Steel wheels vs. alloy

[zxcvbob]

Daughter (going to school in Texas) has wrecked the wheels on the right side of here car.  I don't know what she keeps running into; previously had just scraped up the hubcaps, but now the rims are bent right at the bead.  I found out when I was down there last weekend and I got her an oil change and was gonna rotate the tires.  The garage wouldn't touch the wheels.  They're not leaking air, and they still are straight and don't wobble, so when she comes home in a couple of months she needs to buy new wheels.

So I'm looking at aftermarket wheels.  I want to put OEM (ugly) steel wheels on and generic wheel covers.  I start looking at fitment guides online and get confused.  I'm pretty sure the car has 15x6.5" alloy wheels and 195/60R15 tires.  I can find 15x6" black steel wheels with the right bolt pattern and offset (and that's a good width for that size tire) but I'm wondering about clearance for the brake calipers and pads.  I can also find 16x6.5" wheels and those have a better chance of fitting, but I don't want to change tire sizes so that's out.

The little donut spare tire I bought at the junkyard has a steel wheel, and it's just a 14", and it fits OK.  (at least it fits in the back, I'm not sure I tried it on the front axle)

I'm gong to check with the dealer and see if the base model of that car (Pontiac G5; same as a Chevy Cobalt) ever came with 15" steel wheels.

Let's say that I get the 15x6" wheels and they almost fit but not quite.  Is there any problem using a spacer to move the wheels out another 3/8" or so?

I could put aftermarket alloy wheels on and avoid the (maybe) brake clearance problem, but she'll just wreck those too.  Maybe she won't if she has to pay for 'em... $85 x 4

[Boomhauer]

How about leave the alloy wheels on the left side and put the black uglies on the right side...

Or tell your daughter to stop being an idiot and hitting curbs and make her buy two factory alloys for the right side...

Also, hit the junkyard and get some wheels...

[roo_ster]

I think I have diagnosed your problem:
Remove the cell phone & texting feature and she'll stop running into curbs.

[zxcvbob]

I would do that [just replace the right-side wheels] if I could get 15x6.5" steelies.  6's will change the mounted tire dimensions slightly.

So we'll probably get a set of 4 wheels, but only replace the 2 bad ones for now and put them both on the same axle.  Replace the other 2 when those tires need to be replaced (or she wrecks them too)

I wonder if she has no depth perception.  

BTW, I have told her to stop being an idiot.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQCBqbAs918_8QG4tNhZ-s5H42GQGkR6h1rFOk7qu1MJTg_KwQs

just send her the pic for now  kinda a warning shot

[zxcvbob]

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQCBqbAs918_8QG4tNhZ-s5H42GQGkR6h1rFOk7qu1MJTg_KwQs

just send her the pic for now  kinda a warning shot

I like that.  Thanks.

[Jim147]

Check here: http://www.finishlinewheels.com/

jim

[Bogie]

Sheesh - just some white spokers... Steel weighs more, but hey... Or you could probably get black spokers, but I'd go for the white ones...
 

[Brad Johnson]

Craigslist.

Brad

[zxcvbob]

Sheesh - just some white spokers... Steel weighs more, but hey... Or you could probably get black spokers, but I'd go for the white ones...
 

The trick is finding them.  Has to have the right bolt pattern (4x100mm) and close to the right offset.  I don't think white spoke wheels exist for it.  Yeah, I'd rather than white or silver instead of black, but I'll take what I can get.

[Brad Johnson]

Like I said, Craigslist.  First hit on the local site.

http://lubbock.craigslist.org/pts/2214485134.html

Looks like 4x100 is a pretty common pattern.  You should have no trouble finding wheels what with all the factory cast-offs from the boy racer wannabes upgrading to goofy ultra-low-profile tire/rim combos.

Brad

[roo_ster]

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQCBqbAs918_8QG4tNhZ-s5H42GQGkR6h1rFOk7qu1MJTg_KwQs

just send her the pic for now  kinda a warning shot

Heh.

[Hawkmoon]

I think I have diagnosed your problem:
Remove the cell phone & texting feature and she'll stop running into curbs.

^^^ This.

Another vote for junkyard. As a plus, at many yards you get the wheel with a decent tire still on it. If she's trashing wheels badly enough that they need to be replaced, I wouldn't be too happy about the sidewalls of the tires ...

[Lee]

Ah, now I understand why the Nissan Dealer was trying to sell me wheel insurance when I bought my truck.  I didn't know there was such a thing...and truthfully didn't understand WHY there was such a thing.  Now I get it...maybe you should get some for her.

[sanglant]

check the prices on some nicer wheels first. you might be surprised. and it might save a small amount of fuel.

not sure if these are the right fit, but there the brand i have on my car.

i have the 7 spoke 15x7 15x6.5 they use a plastic ring to center the wheel for mounting, but as long as you don't lose the ring they are much better then the steel things. i was running them without covers though. these are 79 each, maybe having something she likes better would cause more attention to be paid to them? and is there any chance she's letting other people drive her car? there's no faster way to kill one. my rule was no one but me, under 45 drives my car. well maybe my goddaughters.

oh and the site i linked to will tell you what's stock for the car. if you have all the model info. check the right model just because the car was sold with them doesn't mean you can mount them without changing the brakes.

oh, and the wheel bearings. might be shot.

would getting the wheels repaired be an option?




the miata guys have a calculator to tell you how far off 2 sizes of wheels/tires are.

maybe driving school? or a copy of GT5? no probably not a good idea. worked for me though. well that was GT.

[KD5NRH]

How about leave the alloy wheels on the left side and put the black uglies on the right side...

Better yet, how about four completely different wheels and three wrong color body panels?  If she wants something better, let her buy it out of her own pocket, which also has the effect of making one more careful with things.

[sanglant]

something i had completely forgot about. well one of them.