provided by the sidewall, which is probably negligible.
With a wider tyre the contact patch becomes wider, but shorter.
If this is correct it seems that increased aquaplaning is due to the wider contact patch generating more lift off the water, and having a greater distance towards each side to remove the water. _________________ Dick Flower, Nr. Carcassonne. '94 Trofeo 1.4 ie (F), '93 Imola 1.3/1.4 ie (now for breaking) (F), '91 1.7 ie (GB)(spare car), '86 Sprint 1.5 QV (F). '87 VW Syncro camper (F), '73 NSU Ro80 (F), '99 Fiat Seicento (F) |
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RFlower Alfa 33
Joined: 17 Feb 2004 Posts: 432 Location: S of France
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Posted: Sun Feb 29, 2004 8:27 pm Post subject: |
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Hi
I think the wheel/tyre combination depends on what is acceptable to you in terms of cornering power, handling, ride and comfort. Changing sizes to improve any one of these tends to compromise the others. I think Alfa got the balance just about right. The ideal would be to borrow and try different wheel & tyre combinations before buying them. It's a lot of cash spent if you don't like them
The 33 I just bought came with 35mm lower spring kit (Demon Tweeks), and 15x7 MiM alloys, offset 36, with 195/50 tyres. Standard alloys for 33 1.7 IE and Sprint are 14x5.5, offset 39, 185/60 tyres.
I drove the 33 UK to France, my wife drove the Sprint.
First things I noticed- the jack won't go under the car with a flat tyre and front wheels have about 1º negative camber unladen. Springs were fitted June '99, so should not have sagged yet. Camber is not easily adjustable, you can file out the mounting holes at the bottom of the strut as someone mentioned recently, or tubular suspension arms from www.ahmotorsports.co.ul/photos/tubrjarm.jpg look nice, and fair value.
Cornering power is greatly improved, handling & ride are OK on UK roads and motorways, but totally unacceptable on French local roads.
The car aquaplaned for about 50 metres on the Autoroute, downhill, at about 65mph, on a gentle curve, not braking, in the dark. My wife said the Sprint only twitched a little when she crossed the sheet of water running across the road. We stopped early for the night, and to change my pants.
I have now swapped wheels with the Sprint, which is to be laid up for repairs.
The 33's feels better with standard wheels, cornering power is adequate for me, but the ride is still bad. New dampers might help.
We tried the Sprint with the 15" wheels, and the car is awful. My wife stopped and refused to drive it any further. The track is increased only by 6mm, but there is vicious feedback to the steering, it wanders on every bump or hollow, and the ride is much harder. Tyre pressures are standard - F1.8 R1.6 bar. Maybe I've got something wrong, or spoilt by good roadholding and comfort in my Ro80.
Anyone want some cheap wheels and lower springs? I'm getting a set of standard alloy Sprint wheels and suspension from a T3 33 1.4 IE from the local breaker. _________________ Dick Flower, Nr. Carcassonne. '94 Trofeo 1.4 ie (F), '93 Imola 1.3/1.4 ie (now for breaking) (F), '91 1.7 ie (GB)(spare car), '86 Sprint 1.5 QV (F). '87 VW Syncro camper (F), '73 NSU Ro80 (F), '99 Fiat Seicento (F) |
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paddy granger Alfa Sprint
Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 248
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Posted: Sun Feb 29, 2004 11:32 pm Post subject: tyres |
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The key issue concerning aqua-planing is the tread design. The 195/50 R15 tyres should not result in any serious aqua-planing problems, as long as you choose a tyre with for example an aqua-channel centre groove and directional patterns to prevent aqua-planning.
On our 33 we also have 195/50 R15 tyres fitted. Our tyre specialist suggested a tyre pressure of 2.2 bar front and rear. The tyres are of type Michelin Pilot Exalto. He mentioned that these tyres are very prone to wear if the pressure is below 2.2 bar. What tyre pressures do other forum members recommend? |
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Pimp_Dudu Alfa Sprint
Joined: 17 Apr 2003 Posts: 157 Location: Helsinki, Finland
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2004 5:29 am Post subject: |
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but somehow im really sworried about using 15' alloys because i have jsut and just space between my body and my tires now with the 14' ones...and not to mention the fact that when snow gets stuck near the tires it will be really hard..so r u guys sure i can jsut stick on the 15' ones?? |
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James Granger Alfa 33
Joined: 10 Apr 2003 Posts: 302
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2004 9:34 am Post subject: |
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Pretty much sure. |
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alfistjen Alfasud
Joined: 30 Jul 2003 Posts: 59 Location: Belgium
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Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2004 6:31 pm Post subject: Wheel choise |
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Hi,
I've driven 185/60 R14's, 195/50R15 and 195/45R16 The difference in total diameter isn't that much, max 1cm so there's not really a difference there. Most difference is in the tire hight. And from the three sizes I like the 15" best of all. Combined with good tyres (goodyear eagle F1 and Potenza S03 I've had) they give the best feeling to your 33. 14" tyres are too high and less sharp, 16" are quite sharp but the car runs too hard (uncomfortable) and won't let the car 'live'. 15" just give very good steering and general handling. And as said before, get a good tyre, my 33 cuts through heavy rainfall as a hot knife through butter. (certainly with the F1's). Must say that I have Koni's all around and that makes a difference offcourse too.
Regrads!
paul D!
1.7 16V QV |
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sudman Alfasud
Joined: 14 May 2003 Posts: 69 Location: christchurch, new zealand
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 10:01 pm Post subject: |
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hey there,
I've just (finally....) put a set of 15x6.5 alloys with 195/50 tyres on my Sud Ti, and can't have been more impressed with the result!
Steering reponse has quickened up markedly, ride quality has not suffered massively as a result of the lower profile, no tramlining, and aqua planing doesn't seem to be an issue with the Dunlop Formula FM-901 tyres I am using (my second set... the 185/60/14s were also an awesome tyre!)
the same size wheels and tyres however were fitted to a plastic bumper Sprint... and the thing was terrible to drive, very heavy in the steering and inclined to bump steer. _________________ Just because it's old... doesn't mean it can't go fast! |
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alfistjen Alfasud
Joined: 30 Jul 2003 Posts: 59 Location: Belgium
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 12:25 am Post subject: |
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happy to hear that you have good results with the 15"s!
Regards! and happy motoring!
Paul D. |
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Rolle Guest
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 3:35 pm Post subject: |
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I had 205/45x16", the offset was 35. Only with 5 people in the car and lots of beer in the trunk and high speed the back tires rubbed a little bit in bumps, so about one time under two summers
Altough roads in Finland suck big time I had no bigger problems with tram-lining (vetelyä urissa in Finnish).
What size is the best regarding performance would be nice to know, if anyone have made any "reliable" tests. |
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alfistjen Alfasud
Joined: 30 Jul 2003 Posts: 59 Location: Belgium
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 4:11 pm Post subject: 15" |
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Hi,
I believe that many will agree with me if I say a 33 drives best on 195/50R15 tyres. Diameter is only slightly (or even not) bigger than the 14" and tyres are slightly wider. Combined with the yellow koni's I have it's glued to the tarmac without running dry-bumpy like I had with the 195-45R16's before.
Regards!
Paul D. |
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RFlower Alfa 33
Joined: 17 Feb 2004 Posts: 432 Location: S of France
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 4:26 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Paul D
What rims and offset are you using with your 195/50R15 tyres ?
Regards _________________ Dick Flower, Nr. Carcassonne. '94 Trofeo 1.4 ie (F), '93 Imola 1.3/1.4 ie (now for breaking) (F), '91 1.7 ie (GB)(spare car), '86 Sprint 1.5 QV (F). '87 VW Syncro camper (F), '73 NSU Ro80 (F), '99 Fiat Seicento (F) |
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Rolle Alfa Arna
Joined: 29 Mar 2004 Posts: 16 Location: Kirkkonummi - Finland
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 5:02 pm Post subject: Re: 15" |
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alfistjen wrote: |
I believe that many will agree with me if I say a 33 drives best on 195/50R15 tyres. Diameter is only slightly (or even not) bigger than the 14" and tyres are slightly wider. Combined with the yellow koni's I have it's glued to the tarmac without running dry-bumpy like I had with the 195-45R16's before. |
I have one 33 16V in sight with 16" rims but I don't like the look of them so I thought I'll buy 15" och 16" Superleggeras, but we'll see if/when I get the car. 15" tires are a lot cheaper so no panic at the track days with them
Yellow Koni's are also on the list, but what springs do you recommend. My ex-33 was running original springs but now I thought of buying Eibach springs as I will be using the car only in the summer. They should lower about 30mm but one guy has -40mm H&R springs, anyone have any experience with those?
Bye the way my 16" rims where 7" wide, what I heard 7½" rims don't fit that good in case someone is thinking of buying 16" |
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Guest
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Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2004 1:12 pm Post subject: |
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i have a 33 16v with 16" 205/45's and standard suspension... the type of tyre makes a big difference on the grip and fit...im using falkens at the moment mostly because they are hard wearing. i have standard suspension and the insides of the tyres wear fast enough for my liking so dont forget that going for big wheels with a suspension drop will cause the inner edge of the front tyres to wear faster.
the rear tyre clears the trailing arms by approximateyl 5mm for your infomation! |
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Ken McCarthy Alfa Sprint
Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 153 Location: Brisbane, Australia
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Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2004 11:05 pm Post subject: 15 inch wheels |
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My Sprint has 16V (1990) front suspension but Series 1 (1985) rear suspension which has a different suspension arm arrangement at the rear. Can anyone please confirm if 15x6.5 with 38mm offset and 15x7 with 35 offset wearing 195/50 tyres clear the lower suspension arm on the older rear suspension?
Thanks _________________ Ken McCarthy - 16V Sprint |
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wille Alfa Arna
Joined: 30 May 2003 Posts: 14 Location: Kerava, Finland
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Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:14 am Post subject: |
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Hi all.
I've wondered is it possible to put 205/40/17" wheels to 33? Now I got 15" with 195/50 tyres, and they're fantastic to drive, with so much grip. Which means I'm not buying new rims, just thinking.. _________________ -Ville- |
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Rolle Alfa Arna
Joined: 29 Mar 2004 Posts: 16 Location: Kirkkonummi - Finland
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Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:31 am Post subject: |
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wille wrote: |
I've wondered is it possible to put 205/40/17" wheels to 33? |
I don't see any reasons why you couldn't if 205/45x16" is no problem. 205/40x17" has only 6mm bigger diameter than 205/45x16". So if that difference is a problem, buy used tires which are a few mm worn . As long as you get the right offset and a 7" wide rim it's a go.
What 15" rims do you have and what tires? |
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wille Alfa Arna
Joined: 30 May 2003 Posts: 14 Location: Kerava, Finland
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Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:52 am Post subject: |
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My wheels are Alessio Imolas fitted with Nokian NRH2 tyres. After those 65-profile winter "tyres" it's really like a different car, funny(?) how you can forget in those couple of months how good 33 is to drive.. _________________ -Ville- |
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Rolle Alfa Arna
Joined: 29 Mar 2004 Posts: 16 Location: Kirkkonummi - Finland
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Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 9:52 am Post subject: |
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wille wrote: |
My wheels are Alessio Imolas fitted with Nokian NRH2 tyres. |
Like the ones in your avatar? A bit blind in the morning.
I might have a set of 16" TSW Imola for sale if you want to upgrade.. |
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wille Alfa Arna
Joined: 30 May 2003 Posts: 14 Location: Kerava, Finland
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Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 11:40 am Post subject: |
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Yep, those.. Actually I might be interested, current ones are little bit twisted, and two tires got just 2mm of rubber left Just gotta solve financial businesses first, pistän vaikka pm:ää.. _________________ -Ville- |
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