i have a 1.4 fabia and according to the halfords spotty oik i can fit 17" wheels to it no bigger.

His guide says that you can fit 18"'s to a VRS tho.

why wont 18"s fit my 1.4?

its a bit of a scunner cos all the really cheap packages on ebay are for 18's the wheels i want are 100 quid dearer for 17's.

I wouldnt go bigger than 17's anyway on a 1.4 mate, not only will the handling be worse and have less steering feel but the acceleration times will be worse. Tbh, I probably wouldn't go above 16's just to be safe.

Ok, i also have a 1.4, and im also looking for some alloys at the moment.

Hellfire, i don`t really understand what you mean by worse handling and less steering feel on 18" compared to 17". The sidewalls on the 18" are smaller, and therefore not so flexible, and should give better and sharper handling, or am i missing something?

My reason for wanting alloys is not for looks, but better handling. Ive got a nice offer on 205/45/16, but would like 17". But if the handling is worse on 17"s, then...

Are you planning to uprate the suspension at the same time as bigger wheels? You might find if you don't they'll rub as the 1.4 will have quite bouncy suspension. You'll also notice a massive performance and mpg impact of running bigger wheels as you're carrying quite a bit more unsprung weight

I'd personally go for 15"'s or 16"'s and lower the car as a compromise

Chris

Your 1.4 is designed to perform on 14" rims with whatever said tyres.

For your car to perform the same way it does now, you will need to ensure you get alloys and tyres that offer the same rolling radius as the current setup you have.

My suggestion to you would be to go for the alloys & tyres you want as long as you meet the same rolling radius your wheels currently have, and for better grip and handling, get wider rims, somethin' like 7"- 8" wide, as opposed to the current 5" - 6" you probably have now. This will improve the handling, along with stretched or matching low-profile reinforced-sidewall tyres to go with it. Also, lower your car with stiff springs. It will do wonders to the handling of your car (and it will also do wonders to the comfort you will have once had).

Chris ->

As for me, i am going to lower mine. It`s only a 1.4, but it can still be driven briskly. :-) Hmm, i think i will go for the 16"s then, and then lowering. How much should i lower it? I want to be able to drive over bumps and up/down (damn my english. You know, when entering fx a driveway there is heightdiff.), without any problems. I was thinking of 35mm, but...?

Also don't buy cheap reps as they'll be heavy. Go for something lightweight from OZ or similar.

On 16" rims with 45 profile tyres, 35 - 40mm is just about right before the underbody protector begins ground speed bumps and driveway gradients.

I cant explain it but im sure some techie will be along soon to answer why bigger wheels have less steering feedback. Cornerning may be unaffected but you wont be as confident to push on and as Chris says, unsprung weight is a key factor. IIRC 5kg = 1 bhp/ton.

Bigger wheels are likely to increase your unsprung weight, which will affect handling. And if you get something like 18" tyres with 225/35 R18 tyres, that will be a great %% bigger than 185/60 R14 (your oem size) - This will affect gearing.

17s on normal springs make it look rollerskatey enough - dread to think what 18s would look like?

...if you get something like 18" tyres... with 225/35 R18 tyres...

Tsk tsk...

Chris ->

As for me' date=' i am going to lower mine. It`s only a 1.4, but it can still be driven briskly. :-) Hmm, i think i will go for the 16"s then, and then lowering. How much should i lower it? I want to be able to drive over bumps and up/down (damn my english. You know, when entering fx a driveway there is heightdiff.), without any problems. I was thinking of 35mm, but...?[/quote']

My Fabia Elegance was lowered around 35-40mm on the standard 14" alloys. Looked much better dropped and I didn't have any problems with speed bumps or poor ride quality Cornering was much improved (as the guy who bought it will testify when I took him out for a spin ) but had I been keeping the car a bit longer, I would have probably gone up to 15"'s or 16"'s so it didn't look too slammed but also had a bit more grip....

Chris

Tsk tsk...

WHEELS, not tyres.

Get some 21" chromed spinners

Wikkid!

I run 16" on my 1.4.

I personally think 16" are biggest you could put without lowering. My 1.4 does pull slower with 16", dare to think 17" myself.

well i'm looking at inovit lightweight track wheels.

i was gonna stick VRs alloys on it but someone on here reckons that they weigh a ton.

i get the unsprung weight thing but dont reckon it'll b that much different the 1.4 alloys look quite chunky i'll weight them tho.

unsprung weight is why ive decided against 312mm brakes i know from my audi how much heavier they are than standard ones

steering feel well thats down to the width will make steering slightly heavier.

i do plan on lowering it. -40mm

thanks for the advice

http://www.europeanspeed.com/wheelweights.htm

mm spiders are a definate no no now i've read this

well i'm looking at inovit lightweight track wheels.

i was gonna stick VRs alloys on it but someone on here reckons that they weigh a ton.

i get the unsprung weight thing but dont reckon it'll b that much different the 1.4 alloys look quite chunky i'll weight them tho.

unsprung weight is why ive decided against 312mm brakes i know from my audi how much heavier they are than standard ones

steering feel well thats down to the width will make steering slightly heavier.

i do plan on lowering it. -40mm

thanks for the advice

I weighed my wheels when I changed from Fabia vRS 16's with 205/45/16 tyres to Octy vRS 17's with 205/40/17 tyres.

Furby 16's = 16.7 kg's per wheel inc tyre

Octy 17's = 18 kg's per wheel inc. tyre

Can't say I noticed any difference in driving though!

PS You can fit 18's on a Fabia as some have already done this before as long as you get the correct tyre size to compensate for speedo difference.

16's .. . got em on my TDi which has a bit more grunt than the 1.4, and even i notice the slight loss of acceleration over the 185/60/14 standards.

I use the vRS alloys - call me boring, but they work well, good handling, correct offset (so no knackered wheel bearings) and look ok too.

Bear in mind that big wheels have big tyre prices, though, especially with very low profile tyres which will be needed for the rolling radius.

vrs alloys are fecking heavy

18" OZ super T without tyre is 9.2 kg is there 9 kg in a 35 series tyre?

17's sound more sensible as the tyres are alot cheaper but as i said before the 17" wheels arent in the sale and the 18's are.

vrs alloys are fecking heavy

18" OZ super T without tyre is 9.2 kg is there 9 kg in a 35 series tyre?

17's sound more sensible as the tyres are alot cheaper but as i said before the 17" wheels arent in the sale and the 18's are.

The weight include both wheel and tyre together

I also weighed the Octy wheel / tyre separately

Octy 17" wheel was 10 kg's and tyre was 8 kg's

I think the OZ rims are a more lightweight rim to the OEM ones

Hi all,

I have now got 16" wheels on my 1.4 MPI, and you can really feel it it, both positive and negative.

The ride is so much better, but when i pass 62mph/100kmt, it`s gotten really slow. It was slow to start with, but....

I`m happy with what iv`e done, but i wouldn`t add bigger wheels or tires, that would simply be too much for the little engine.

I`m running 205/45/16, and i will be putting pics in the sticky "Fabia Alloys Archive" thread later on.

Regards, Michael

By comparison here is what I weighed on would you believe a weigh bridge for trucks

Furby 16's = 16.6 kg's per wheel inc tyre

Octy 16's (From the Octy vRS Estate) = 16 kg's per wheel inc. tyre

I do have no rubber left on my tyres however, so this must account for a good 1kg in total