Alloys - what to get?

FrankGrimes

I've just bought a silver 99D Opel Astra 1.4L (got a nice deal on it for 4 grand thru a contact) and I think it looks decent enough but would like to put some alloys on it.

It has brand new tyres all round so I want to avoid paying for new tyres - current wheels are 15". Do 15" alloys look ok? I'm not into the whole boy racer thing, it'd just be to make a bit of an improvement to the appearance thats all so if 15" is ok I'd go with that and I could reuse the tyres.

Where do people buy their alloys, there must be some good place online? I've tried the For Sale section here, Buy and Sell, and ebay but haven't come by much in Opel alloys.

I got a quote off an Opel dealer for 5 spoke, 4 stud Opel alloys - €650 including VAT and fitting and transferring existing tyres. Does that sound reasonable? If I could get some second-hand in ok nick that would be ideal.

Go raibh maith agaibh

bp_me

FrankGrimes wrote:

I'm not into the whole boy racer thing, it'd just be to make a bit of an improvement to the appearance thats all so if 15" is ok I'd go with that and I could reuse the tyres.

:rolleyes:

FrankGrimes wrote:

Where do people buy their alloys, there must be some good place online? I've tried the For Sale section here, Buy and Sell, and ebay but haven't come by much in Opel alloys.

I got a quote off an Opel dealer for 5 spoke, 4 stud Opel alloys - €650 including VAT and fitting and transferring existing tyres. Does that sound reasonable? If I could get some second-hand in ok nick that would be ideal.

Go raibh maith agaibh

To be honest 650euro sounds reasonable for some 15" alloys. Other than that try ebay and www.rochfordtyres.co.uk

You need to know the pcd, offest and prehaps centre bore of your current setup before you buy replacements.

Personally I would put some 17s on it. You will get 17s with tyres for about 800 - 850 on rochford tyres. Similar on ebay. Each to their own though.

mike65

Forget anything bigger than 15" wheels, bigger wheels mean thinner tyres = lousy fidgety bumpy ride esp over our lovely urban roads. And of course you'll have to shell out on tyres.

Get something tasteful, some examples from a good value site.

Mike.

ciarsd

mike65 wrote:

Forget anything bigger than 15" wheels, bigger wheels mean thinner tyres = lousy fidgety bumpy ride esp over our lovely urban roads. And of course you'll have to shell out on tyres.

Get something tasteful, some examples from a good value site.

Mike.

i disagree mike.

on my previous car i fitted 16" alloys from 15" alloys and was very happy with the results both looks and comfort wise

on my alfa it came with the 17" alloys from the factory - again very happy with the results in looks and comfort department. having said that, on the alfa I've nothing to compare it with as this is the only size alloys ive had fitted to it.

back to the original poster/topic, if i were u i'd save the cash your willing to spend at your dealers and stick with the wheels on it. 15" alloys on a relatively big car is not going to make much of a difference.
if your really stuck on the idea, then keep an eye on the broken & stolen, im sure something will pop up for decent money

ando

IMO, I wouldnt really bother going to all that trouble for 15" rims. 16 or 17" would be fine but the larger you go the slower the car will become

drdre

get OZ titans,they are amazingi love them but donot have the cash:p

slade_x

I too am in the market for a set of alloy's for my Opel Corsa

I have recently come across a garage in limerick that offered me a set of 14" alloys:



I was told €450 for the above alloys with the tyres (185/60 14")

The one's in the pic are already sold so new one's will be ordered..

This seemed like a good deal as others would offer €500 for 14" rims and tyres

I posted a pic as i think this type of Rim would suit an astra also
and also maybe if someone could tell me if they think its a good deal or not

Bluetonic

If anyone is interested I have these for sale, they are in very good condition.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=290488

Price is a guide.

Open to offers.

Seth Brundle

ando wrote:

IMO, I wouldnt really bother going to all that trouble for 15" rims. 16 or 17" would be fine but the larger you go the slower the car will become

why? Assuming the rolling radius is the same there shouldn't be a difference. Having larger alloys may put extra strain on the driveshafts, etc. but shouldn't slow the car down.

FrankGrimes

Thanks for the advice. bp_me what I mean is I'm not interested in modding the car by putting mad body kits on it or anything, though I do think that a tasteful set of alloys could improve the performance, and after making the sensible decision to go with an Astra over the beautiful but unreliable Alfa 156 I want to indluge myself a little bit

bp_me wrote:

:rolleyes:
You need to know the pcd, offest and prehaps centre bore of your current setup before you buy replacements.

I must admit to knowing very little about tyres or alloys so anyone in a similar boat might find this link helpful, though I'm still not sure what I need to check for the offset before I purchase.This page here seems to indicate the PCD, bore, and offset of 98-2003 Astras (called Vauxhall in UK) - can I assume that these are the same on my Opel Astra 1999 or how can I find out?


At £375 including tyres, these 17s here seem decent value cos it would be €620 delivered with tyres....tempting but would be interested in hearing more views on how the car would handle and any loss of speed if I put 17" on it.

Also, these 15s at £275 including tyres, £175 without tyres, are also a very good deal. That would be €325 delivered (£45 shipping) without tyres, €472 delivered with tyres. The tyres on my car are brand new - would I be mad to get Rochford tyres, or would they look better with their alloys? How can I determine if my existing tyres will fit these rims?

I think I prefer the look of the 15s so its a pity they don't seem to come in 17s, would it be possible to mount a centre plate onto those 15s?

The alloys in the Astra dealer that looked best for the Astra were five spoke with the spokes having flat surface, and widening as they went away from the centre, and must say the Opel centre plate makes them tie in well with the car - I liked the style and it goes well with the car and so the above are the most similar reasonably priced models I found, though I'm interested what you lot make of em.

What bits and bobs do I need to get for them - it says 'Price includes nuts or bolts', eh do I not need both? And whats the difference between them and flush fitting valves and are they worth it?

Last thing - is this polymer worth it for keeping them clean?

Nice one

MikeHunt

this site is pretty good for the Irish market... http://www.performancealloys.com/

You don't need Opel specific wheels at all. Buy & Sell is probably your best bet - loads of stuff on there at the moment in all sizes, and no point buying new if you're on a budget and aren't after anything flashy. http://www.buyandsell.ie has a new design now too, making it a bit easier to sort out your search results and ting