New 18" Alloys on Sporthatch

Hi guys,

Just wondering if anyone can give me some advice as i wish to get some
new alloys for my 05 Astra Sporthatch.
The ones that came on it look naff and are a bugger to clean so i was
looking at getting some of the ones that come on the Astra SRI. They a
a five spoke stat design and 18 Inch.

As i know squat about cars really i was just wondering if i will have
any issues sticking these on my car as the ones i have at the moment
are 16".

Also they will be coming without tyres so i will need to get
some....are they very expensive? Any ide what tyres i need so i can
look up the price while i wait for the wheels.

Thanks in advance

Jon

 

Well they might fit but it could involve needing to have the arches rolled.
It would all depend on the width and offset of the new wheels. Also the
profile of the tyre would need to change by two sizes to give you the same
rolling circumfernce and keep the speedo right. i.e. if your current tyrea
are say 205*65*16 then youd need 205*45*15 which can prove expensive and
allow for kerbing and alloy damage as the tyre sidewalls are not very
high.Youd be better looking at some of the older astra/vectra alloys as many
of them are 16 inch alloys.

 

Thanks gary....much apprieciated.

Can i just ask what 'having your arches rolled' means. Thanks

Jon

 

Where the wing folds underneath the car around the wheel arch you'll find a
lip about 15-20mm wide at an angle of 90 degrees to the wing. This is
folded/rolled right up into the arch to allow wider wheels/tyres to fit in
without rubbing on said edge.

 

Would you need the arches rolled, my 5 door Sri has 17's my brothers 5
door Sri has 18's, I would assume all Astras would have the same arches
else it would mean re-tooling the jigs when pressing the body parts, a
bit expensive.

Mike

 

That sounds good mike.
I notice that the SRI comes with 17's but 18's are available.
Does your brother have the 5 or 3 door? Do you think they will both be
the same anyway?

Thanks

 

His is the 5 door with a body kit although again for production reasons
I doubt if the arches will differ, I again assume as many common parts
as possible are used on all the models.

I would have liked a 3 door sport with the body kit but for practical
reasons, new grand daughter (difficulty with child seat in back) and
awkward humped drive I went for the 5 door, strangely apart from the kit
and wheels despite not seeing each other for 12 months we both chose an
1.8 SR1 in Moonland.

Mike

 

Generally unless your a boy racer then the arches won't need rolled. They
only usually need this with wider than std wheels and tyres, or with alloys
that have a large offset, combined with the car being lowered on the
suspensionto give the car a squat beefy look. I only brought it up so you'd
be aware if you bought a second hand set with wider profile and different
offset.