Wheels/ Mods

[Giallo Edizione]

sjmst wrote

Agreed. Better to wait, the goods for US will be here soon enough.


Rats, you are probably right. Guess I'll have to throw in a few sandbags to slam it for now.

[Alvon Elrod]

I guess I just don't get it.  What's the attraction for big conestoga wagon wheels with a thin film of rubber for a tire?  Everybody wants bigger and bigger wheels, and are willing to pay hundreds or thousands to change them.  I'm fine with whatever wheels come with a car.  They're round.  They touch the ground.  The hold a nice size tire that cushions the ride.  The stop the car safely and corner nicely.  What more could you want?

Alvon

[sjmst]

Looks.

--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

 

From: Alvon Elrod [via Fiat 500 USA Forum] [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2011 06:14 PM
To: Germana, Sam
Subject: Re: Wheels/ Mods
 

I guess I just don't get it.  What's the attraction for big conestoga wagon wheels with a thin film of rubber for a tire?  Everybody wants bigger and bigger wheels, and are willing to pay hundreds or thousands to change them.  I'm fine with whatever wheels come with a car.  They're round.  They touch the ground.  The hold a nice size tire that cushions the ride.  The stop the car safely and corner nicely.  What more could you want?

Alvon

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[Fiat500USA]

Giallo Edizione wrote

Fiat500USA wrote

sjmst wrote

Nice wheels, look great. 17"? The Abarth sits lower? Also the Abarth has the stripe on the lower part of the body. This decreases the look of pudginess and elongates the appearance.

These cars are lowered a bit. 17 is about the largest size you can normally get to fit. There are 18s out there, but there are clearance issues and the roads... you know... NY.

This car has Eibach Pro-Street S Schroefset :

NICE wheels! Where'd did you source those? I found the Eibach kit in UK for about $1,400 plus shipping.

http://www.balancemotorsport.nl/products.asp?recnumber=106507

I bought the wheels from Tire Rack.  Hold off on the Euro springs, the suspension is different on the US car.  You can see the rear suspension pics on my Blog show the springs being different.

Tire Rack has springs listed for the US 500. They did measure my Friends car, and he works at Fiat, so Tire Rack should know about the spring issue.  Still, I would double check to make sure.

It may still be possible to fit Euro springs, but I would wait until you hear feedback on it being done.

[Fiat500USA]

I see that Tire Rack deleted their spring listing... keep checking to see if something pops up.

[sjmst]

Question. Are TPM sensors interchangable from one Fiat to another?
I have Prima black pocket wheels. Someone else has 500 Sport Graphite Pocket wheels.
We want to swap. Does anyone know if the sensors from one set of wheels will be "plug and play" from one Fiat 500 to another?  

[Fiat500USA]

sjmst wrote

Question. Are TPM sensors interchangable from one Fiat to another?
I have Prima black pocket wheels. Someone else has 500 Sport Graphite Pocket wheels.
We want to swap. Does anyone know if the sensors from one set of wheels will be "plug and play" from one Fiat 500 to another?  

i don't know, but I bought the sensors for my new wheels... $175.

They are listed as 433MHz Tire Pressure Sensors.

Don't really know how they work, but if the other car is a Sport (same pressure as a Prima) it sounds plausible.  I don't know how my new car will recognize my new wheels, but I guess they do.

I'll have to read up on it.

[Fiat500USA]

Oh, I just saw this on Tire Rack's site:

Once installed, you will need to read your vehicle's owner's manual to review the proper procedure for allowing your vehicle to "recognize" the new sensors.

[sjmst]

Thanks, I checked. Maybe I missed it. Perhaps just rebooting, ie disconnecting the battery.

[Fiat500USA]

sjmst wrote

Thanks, I checked. Maybe I missed it. Perhaps just rebooting, ie disconnecting the battery.

Possibly, I haven't had a chance to check that. Of course, it also might not be in there.

[Giallo Edizione]

Response to the TPM question from the tech at my dealer:

Hello . If you switch over those tires and rims it will recognize the tire pressure system. You might have to drive the vehicle for 5 or 10 miles for it to recognize.

Hope this helps all.

[sjmst]

Great info. As time goes on we will have quite a databank of 500 specific facts.

[Giallo Edizione]

sjmst wrote

Great info. As time goes on we will have quite a databank of 500 specific facts.

and not to be confused with what the manuals say.....

[sjmst]

Just completed my first mod on my Red Prima. Accomplished via swap of my Prima black pocket wheels for the graphites on a yellow sport.
Both cars look better for it!

[Giallo Edizione]

sjmst wrote

Just completed my first mod on my Red Prima. Accomplished via swap of my Prima black pocket wheels for the graphites on a yellow sport.
Both cars look better for it!

Odd, I just did exactly the same thing.....

I agree, they each are improved. I really like the way the silver wheels give the Rossa PE a more upscale look.

[sjmst]

Great when things work out!

[Giallo Edizione]

A data bit for all to know. There are two guide pins mounted on the wheel hub for stabilizing and centering the wheel when mounting that slide through holes in the wheel. They looked like they can be removed (I did not spend much time looking closely though) which is something that might need to be done for aftermarket wheels not made specifically for the FIAT.

[sjmst]

That's right, check out the Tirerack website, they mention that.

[Scorpion]

I'm finally making the trip to Tire Rack on Wed. They were waiting on a new Fiat-specific (4/98 bolt pattern) wheel to arrive. I'll keep the brand a secret for now  but hope to have pics by the end of the week.

We are going to be fitting three different wheel/tire combinations for photography.

If you have any specific wheel questions about the 500, let me know and I'll do my best to get an answer.

[sjmst]

Scorpion wrote

I'm finally making the trip to Tire Rack on Wed. They were waiting on a new Fiat-specific (4/98 bolt pattern) wheel to arrive. I'll keep the brand a secret for now  but hope to have pics by the end of the week.

We are going to be fitting three different wheel/tire combinations for photography.

If you have any specific wheel questions about the 500, let me know and I'll do my best to get an answer.

Very nice. I'd llike to see how 17" wheels look; bright silver.