Wheels Size (and Suspension) for Bus?

[aaarone1]

Hi, Im new to the forum and apologies, I know that this question has probably been asked time and time again. I have recently purchased a T6.1 T28 Shuttle as a family car. It has 16" steel rims on it which are rusty and I will not drive it until I have them changed.
I have spent the past month trawling the internet to find the most suitable size wheel. I would love to fit 20" on it for looks but as its a family car, I am fearful that it will be too solid and have rubbing issues on full lock (I live in a rural area with lots of potholes). I also have read a lot of conflicting posts about offset.
Would 19" wheels be a good compromise? From what I have read, they dont seem that common. I think 17" and 18" are fine but dont seem to fill the arch as well as 19" or "20".
Also, I dont have the budget for coilovers at the moment, woul Eibach Springs lowered 40mm be OK with 20" if I went for that option?

Apologies again for asking repeated questions, but the area seems to be a mindfield of information and I need wheels as soon as possible.

Aaron

 

[matt_w]

Hi, Im new to the forum and apologies, I know that this question has probably been asked time and time again. I have recently purchased a T6.1 T28 Shuttle as a family car. It has 16" steel rims on it which are rusty and I will not drive it until I have them changed.
I have spent the past month trawling the internet to find the most suitable size wheel. I would love to fit 20" on it for looks but as its a family car, I am fearful that it will be too solid and have rubbing issues on full lock (I live in a rural area with lots of potholes). I also have read a lot of conflicting posts about offset.
Would 19" wheels be a good compromise? From what I have read, they dont seem that common. I think 17" and 18" are fine but dont seem to fill the arch as well as 19" or "20".
Also, I dont have the budget for coilovers at the moment, woul Eibach Springs lowered 40mm be OK with 20" if I went for that option?

Apologies again for asking repeated questions, but the area seems to be a mindfield of information and I need wheels as soon as possible.

Aaron

20's will fit just fine - the cavate being: having the correct tyre size.

For reasons of cost and availability, tyres are generally offered as 275 40 R20. And whilst they will mostly fit with no rubbing on standard suspension, they will if lowered. Ideally, you'd want 245 45 R20.

As for a harsh ride - I'm afraid, if you don't splash on new shocks, anything you do with springs will result in a crappy ride experience.

 

[DaveD]

Welcome to the forum!
It won't be a surprise but there are many opinions on wheels and tyres and I won't tell you what is best, that's down to the individual. (remember to get the correct load rating though, you need tyres with a load rating of 100 or higher for a T28)
I'm running 18 inch steels with 235/55/18 all season tyres which are slightly bigger than OE tyres, and soak up the pot holes OK.
But in any event, why don't you get your 16 inch wheels refurbished (or DIY it like I did, easy) and a nice set of slightly larger all season tyres, or winter tyres fitted.
That way you'd have a great set of durable wheels for winter, with plenty of side wall for potholed rural roads, and you'd feel good about driving your pride and joy while you decide what other wheels to buy?
As you say, wheels and tyres are a minefield, there's a huge amount of information on here though!

 

[dubber36]

Also, I dont have the budget for coilovers at the moment, woul Eibach Springs lowered 40mm be OK with 20" if I went for that option?

Aaron

You'll hate the ride of 20's and lowering springs, so it's best wait to fit the new wheels until you have the money available for suspension that will compliment them.

 

[monkeybusiness]

You'll hate the ride of 20's and lowering springs, so it's best wait to fit the new wheels until you have the money available for suspension that will compliment them.

I don't. Although I have no doubt that a full suspension setup will be like night & day.

 

[aaarone1]

Thank You for all of the replies.

What would be the best width and ofset with 245/45/20's. I am not too bothered about the staggered look, is it more convenient to have all 4 tyres the same width.

Is there any decent budget coilvovers available without going into the B14s and Koni range, or would it be just wasted money?

Thanks Again

 

[Kind of Blue]

If you are concerned with potholes I suggest staying with the same wheels and fitting better quality shock absorbers/dampers instead. Koni adjustable damping are my preference but they make others. If your changing rims to larger diameter the normally the overall wheel tyre diameter remains similar or roughly the same. That is unless you want larger overall size for off road or some other reason. Some times playing around with tyre sizes and constructions can allow lower pressures. I moved from 255/45R18 to BFG AT KO2 255/55R18XL they are also all season and 3 Peaks rated mud and snow and after consulting on a tyre site not only gave me a larger diameter and greater ride heigh, the normal inflation pressures where considerably reduced. My reasons are for off road use necessity, lowering ground pressure rut clearance and so on.

I agree with DaveD fitting All Season Tyres is a good bet for most. They are far safer than ordinary tyres in winter and not only in the snow. Most normal tyre rubber starts lowering grip around 7 deg C will Winter and All Season Tyres use a special mix of rubber that keeps on gripping to well below freezing temperatures. Pure winter tyres would normally require a second set of rims with summer capable tyres because winters get heated and deteriorate and wear out faster. All Season work well all year round. The better All Season will also give pure Winters a run for money at the appropriate time because they have been developed so much due to very high manufacturing competition.

Tire reviews, tests and ratings - Tire reviews and ratings

Read unbias tire reviews, tire tests and ratings at Tire Reviews. The leading independant source of tire information

www.tire-reviews.com

Tyre Reviews

Professional Test Driver and Tire Nerd. Leading source of independent tire information in the world, covering North America and the EU. Business inquiries: tyrereviews@fearlessotter.com

www.youtube.com

 

[JoshB_]

All season tyres are rubbish in the summer on a decent performing car. So as you’ll be plodding along in a bus I’d agree with the advice above.

I’ve yet to fit my wheel/tyre/suspension combo but having fitted just springs to a few cars in the past, the ride is rubbish.

Get some cheap 18’s off eBay and save up for proper coil overs. I’ve just drove a Leighton van with (normal) B14 coil overs and I wasn’t blown away by the ride. Certainly more compliant than my standard suspension but not night and day. I’ve plumped for MTS Technik coil overs which are reasonably priced compared to some. Proper twin tube design and uses Eibach springs.

 

[Kind of Blue]

All season tyres are rubbish in the summer on a decent performing car. So as you’ll be plodding along in a bus I’d agree with the advice above.

I’ve yet to fit my wheel/tyre/suspension combo but having fitted just springs to a few cars in the past, the ride is rubbish.

Get some cheap 18’s off eBay and save up for proper coil overs. I’ve just drove a Leighton van with (normal) B14 coil overs and I wasn’t blown away by the ride. Certainly more compliant than my standard suspension but not night and day. I’ve plumped for MTS Technik coil overs which are reasonably priced compared to some. Proper twin tube design and uses Eibach springs.

All season tyres are not rubbish in the summer. Of course if one is buying cheep tyres then it can be expected to have poor performance and that applies to practically anything especially tyres. Naturally specialist tyres will have an advantage for the narrow spectrum they are designed for.

 

[dubber36]

All season tyres are not rubbish in the summer.

He's saying they are rubbish on more performance orientated vehicles that are 'making progress', but are perfectly suitable for a van.

 

[JoshB_]

All season tyres are not rubbish in the summer. Of course if one is buying cheep tyres then it can be expected to have poor performance and that applies to practically anything especially tyres. Naturally specialist tyres will have an advantage for the narrow spectrum they are designed for.

As per my original post, they are on a decent performing car. I had them on 535d and in 25deg ambient temperatures it was like driving on ice after 30mins or so. Same on a Range Rover Sport and an E-Class. They were the tyre of choice about 10 years ago and just seem to fit CrossClimates to everything (used to be a company car driver).

As aforementioned, I agree with you as it’s not like you throw a T6 down twisties at spirited speeds. For 99.9% of the time they’ll be a better tyre than a normal one on a T6 out on country lanes.

 

[Bluesman]

Don't forget that changing your wheel and tyre combo can drastically affect the accracy of your speedo readings - bad news if the error goes in the wrong direction (ie. showing that you're doing 70 when it's actally 75).. TBH I don't know whether the speedo can be easily recaibrated but it ight be worth a look.

 

[Kind of Blue]

Don't forget that changing your wheel and tyre combo can drastically affect the accracy of your speedo readings - bad news if the error goes in the wrong direction (ie. showing that you're doing 70 when it's actally 75).. TBH I don't know whether the speedo can be easily recaibrated but it ight be worth a look.

Some tyre/tire sites give accurate dimensions for different tyre sizes or wheel sizes. Just put in all the figures or lettering they ask and the percentage increase or decrease will be displayed. Including rolling circumference speedometer readings new tyre pressure requirements and so on. The vast majority of manufacturers speedometers over state the actual mph by a percentage. They are more accurate than they used to be in the days of original MK1 Ford Escorts and so on but they still over state. So providing the percentage rolling circumference is not too wild in terms of percentage then that ought to be fine just use common sense. By Law speedometer have to be within a certain accuracy, it used to be oh, I forge now but they ought not to undervalue the actual speed.

For a while I drove around in a Jaguar ex traffic car that had a calibrated and certificated speedometer. Strangely it was very good at staying at the speed one set with the right foot, handy for following on a measured distance, not sure if that was by design or coincidence. When making an effort most people on observed roads, including motorways would travel a few mile under while I would have been at a fairly accurate, within tolerance displayed speed. It would have been and was easy to tell if someone was speeding. They stood out like a sore foot. On roads that people felt safe to do as they please, then a high percentage would just drive by in a day dream, with the occasional impatient car stuffed close up the exhaust of someone in front.

 

[Ayjay]

@Kind of Blue . There was me thinking your forum name came from you being a fan of one of the greatest jazz recordings ever made but I now realise that you're actually ex or current Old Bill (and please don't take that as a criticism or insult as it's not meant to be).
I haven't looked at actual tyre manufacturers sites to compare wheel and tyre combinations but I did have at another one that confused me (easily done, I'm afraid). I googled 'something like 'Tyre Comparison' and found TireSize.com - my van originally had 16" wheels but I changed them to 17" pretty soon after getting it - I put the original and replacement tyre sizes in and that website told me that the now indicated speed of 70MPH should be understating the actual speed of 71.8MPH when in fact it's in the other direction as according to the 'satnav speed' in the Kenwood head unit and also the speed indicated by my Saphe speed warner (as linked to my phone GPS). They both say that the actual speed at an indicated 70 on the speedo is about 68. I've got to say that I'm happy if any error is in the right direction as it's more likely to keep me out of trouble but I would be concerned if I was actually going quicker than the speedo as it's only a matter of time before I forget.
That all sounded a lot clearer in my head than it reads on the screen!

 

[Kind of Blue]

Not offended in any way at all. The Kind of Blue is exactly as you originally thought, one of the Best Jazz albums of all time.. No I was not one of the "Evening All" Dixon of Dock Green oldest PC ever to walk a beet! I just saw a car, I wanted it was cheap, so I bought it. It just gave me a little insight into the "Dark Side" Luke Sky waker give way to you feelings .....come over to the dark side. How did it go i am you farther or something.

 

[Kind of Blue]

He's saying they are rubbish on more performance orientated vehicles that are 'making progress', but are perfectly suitable for a van.

Don't need a powerful car to overheat rubber what ever it is and a brick shaped blob like a T6 can easily ruin a set of tyres by overheating them regardless if they are All season winter or what ever. Nay problem fit what eever ye want itisne ney skin offfof mi nose

 

[aaarone1]

Thanks everyone for the comments.

I bit the bullet and have ordered a set of 20” x 9J et 40 with 245/45 R20.
What coil overs would you recommend and low will I need to go for proportionality. I have seen mixed reviews on here on B14s. Are they overrated.
If I was based on UK mainland, I would be scheduling a visit to the much revered CRS Performance, however I am in Ireland so unfortunately that isn’t an option. I will need something mail order off the shelf.
Thanks again for all your helpful comments.

Aaron

 

[dubber36]

@CRS Performance
@BognorMotors
@The Van Cave

Will give you very good advice.

 

[CRS Performance]

Thanks everyone for the comments.

I bit the bullet and have ordered a set of 20” x 9J et 40 with 245/45 R20.
What coil overs would you recommend and low will I need to go for proportionality. I have seen mixed reviews on here on B14s. Are they overrated.
If I was based on UK mainland, I would be scheduling a visit to the much revered CRS Performance, however I am in Ireland so unfortunately that isn’t an option. I will need something mail order off the shelf.
Thanks again for all your helpful comments.

Aaron

Hi Aaron , we ship plenty kits to Ireland ( Tax free if south of the country obviously ) we will also offer phone support to get the kits set up properly ,

Everything in stock and we would suggest a call before purchase to make sure you buy the right parts , we do see too many customers clicking to buy and not getting the right goods for them and their Vans usage
SH