Wheels and Tires

JTBernhardt

JTBernhardt

True Classic
Hi there,

I'm looking for advice on installing larger diameter wheels on my '86 X1/9. I'm running 13 x 5.5 BBS style wheels currently with 185 60 13 Federal 595 tires. The tires grip well enough and are dirt cheap, but the large, slightly rounded side walls on them aren't up to par with the suspension on my X1/9. I'm currently running Koni reds with Faza springs and will be upgrading to the Koni adjustable coil over kit offered by Midwest Bayless (along with a full front suspension and steering rebuild). I think it's time to explore large wheel options for my car so I can get the most out of the handling.

I'd like to stick with a 14 inch wheel, as I think most 15 inch wheels look to large for an X1/9 (feel free to convince me otherwise). Ideally I'd like to find a set of 14x6 BBS style polished aluminum/gold wheels. I believe that they were an option for the early Maserati BiTurbos. I know these existed, but I can't find much info on them let alone a set for sale. I don't want to use a set of standard BiTurbo wheels as I don't think it works as well with the look of my car. What are some other 14 inch options? What size tire should I be looking at for a lowered X1/9 on 14's (or 15's)?

I've added a picture of my car for reference.
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185/55 14 is the ideal size for the front. A taller somewhat wider tire would serve you well in the rear, 195/60 14 the trick will be finding a matched tread type. There are some Federals one can find in the same pattern.

In general there are not many performance 14” tires, particularly in sizes which are compatible with an X.

15” might be a better choice for tires.
 
Try to find 14 inches tires. You may discover that they are even harder to come by than 13". For that reason, 15" wheels are making some sense, even if you don't like the proportion in the x1/9 wheelwells. For myself I'm sticking to 13" wheels but I'm willing to settle for R-compound tires as street tires.
 
For the lead sled crowd, they make larger diameter rims with a white ring around the outside, to make it appear as if you are running a fat whitewall tire, when you are really running low profiles. Something like this:

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For those that don't like the larger wheels on their cars, I wonder if you could do a blackwall treatment to the edge of the rim, to make it appear as if it's a 13 or 14 inch rim.

Pete
 
Pete Whitstone said:
For those that don't like the larger wheels on their cars, I wonder if you could do a blackwall treatment to the edge of the rim, to make it appear as if it's a 13 or 14 inch rim.
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That’s an intriguing idea. Would definitely help reduce the “chuck wagon” look.
 
I'm not worried so much about finding tires in a 14 inch. The Federal 595ss tires in a 185 55 14 are like $60 each and have a tread wear rating of 260 and a much more square side-wall. 15 inch tire options get even better, but more expensive. I've been looking at a few X1/9's with 15 inch wheels, and since I'll be able to raise or lower the car to match the wheels, 15's may be more of an option. My main concern aside from the ratio of tire/rim/car is ride comfort and quality. I live in San Francisco, and the roads aren't exactly smooth out here. I've seen what these streets do to low-profile tires on cars with squishier suspension than mine. Can some people running 15 inch wheels chime in here?
 
15" wheels provide better tire options. The vast majority of tire companies don't care about smaller sizes. So the 13" and 14" tires are all lower quality than 15". Eventually 15"s will probably suffer the same fate but for now they are still making good quality tires for the 15" wheels.

Should you run the same brand tire on 13", 14", and 15" on the same car, you would find a drastic comfort and handling difference with the 15". The 15", even with a reduced sidewall aspect ratio will adsorb bumps better than the 13" or 14". This is due to the improved sidewall designs and belting that they just don't bother with in the 13" and 14". This might not be true with something like a 29" tall tire on a 17" wheel or 24" wheel but it does hold true within the sizes you're looking at.
 
JTBernhardt said:
I've seen what these streets do to low-profile tires on cars with squishier suspension than mine. Can some people running 15 inch wheels chime in here?
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I've never had a problem. The roads here have some potholes, but the main problem is the clay soil that shifts around quite a bit when it doesn't rain, which is pretty much all summer. It raises some sections of the concrete, or erodes a hole/gap between sections of concrete. I can't directly compare it to SF roads since I've never driven them, but the roads here are far from glass smooth. I've never had a problem running 15 inch rims. Ride stiffness, which is not bad at all, has a lot more to do with the 300# springs I run all around, I think, than the 1" of rubber vs rim that I've lost by moving away from 13's. Not a typo, I mean 1", not 2 - between the center of the tire and the road there is a 1" difference, the other inch is on the top of the tire, if that makes sense. Removing that inch adds to cornering capabilities, since rims don't flex like rubber does.

Pete
 
Running 15X6 wheels with 195/45-15 Toyo T1R on my 1986. Love them. I live in the middle of no where and spend most of my time on one lane roads. They handle better than any tire/wheel combination I have ever had on an X1/9. I do not run into many big potholes, but I am on my second set of tires. The tires lasted about 6 years and 25,000 miles.

I now have a set of 14 inch Biturbo wheels for my 1987 X1/9 with a Corsa kit. I was able to buy 195/45-14 From Demon Tweeks in the UK. Still less than $90 a tire with shipping. These tires do have a DOT number for US use. Not many miles on this setup yet since the car is almost running. Looking forward to the same handling with these.
 
I think after the feedback I've gotten I'll go with 15 inch wheels rather than 14 inch. The Toyo Proxes T1R look like a great tire option. I used to run the older version of those on my SVO Mustang when I had it. They gripped like glue! I also have less issue with the wheel/tire ratio since I'll be able to adjust ride height to compensate (yay expensive coil overs!)

I think now the issue becomes finding the wheels I want. I've been following the CD66 replicas closely, and have been impressed by the way they look in person. I've never seen a set on an X1/9, mostly Spiders. I'm not convinced that they will give me the look I'm going for with my car. I think they'll work well as a last resort option. The Volumex style wheel with the centers painted gold might work, but I think I'd like to try and find a set of BBS wheels.

I found the info on the exact wheels I'd like to try and find. They are BBS RS068 7Jx15H2 and BBS RS069 8Jx15H2. They were originally used on Maserati BiTurbos and seem to be popular with VW enthusiasts (gross). I'll post a wanted add a few places and see what happens. I have a few more weeks to wait for the new suspension to arrive.
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So what exact size tires will you be running then?
Do decide on the tires before you buy wheels.
 
JT,

Hey Dude, car is looking great. FYI, go to "The Samba" if you are trying to score anything VW...even these wheels.
 
Ulix said:
So what exact size tires will you be running then?
Do decide on the tires before you buy wheels.
Click to expand...

If I find a set of the BBS style wheels I'd likely run a 195 45 15 in the front and a 205 45 15 in the rear. I'll probably go with Toyo Proxis T1R tires. I have a feeling it may take a little while to buy a set of those wheels, so I have time to decide on tires.
 
Good luck finding a set of those wheels at a reasonable price JT. The last set I saw was over $1,200 and they were far from perfect, yes this was on VWVortex. If you go the wobble bolt route you'll find a lot of 4x100 wheels that should work.
 
roadster27 said:
Good luck finding a set of those wheels at a reasonable price JT. The last set I saw was over $1,200 and they were far from perfect, yes this was on VWVortex. If you go the wobble bolt route you'll find a lot of 4x100 wheels that should work.
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I'm sure they won't be cheap, but I want something that's more or less hard to find and extremely specific, so the cost seems justified (within reason). I have mixed feelings about wobble bolts. I don't know too much about them, but I have heard people swear them off as unsafe.
 
JTBernhardt said:
I have mixed feelings about wobble bolts. I don't know too much about them, but I have heard people swear them off as unsafe.
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In this litigious society, if they were unsafe then they would not be sold, they would simply not be worth the risk. I have run them for years with zero problems.

Pete
 
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