Smallest width alloy on a big brake?

Guys, What is the smallest width alloys (both fronts and rears) that clear the UK big brake and still can be driven safely?

Thanks

Stock 17" wheels work ok

Hey Wez, thanks for that mate, this is one of the answers I am after but I am also after the width of the alloys. I see everybody generally using atleast 8.5J on the fronts and atleast 9.5J on the rears to clear UK big brake. So I would like to know what is the lowest you can go on this figure so that the alloys still clear the big brake and still can be driven safely.

Thanks

It's really more to do with the actual wheel/spoke design and offset, rather than the rim width - at least as far as brake clearance is concerned.

I totally agree with you steve. But incase I get the right rim structure that is good to clear the big brakes what is the lowest width I can go for the alloys?

The reason I ask this is because I am planning to have a set of winter tyres (along with a set of whinter wheels). So the lower the width the better it is to drive in winter (wet/Cold/Snow) conditions.

Thanks

I totally agree with you steve. But incase I get the right rim structure that is good to clear the big brakes what is the lowest width I can go for the alloys?

 

The reason I ask this is because I am planning to have a set of winter tyres (along with a set of whinter wheels). So the lower the width the better it is to drive in winter (wet/Cold/Snow) conditions.

 

Thanks

There is no lowest width. The width can come from the back end of the wheel. Its all down to the spoke design. I could half the width of my wheels (the offset would be miles out) and they would still clear the brakes.

I know its not much help but it gives an indication of your thought process.

You'd get away with 8" and a 215/45 tyre all around I guess.

I'm sure you could go lower, perhaps as low as 6.5"-7" provided you used quality rims and tyres to sustain the increased forces they'd need to deal with.

I run 8" fronts and 9" rears on my car.

The real question is this, if you are trying to ensure stock geo settings for safer winter driving do you still look for +50mm offsets regardless of rim with or does the reduction in width need to be considered?

The minimum width you could use will come down to the weight of the car, type of tyre used, aspect ratio of the tyre and the pressure in it. I'm sure there'll be some formula for it.

Chris Wilson may be able to give you a good idea of what's the minimum width to use.

It's an almost impossible question, on snow and ice you might want a 6 inch wide rim, and with a bizarre offset and suitable interior design it may clear the brakes. The offset would upset the handling, but be outweighed by a narrow tyre choice for the specialised conditions. For "normal" road usage I wouldn't go below 205 front tyres and 225 rears, they'd probably be quite nice in the wet, but under rubbered in the dry. I'd go with the tyre makers widest recommended rim for that tyre section, and aspect ratio would be governed by the need to maintain a close to stock rolling radius. Brake clearance is more a diameter thing than width, although offset comes in of course. What exactly are you trying to achieve that stock rim sizes won't accommodate?

It's an almost impossible question, on snow and ice you might want a 6 inch wide rim, and with a bizarre offset and suitable interior design it may clear the brakes. The offset would upset the handling, but be outweighed by a narrow tyre choice for the specialised conditions. For "normal" road usage I wouldn't go below 205 front tyres and 225 rears, they'd probably be quite nice in the wet, but under rubbered in the dry. I'd go with the tyre makers widest recommended rim for that tyre section, and aspect ratio would be governed by the need to maintain a close to stock rolling radius. Brake clearance is more a diameter thing than width, although offset comes in of course. What exactly are you trying to achieve that stock rim sizes won't accommodate?

Chris, sorry I dont have stock rims, I am looking for a set that can clear the big brake and also allows me to put winter tyres with 205s on the front and 225s or 235s on the rear. I suppose 8Js all round should be ok to get these tyres on.

At the moment my current alloys are 8.5J on the front and 9.5J on the rear. I am running falken 452s, 235s on the front and 265s on the rear.

I would think an 8 inch rim should be a fair compromise, but be SURE to try a rim actually over your brakes before buying them!!!!!

I had 8.5" Advans on the front of my Soarer, the curved design of the spokes left plenty of room for the calipers.

As I said to you on Soarerworld, just get a set of Supra 17s, some Continentals or something in stock sizes, job done. The weathers rarely bad enough to warrant 'winter' tyres anyway.

Besides, with global warming we'll all be cutting about with 888s on all year round soon

I had 8.5" Advans on the front of my Soarer, the curved design of the spokes left plenty of room for the calipers.

As I said to you on Soarerworld, just get a set of Supra 17s, some Continentals or something in stock sizes, job done. The weathers rarely bad enough to warrant 'winter' tyres anyway.

Besides, with global warming we'll all be cutting about with 888s on all year round soon

You might be right regarding the number of bad weather days but some of these websites state otherwise

http://www.etyres.co.uk/winter-tyres-law

Not sure what to do. Worried my chrome wheels might get spoiled during the winter.

Which country are you taking the car to?

ha ha good one! No where, just want to be on the safer side!

FFS, I assumed you were going to Poland or Russia!

Another website saying the same thing

http://www.tyreadvice.co.uk/to-buy-or-not-to-buy-winter-tyres/

Hmm... Chris what would you do during winter if you travel pretty much every day 40 miles each side to work?

Go slowly Are you up in the back of beyond or something?

Lost you there, No idea what you are talking about mate!

Looks like going slowly is one option

Both those websites are tyre companies, of course they want you to buy winter tyres and pay them to change them over twice a year. It's nothing more than a blatantly transparent marketting ploy based on fear.

I don't care how good their deals are, I won't use scum that try that.

The simple answer is to drive more carefully in adverse conditions. To learn what your care feels like when it's losing traction and how to react when it does.

The cosmetic issues are another thing entirely and, as others have suggested, stock wheels are the simplest choice for a winter set.

 

The simple answer is to drive more carefully in adverse conditions. To learn what your care feels like when it's losing traction and how to react when it does.

 

.

Try that in a single turbo car with 265 section R888s

Both those websites are tyre companies, of course they want you to buy winter tyres and pay them to change them over twice a year. It's nothing more than a blatantly transparent marketting ploy based on fear.

 

I don't care how good their deals are, I won't use scum that try that.

TBH I think that most people (like the op) who do this have a spare set of stock wheels so if you think about it over the long term you'd spend no more (ignoring different prices for tyre types) with the tyre supplier..........give or take, the summer and winter sets you'd initially buy would last the same as the two sets you'd buy one after the other if you had just the one set (essentially you can't use both at the same time!)...........but the multiply tyre situation means you always have the optimum tyre available for the conditions (whether you can be arsed to swap them is another matter ).

If i lived in Scotland and the supra was my only transport I'd try and get some........... 'normal' tyres we all use aren't terrible in

Saying all this it's probably best to have a 4x4 or fwd banger for harsh conditions as sods law even if you get the Supra gripping ok someone else will slide into you.......

Try that in a single turbo car with 265 section R888s

The principle still applies. I've been riding litre plus bikes for over 20 years, since friction (and hence traction) is a factor of mass they're far easier to spin up than _any_ car and the principal works there too.

Slow down until you know your vehicle and learn what it feels like to lose grip. Also learn how to react when it happens. If you can't do that then you certainly don't have the skill to drive a 500BHP car, on any tyres.

K

Saying all this it's probably best to have a 4x4 or fwd banger for harsh conditions as sods law even if you get the Supra gripping ok someone else will slide into you.......

By far the most sensible option. I wasn't suggesting that winter wheels and tyres are a bad idea, just that the quoted sites aren't independent and have their own agenda. I have a set of standard wheels, unfortunately the previous owner put ditchfinders on them so I daren't use them in the winter. He also had asymetrics on the front and directional on the back which makes for 'interesting' handling

K.

Kevan you are missing one of the main points in both the links, which is, in most of the other European countries it is mandatory to change your wheels in winter. It also talks about reduced accidents due to the use of winter tyres during winter.

I agree with your point about friction that friction is a factor of mass. But to achieve higher friction you should have proper area of contact between the tyre and road surface. This is exactly what winter tyres achieve. They are made of harder compound rubber, have deeper grooves in the tyres for keeping the water/snow/mud out and prevent aqua planing. Also most of the winter tyres have lesser width compared to their all weather/dry weather counterparts.

Also one last thing is dont just consider the air temperature to be the temperature of the road. Esp during evenings and night times the temperature of the road is much lower than the air temp.

Esp we are worse off having RWD cars during winter time, so we more than any body have to look into this and swap the tyres for safety reasons. Or at least this is my opinion.

Cheers