Hi,
As you've no doubt discovered by now, there are lots of cars in the world
that use 4 on 4.5" bolt pattern. The trick for bolt-on wheels for TR6 is
that the backspace is a bit odd and also the centering hub is not common.
That said, if your goal is 15 X 6 rims, you do have a few choices if you
do not want to keep the wheels "hub-centric". But that's the key.
Obligatory safety note: you do not need centering lugs. BUT if you don't
use them, you need to be very aware that the wheels will "work around" a
bit if not torqued properly. This is especially true with the stock 7/16"
wheel studs. If you decide to make your new wheels hub centric via a
spacer arrangement, you need to cut the spacers twice - once for the real
centering lug and once for the rim centering lug (hole). BUT the spacer
uses up valuable length of the stud/lug thread contact length - BE CAREFUL
THAT YOU DON'T WIND UP WITH 3 OR 4 THREADS' WORTH OF ENGAGEMENT. Along
those lines, it might be necessary to install longer studs in the hubs.
While this is not rocket science, it does bear mentioning that there are
common replacement studs with a similar knurl to the stock studs (the
number slips my mind right now), but there are options available.
If you want wider wheels, you can get 15X7 rims with zero offset and
they'll fit just fine. The backspace on those rims comes in right around
3.5" (as you can probably imagine).
You also need to make sure that the backspace is not greater than about
3.75". 4" backspace wheels (in 15" diameter) will rub on the upper A-arms.
You can fix any of these problems with wheel spacers and a lathe. But it
takes time and money.
There's a reason why the Panasports are so popular. They bolt on.
BTW, for the money, the KN wheels are a pretty good deal and they seem
pretty strong. A bunch of the vintage racers use those. From some of the
Moss resellers, these wheels come in at about $150 ea. Not too bad,
price-wise.
As far as why it's tough to get rims for TR6, the answer is simple. You
can make scads of money selling 4 on 100mm rims that fit Hondas (and a lot
of other cars like Miata, Saturn, you nameit). TR6 and some of the British
stuff require different bolt patterns and wheel offsets and centering
lugs. This adds up to low volumes and therefore less supply. This also,
not surprisingly means more $$$ to acquire them. Take Spitfire, for
example. 4 on 3.75"... there's practically nothing that uses that pattern.
For some really unusual rims (for TR6), try some Halibrand "pin-type"
wheels with knockoffs. A lot of the Cobra kit-cars use Mustang hubs which
just happen to be 4 on 4.5", so you could probably find an adapter for
trhe knockoffs that'll bolt on... Of course Cobras tend to have HUGE
rims (like 15 x 8 or 15 x 10). But again, it's the backspace that'll get
you with TR6.
Regards,
rml
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