Club126UK

Fiat 126 Chat => Tuning & Customising 126 Models => Topic started by: Ricksy1121 on April 29, 2013, 05:13:43 PM

Title: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Ricksy1121 on April 29, 2013, 05:13:43 PM
Hi, wondering what size wheels and tyres are best for a 1986 air cooled polski.. Iv seen 2 lowering kits for sale as well one 2.5 cm and other 3.5cm,, so will 13's fit with 175/50/13 tyres and 2.5cm drop ?
Also what offset is best ?
Cheers
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: kev126 on April 29, 2013, 05:27:00 PM
Hi Ricksy, it all depends really. Only 4x98 PCD will fit unless you used wobble bolts or adapters. The whe width (J) also matters on these tiny cars. People say the 'limit' is 5.5J (5.5 inches wide) to fit in the arches, however if the offset (ET) was say, for example -10 then the wheels would stick out 5 miles!

Are you wanting wide wheels with possibly a bit of dish? Be careful on what suspension kits you buy as most if not all are made only for the old air cooled italian ones.

13 inches is the standard wheel size which is fine, but it all comes down to the actual J and ET. Dont forget that anything is possible though, and we all have a little friend called negative camber ;)
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: dajwid on April 29, 2013, 07:02:14 PM
Hi, wondering what size wheels and tyres are best for a 1986 air cooled polski.. Iv seen 2 lowering kits for sale as well one 2.5 cm and other 3.5cm,, so will 13's fit with 175/50/13 tyres and 2.5cm drop ?
Also what offset is best ?
Cheers

have you looked thorough any of the hundreds of old threads on this subject before asking ?
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Ricksy1121 on April 29, 2013, 07:26:18 PM
Iv drive the car for the first time today and its very hard to drive! I don't expect it to be easy but the stearing the worst.. Will a new rack make any difference ?
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: kev126 on April 29, 2013, 07:37:30 PM
Has the car already been modified? If not, you are experiencing driving a fiat 126 :)
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Ricksy1121 on April 29, 2013, 08:24:51 PM
No it's standerd but I think it could benift from from a check over to see if it needs anything replacing
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: kev126 on April 29, 2013, 08:26:45 PM
Definitely. Don you have any wheels in mind? Or are you just wanting to know what will fit? You will need to try them for yourself if you are lowering the car as well
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: 1973/126 on April 29, 2013, 08:35:34 PM
 Is your car LHD or RHD? Most left hookers got a steering box, where most of the RHD cars got a rack.

 Check the king pins are greased, as this could also be a cause.

 The steering on the 126 is normally very light as there is hardly any weight to the front.
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Ricksy1121 on April 29, 2013, 08:44:57 PM
It's a lhd and it's very heavy stearing..
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: 1973/126 on April 29, 2013, 09:35:31 PM
 
 Well in this case also check the steering box as they got a tendency of leaking. Might also need adjustment or an overhaul.
 I would make sure the car is all sorted before you think about lowering it.
 
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Ricksy1121 on May 01, 2013, 06:35:56 AM
Thanks for your advice, I will be looking into the front end more before lowering, what is the best offset for wheels ?  Thanks
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Hazey-n-Marc on May 01, 2013, 07:46:06 AM
Fiatos has 13inch, 5.5j, et19 offset, and Deyan IYI has 13inch, 5.5j, et42.5 offset. These are the extremes I know of, if they have these fitted with no spacers or arch mods then you should be able to fit 6j at et26.

Marc
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: kev126 on May 01, 2013, 07:51:03 AM
Thanks for your advice, I will be looking into the front end more before lowering, what is the best offset for wheels ?  Thanks

There is no 'best' offset because not all the wheels put there are the same width. If they were, it would be easy to answer. BUT as Marc has said, we know of people to have successfully fitted certain wheels. A Chinq wheel will fit fine, but you will need to either flare the arch or increase negative camber to get it to fit 100% correctly.

I have an idea: find some wheels you like and post them here. We'll do our best to workout if they will fit on a 126 :)
As you will be lowering, will you be modifying the arches and camber to allow a wheel you like to fit?
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Hazey-n-Marc on May 01, 2013, 07:55:35 AM
I have been trying to put together a definitive answer for this question, but keep getting busy instead.
I think it may be possible to go to a 14 inch 6j with the correct offset and no mods, just not quite certain of tyre availability.
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: 1973/126 on May 01, 2013, 10:17:29 AM
 These are 13x6 alloys I recently bought for my brother(doing a swap for his Cromodoras:), but thought I`ll see how they fit on a 126.
 Not sure what the offset is, but they stick out a fair bit. The only other number I can see on them apart from size is 16.
 (http://imageshack.us/a/img32/2998/002vkg.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/32/002vkg.jpg/)
 (http://imageshack.us/a/img560/9251/003zsk.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/560/003zsk.jpg/)
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Hazey-n-Marc on May 01, 2013, 10:32:25 AM
16 will be the offset, I think if they were et26 they would be ok. Actually, you could help no end, if you could measure the clearance from the inner edge of the wheel, on both locks and straight, that would be wonderous. Also the distance they stick out would be handy.

Cheers

Marc
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Ricksy1121 on May 01, 2013, 12:50:51 PM
Hi thanks for your replys!! Iv seen these but need to phone and find out what they have because it says they have different sizes and offsets..

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=140514322604&index=6&nav=WATCHING&nid=52104868445
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: kev126 on May 01, 2013, 01:57:37 PM
Wise choice Sir! Minilite wheels suit the 126 to a T! I'm almost 100% sure they will only be a PCD of 4x100 though. If they don't stock them in 4x98, just use some wobble bolts.

5.5j should be fine, you may need to flare the arches slightly and/or have some negative camber though. You will have to wait and find out really. Also ask them the centre bore size and get back to us :)
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Hazey-n-Marc on May 01, 2013, 02:03:45 PM
Markymarc has 5.5j et28, so his are the closest to what they have on the shelf (they are et25) your stud pattern should be 4x98, unless it is an early car, then the pcd is just daft 4x several thousand I believe  :D.
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: kev126 on May 01, 2013, 02:17:46 PM
He said its a 1986 however I don't know what year they changed the pattern to 4x98.

Riksey, get a thread up in your build in the restorations section :D
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Ricksy1121 on May 01, 2013, 04:51:01 PM
Ok I will post there next, I will title it 1986 aircooled polski newbie
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Ricksy1121 on May 01, 2013, 07:50:09 PM
It's an 87 reg sorry
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: 1973/126 on May 01, 2013, 10:11:28 PM
 Mark I`ll try to check the measurements when it`s up in the air again, but it`s back on it`s own wheels atm.
 
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Hazey-n-Marc on May 02, 2013, 09:15:47 AM
Mark I`ll try to check the measurements when it`s up in the air again, but it`s back on it`s own wheels atm.
 

No worries. I am trying to get as much info as I can on wheel tyre combo's with no body mods. Hopefully we can get something together to go the owners section so we don't have the same thing with every new owner, I'm not having a go by the way, it is a question that has yet to be fully answered so it needs doing.

A 87 car will be 4x98.
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: 1973/126 on May 04, 2013, 06:13:42 AM
 Check out the wheels on this bis. It says 6x13, x 24mm neg. I like.
 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/fiat-126-bis-rhd-/171034846736?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item27d278a610

 
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Ricksy1121 on May 07, 2013, 02:02:27 PM
some pics of the cars, i will be selling the yellow one eventualy, the bis is mega clean with 35k

(http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4092/photo13km.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/221/photo13km.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

(http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/9039/photo23wy.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/819/photo23wy.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

(http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/5503/photo31i.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/803/photo31i.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

(http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/7082/photo32ry.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/521/photo32ry.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Ricksy1121 on May 07, 2013, 02:03:59 PM
oh ye, i bought a bis this weekend lol.. its rhd and suits the girlfriend better, also its mega clean and got 35k
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: kev126 on May 07, 2013, 04:26:00 PM
But LHD 126p aircooled is 20000 times cooler than a BIS! You've downgraded :(
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: dajwid on May 07, 2013, 06:11:29 PM
Blimey you can't split them up now, they look happy together.
Title: Re: Wheels and suspension
Post by: Ricksy1121 on May 07, 2013, 07:36:22 PM
She loves them both but she will enjoy driving the bis more and that's my priority.. The cars for her so she needs to be able to drive it and be confident in it..

They do look happy together but we carnt keep them both lol..