I fancy some Alloys for my bus , I don’t know much about the choices and what offset etc I need , I like the idea of keeping the speedo true by having the same circumference,though are new Alloys usually associated with lowering (which mine is not , but I would consider doing) also I guess the tyres need to be extra load ? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
"EMPI" 5 style. 185/15 .. Alloys come more often in 15 inch than 14. 185/15 is 5% smaller than stock tyres on 14 inch rims.
Thanks mike , I do like the look of these , I did see a set second hand but didn’t think the had extra load tyres on them , do the tyres need to be extra load or commercial rated or am I worrying too much , are the wheels just straight bolt on or do I need adapters ? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Because they are 185/65R15 profile sorry missed the profile number. Which are slightly smaller than stock diameter 185 mm wide, 65% of 185mm tall or 120mm tall, 15 inch rim . These wheels bolt on, no adaptors needed, you can get load rated tyres. While it isnt great I drove around on 88 rated tyres for a while.. the problem is the maximum inflation pressure allowed by an 88 rated tyre is less than recommended pressure on the rear of a bus. What I prefer is 92 extra rated which is still a car tyre but you can inflate up to 50 psi or more than the bus needs. I am using Cooper CS2... The tractor unit had at least one Cooper CS3 tyre on it.
These are similar wheels with 195/70x15 tyres – the same diameter as standard 185x14. The bus has 2½“ drop spindles but the rear has been lowered slightly since the pic was taken.
Don’t ignore tyre load rating (and it’s not just the permitted inflation pressure). Depending on which bus you have the rear axle load may be 1300kg, therefore each rear tyre must have a load rating of at least 650kg, that’s a load index of 93 marked on the tyre sidewall. The front is lighter so a lower load rating could be used but an insurance assessor could reject a claim if the tyres don’t comply with the bus manufacturers recommendations. If you don’t understand tyre sizes and the sidewall markings read this: https://www.blackcircles.com/general/sidewall
I knew that really but it needed explaining Worth saying that there is a much bigger tyre choice with 15" wheels
I am still thinking of doing the empi 5 style to my van but am a bit confused with offsets. Midland wheels do a set with an offset of +20. Is this OK? Also do you need longer studs? Thanks Ben
Early midland wheel 5 spoke empis on mine with 195/70R15C boots on. Just put Vanhawk 2s on the front and will do the rears next month (old tyres starting to crack) but they are quite old!! Rated at 900kg. Not much clearance between rear tyres @nd arches on these wheels. Ie about 10mm! Its enough unless youve got after market drums on (ask me how i know!
Most (but not all) aftermarket alloy wheels are et20, it’s not right but it’s better than et12 that they used to be. Midland Wheels or John Brown Wheels as they call themselves these days told me the solution was to fit narrow, low profile car tyres – they stopped talking to me when I pointed out that wasn’t a good idea and the problem was the wheels were wrong. I’d not recommend Midland/John Brown Wheels, there are plenty of alternative suppliers, but not JK of course. Those are 15x5.5 et20 Empi 5 spoke style wheels on my bus up there^. No need for longer studs but the nuts must suit the wheels and should be supplied with the wheels.