Volvo P1800ES...kinda

Am I the only one thinking that you might want a slightly smaller diameter wheel?

It looks fantastic. Nice work.

Steelies with a beauty ring. Would give some lip, look good, and Stockton could make them to whatever is needed.

tHE ISSUE you have with a 15" or even a 16" is finding tires.

Dad is having this issue wiht his 911, only tires he can find were made for priusi!

tuna55 wrote: Am I the only one thinking that you might want a slightly smaller diameter wheel? It looks fantastic. Nice work.

I will post some pics with a set of 15" wheels and tires that I have. Not wheels that I would use cause while they looked fine on the Protege, they don't do much for me on this car

I see what you see, but for some reason feel that the higher profile tires are more suited to this era of car than a low profile tire.

Steelies with a beauty ring. Would give some lip, look good, and Stockton could make them to whatever is needed.

That might be an interesting idea. Had not thought of it. Too bad I just tossed the Volvo center caps!

The good news is that whatever I do on the rear will work on the front since the status-quo p front is almost good enough.

Having a hard time not putting a tow rope on the thing and going for a drag around the block

The "default" tire size for the ES is 195/65-15, which is fortunately still a very common size. For how you've said this car will be used, I'd say they will be adequate.

For wheels, I personally really like the BBS RX style, but finding a 4x100 in 15x6 may take some digging.

Maybe something like these:

Those would be nice. To me, Panasport/Minilite style wheels look good on a P1800. There are some fairly high offset sizes designed for front-wheel drive cars.

Favorite Volvo wheels ever:

In reply to NOHOME:

Those look like RX-II's which were factory Mk IV Wolfsburg Edition wheels. I have a set for my TDI. 16x6.5", IIRC. The OE centers are silver, but often changed. Those are pretty easy to find, but the bolt pattern is 5x100. I've been thinking of having a set of 5x108 > 5x100 adapters made so they could mount to my ES. The adapters would "fix" the offset difference between FWD and RWD wheels.

BTW, those wheels seem to be missing the triple-square bolts that attach the centers to the barrels. Those are a SOB to get, from what I remember - and pricey.

In reply to mblommel:

240 Turbo wheels. Very popular on 70-73 1800 models (the bolt pattern changed from 5x4.5" to 5x108mm in 70 with the 1800E model).

mblommel wrote: Favorite Volvo wheels ever:

Yes, on a 140 series or 240 series. Just not on the 1800 series.

Maybe I am overthinking this offset thing. The problem seems to have a simple solution.

tuna55 wrote: Am I the only one thinking that you might want a slightly smaller diameter wheel? It looks fantastic. Nice work.

OK Tuna...Just for you. 15" by 6 1/2 wide.

These are 15" by 6 1/6 wide and a 40 mm backspace. The front just clears in bump but has a bit of interference at full lock.

The BBS wheels are 16" by 7" with a 42 mm backs space.

The front view from below.

The rear is still a bit tight with 16 mm overlap between the tire and the inside of the quarter panel lip. This is looking up from the ground

What is interesting is that when I measure from the ground to the mounting surface, the two sets of wheel/tires are pretty much exactly the same.

ROTA mounting flange to ground:

BBS mounting flange to ground:

So, in essence they have almost the exact amount of "Stick-out" from the mounting flange to the tire edge. For some reason the front ROTA combo seems to have a bit more clearance.

So I guess the question is if I am going to find a rim with a 3/4" to 1" backspace that will still work with the Miata that lurks beneath? That would take me up to an ET (backspace) of 64 mm. Is that even a thing?

Probably ought to convert to offset from back space....it'll help you shop/compare as most data for wheels are listed with offset.

MichaelYount wrote: Probably ought to convert to offset from back space....it'll help you shop/compare as most data for wheels are listed with offset.

So is the the "ET" number cast in to the wheel offset or back space. This shoud be a simple game since all I am really interested in is how far out the outboard rim of the wheel is from the mounting flange. I don't really care how much sticks in, only what sticks out.

Offset/"ET"(a German term) is the distance from the center to the flange, backspace is the inner lip to the flange. You need a wheel with more either way.

I think we all understand which dimension you're trying to control/change. Offset is important because that's the number that's going to be easy to get with regard to your wheel search. Otherwise, you'll physically have to obtain the wheel to measure it's backspacing - and convert that to 'front spacing' -- which is what you're trying to control.

[URL=http://s937.photobucket.com/user/MichaelYount/media/wheel-offset-backspace_zpsdtvdnzs4.png.html][/URL]

The wheel on the left is -ET *** The wheel on the right is +ET

in MM

US aftermarket wheels are ID'd by back spacing distance - in inches

MichaelYount wrote: I think we all understand which dimension you're trying to control/change. Offset is important because that's the number that's going to be easy to get with regard to your wheel search. Otherwise, you'll physically have to obtain the wheel to measure it's backspacing - and convert that to 'front spacing' -- which is what you're trying to control. [URL=http://s937.photobucket.com/user/MichaelYount/media/wheel-offset-backspace_zpsdtvdnzs4.png.html][/URL]

Speaking of wheel shopping according to specs. I have not found a site that lets you shop other than by car model. I feel like I need to reach the actual manufacturers to find out if they make what I am looking for.

Quick look-around suggest that the Mini has about as much offset as I am going to find.

IIRC, MINI wheels are +42. Be aware the hub-centric of a MINI is different than a Miata. 56.1mm vs. 54.1mm respectively, but that mainly just makes mounting more fiddly. Less of an issue if you go with an aftermarket wheel (typically ~73mm) that uses an adapter ring to fit a given hub, but OE wheels don't have that.

Pete, find some steelies that you like the look of and change the offset yourself. I did it years ago to create some 4x100, 14x7 wheels and I don't have your skill level. It would be a snap.

DeadSkunk wrote: Pete, find some steelies that you like the look of and change the offset yourself. I did it years ago to create some 4x100, 14x7 wheels and I don't have your skill level. It would be a snap.

That is another interesting thought...even if I don't want to fab the finished wheel, I could go a long way with a steel wheel and move the center around to where I want it! GREAT idea. Going to require a major re-think of what I thought the finished car would look like, but still a great idea. Especially if you like the sleeper look.

In the meantime, I might just let this one simmer in the mental background. I have time on my side, and with patience options tend to come around.

In reply to NOHOME:
I measured the MINI wheels from mounting face to the floor, like you did, and they're just under 2". All the 16x6.5 MINI wheels are the same 48mm offset.

most mustang aftermarket wheels 18x10 are +35mmmm as are 350z wheels. (modern mustangs)

5x114.3mm lug pattern.

I'd see if you can find someone with a set of z wheels to try. (stock z wheels were 17x7in and 17x8 in.)

Ta-dah !!!!
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initialPartNumber=C166544400CG&wheelMake=TRMotorsport&wheelModel=C1&wheelFinish=Light+Grey+Painted&showRear=no&autoMake=MINI&autoModel=Cooper+S&autoYear=2003&autoModClar=

Also agree on the 15's looking waaaaay better for your car.

1980's 911's are the same, they look right with a 15. Look horrible with a 17.

try summitracing and buy some of the bullet hole wheels... Those'd look awesome.