alloys for the van (1 Viewer)

[Munchie]

Thinking of getting alloys put on the van. Any advice or opinions please?

 

[bluelass]

I've just bought some for my van conversion. Must say they look rather snazzy. I was parked next to a Trigano Tribute last weekend and from a distance the vans look pretty much the same....but those alloys really did look good!

Some would say 'keep your money in your wallet' and it depends what else you need to get before the alloys. Mine is an oldish Youngs conversion that's in need of a few internal upgrades too but I'm leaving those until after the autumn when I'll be using the van much less.
Hope this helps.:thumb:

 

[greygit]

We haven't got um on ours but I would like some as "in theory" they are lighter than steel ones so they shouldn't transmit so much road surface vibration through to the vehicle.........at least that's what we were told at Tech Collage many moons ago as very young apprentice mechanics.
Greygit

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[cater_racer]

Waste of money, the steel one flex a bit and THEY reduce road vibration. Lighter unsprung weight would improve handling and fuel consumption, but you won't notice either.

The pickeys will try to nick them, so you'll need locking wheel nuts. If you kerb them you'll hate yourself, and they will constantly need cleaning.

I've gone for nice wheel trims, tied on with tie-wraps.

Spend the money on a ferry ticket and some diesel.

 

[cater_racer]

Waste of money, the steel ones flex a bit and THEY reduce road vibration. Lighter unsprung weight would improve handling and fuel consumption, but you won't notice either.

The pickeys will try to nick them, so you'll need locking wheel nuts. If you kerb them you'll hate yourself, and they will constantly need cleaning.

I've gone for nice wheel trims, tied on with tie-wraps.

Spend the money on a ferry ticket and some diesel.

 

[Pugboxter]

Lighter unsprung weight would improve handling and fuel consumption, but you won't notice either.

Alloy wheels are also nearly always heavier than steel wheels, and I'd imagine alloy wheels marketed for a van will definitely be heavier than the standard wheels....... however having said that if you want some alloys get some.

I have some alloys on my car that are 1.5kg heavier per wheel than the original steel wheels, but I like the way they look.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[WillH]

Thinking of getting alloys put on the van. Any advice or opinions please?

They are only useful on a road vehicle if you are really racing. Using alloys reduces the unsprung weight and allows the tyre to be in full contact with the road longer when travelling over bumpy surfaces as the suspension will return the wheel to the road faster. Given the overall weight of the van compared to the wheels any gain in comsumption and handling will be undetectable and at ordinary road speeds they make no difference. Performance is only enhanced at speeds well above the limit.

However, if they look good, fit them.

Bill

 

[wanttobeaway]

If you like the look of them get them as you will be thinking about them all the time now and they do look good

 

[lebesset]

have been down that path , but it was a bad idea because a motorhome tends to spend more time on grass and gravel etc than a car

suffice it to say that they soon started getting marked , and refurbishment is expensive !
so my advice is ...don't bother

btw , if you do decide to do it , be very careful , a lot of wheels that appear to fit are not designed to carry the weight , they are for cars

the clincher for me was that , as someone has said , they turned out to be heavier ...for some reason I thought they would be lighter

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Mick H]

Our motorhome came with alloys as standard. They ARE lighter than the steel ones, because I weighed one against the steel spare.
Alloys still look good after a few years of use, wereas steel ones often show their age with rusting, but I found that alloys need removing every year,and a good coat of grease or similar applied to the mating surface, to prevent them becoming corroded to the hubs.
Having never had alloys before, I didn't choose them, but definately would in future.

 

[haganap]

go get em poser



I got nothing but stick from those on here when I asked the same question. I love em, look great and worth it IMO, but to me Im an image freak!!! Had some on my last van that I bought and they looked ace. I was going to put them on to my new van but they were 15" and mine is 16". despite what the gloomers will say, you can get decent quality ones that wont collapse,

 

[Munchie]

go get em poser



I got nothing but stick from those on here when I asked the same question. I love em, look great and worth it IMO, but to me Im an image freak!!! Had some on my last van that I bought and they looked ace. I was going to put them on to my new van but they were 15" and mine is 16". despite what the gloomers will say, you can get decent quality ones that wont collapse,

Never gave collapsing a thought

Reason we are thinking of them is that the steel wheels are starting to look scruffy And I was led to believe they are lighter?

I think my wheels are 15" and I have seen some Wolfrace ones at £250 for the 5 on the web. Am I looking too cheap? :Blush:

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[scotjimland]

Never gave collapsing a thought

Hi

if you access to Facts do a search, there was a post by Pjay about one of his ally wheels collapsing .. worth a read and some good pictures .. scary stuff

 

[Robinhood]

Never gave collapsing a thought

Reason we are thinking of them is that the steel wheels are starting to look scruffy And I was led to believe they are lighter?

I think my wheels are 15" and I have seen some Wolfrace ones at £250 for the 5 on the web. Am I looking too cheap? :Blush:

You definitely need to get heavy-duty ones that are specifically designed for commercial vehicles (and also for your particular base vehicle so that the PCD and offset are correct).

http://www.tyresave.co.uk/alloyvan.html will give you some ideas.

 

[Forestboy]

Don't listen to the Doom & Gloom merchants

If you want them and they make you happy you get em mate :thumb: its your money spend it how you like.:thumb:

Saw a van recently with a set of alloys on it looked fab

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Munchie]

You definitely need to get heavy-duty ones that are specifically designed for commercial vehicles (and also for your particular base vehicle so that the PCD and offset are correct).

http://www.tyresave.co.uk/alloyvan.html will give you some ideas.

Yep thanks, wheels on front page are the type we were thinking of. Price is not outside our remit neither.:thumb:

 

[Wintonian]

I don't know about alloy car wheels, but we have a Ducati 996 SPS (a rather special motorbike for those that don't know) which is fitted with very strong forged (not cast) magnesium alloy wheels made by OZ. They cost about £2,000 for the pair. They are designed and built to take the extreme forces experienced on the race track. The standard cast alloy wheels fitted to most road bikes cost a great deal less than that, but would not be trusted for the forces experienced on the track. The same applies to car wheels. The alloy wheels tend to be machined castings, whereas F1 wheels, for example, are forged for greater strength and lightness.

Motor Homes subject their wheels to very high loadings an, I would have thought, would have to be originally fitted with wheels that have been designed to take those forces. A manufacturer that offers alloy wheels as an option will have determined that. Ask the manufacturer what the price of the OE wheels would be and compare that with prices that you see on eBay etc. You may be surprised!

 

[robnchris]

alloys

Hi,

For us it`s all about your motorhome and putting your stamp on it, why not personalise it a little and make it stand out.:thumb:
Go for it it`s your pride and joy make it special, if we only spent our cash on the necessities of life what a dull place it would be...

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Supertractorman]

I have alloy wheels that were supplied with the van new. Only disappointment is with the chromed wheel studs going rusty I guess due to torque wrenches not being a good fit when tightening the wheels. Anybody know any firms who will re-chrome studs at sensible money ?.

 

[Wintonian]

Anybody know any firms who will re-chrome studs at sensible money ?.

Have a look in your Yellow Pages. In my experience there are many plating firms all over the place who will do small jobs and don't charge very much. I have had small aluminium alloy parts anodised, too.

 

[derekfaeberwick]

All the vehicles I've driven have had alloy wheels, most of them have been made of this alloy though. Steel! :Sad::Sad:

If you like the look and you can afford it then go for it.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[vwalan]

tractorman. the secret is look out for plastic caps to go over your wheel nuts .you can get chrome look or black even other colours. have a look in some of the custom car mags in a newsagents. some car use them as standard .
i used to have cobra super slots on a vw .took loads of cleaning to keep shiny. also had some minilights on a vw much better as the centers were painted.
cheers alan

 

[georgio]

Morning all


And just to throw a spanner in the discussion, why not take off the wheels have them shotblasted and then chromed. cool or what. ?




georgio

 

[vwalan]

or do a nice paint job. i like to do black centers and aluminium rims .bit like the 60,s 70,s look . chrome is expensive .

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Wintonian]

or do a nice paint job. i like to do black centers and aluminium rims .bit like the 60,s 70,s look . chrome is expensive .

Great idea. Having lost one of the rear plastic wheel trims a couple of weeks ago whilst negotiating a narrow chicane at dead slow speed through a French village, I was wondering whether to buy a new set or do a paint job. The paint job sounds like a good idea.