Trying to fill the arches, a dilemma

[smillion]

My son is 17, first car, insured with Insure the Box and no modifications allowed. As a concession however they have allowed him to fit whatever wheels he wants (he was 150,000 customer and so they relented on their rules). He has a 2008 Clio 3 and for Christmas we bought him some BBS style wheels which he wanted, for the Euro look I'm told . The 15" wheels match the diameter of the steel wheels he had.

The problem is they are lost in the arches, and the space between tyre and wheel arch seems huge, like a 4x4. He is gutted and itching to get coilovers or lower springs.

As an interim measure until his first years NCB is earned, I am looking at a set of 17" alloys with same profile at 55, simply to help fill the arches.

In the past when I have gone for larger wheels On my Mercs ( rolling radius changed or not) there is the sensation that they fill the arches....

Will it work?

Cheers

Marc

 

[ukusman]

pointless will look horrible honestly

 

[brucemillar]

Marc

When you say fill the arches, do you mean as in width - coming out to meet the width of the arch? Or, as in ride height? Or both.

Width = Spacers only get hub-centric and get a good make like H&R.

Height = Wheel diameter (as you have said) have a google for wheel/tyre conversion charts. That should give you an idea what is possible.

This can be the start of a frustrating journey and lead to all sorts of issues that were not wanted. Tyre rubbing etc. Lowering is also not without some risk and cost as you may well have to adjust camber angles etc. Have you tried the Clio Owners Club? You may find somebody has the look you want and worked out all the hassles.

Good luck. Maybe post some pics up and somebody else will help.

 

[developer]

You need to be careful you don't create a monster truck look with larger wheels AND high profile tyres.

My larger wheels (19's) are off a CLS and the ET means they protrude further out, enhancing the look (IMO).
Therefore, a little spacing may help.

 

[smillion]

The distance between the top of the tyre and the arch is 9cm. We want it to be 6 or less .....

Thanks for your input.

Those CLS wheels look lovely

 

[smillion]

pointless will look horrible honestly

More specific ???

 

[developer]

This site will let you experiment/compare - you could enter the current size on the left and add prospective sizes on the right, to establish rolling radius etc.

Custom rims, wheel tire packages for your ride - RIMSnTIRES.com

 

[SavMan]

17 will be fine on a Clio 3, I am pretty sure the RS200 came with 17 and 18 as an option.
If you want them to look smaller go for ones with a lip.

 

[Howard]

Sav , the way I am reading this is that Marc is gong to put 17's on but with the same profile tyres as the 15's that are already on it ?

This surely will affect the rolling diameter , and hence and cruise , or brake control system ?

With the added effect of creating an off reader look ?

 

[mabz]

chop the springs innit ,honestly though maybe get him to join a clio forum to see what the other guys are doing and also there maybe some used ones in the classifieds if someone is returning to stock to sell etc..maybe worth a punt mate

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I read it that way too H.

If you don't reduce the tyre wall heigh but fit bigger wheels then it will lift the car by the same amount that it fills the arch. It will still look very wrong, I'm afraid.

What were the original tyre sizes, and what are the tyres sizes fitted on the BBS?

 

[SavMan]

It's an old trick that does work and as long as you don't overdo it works very well, 3cms probably a little to much 2-2.5 is as much as you can probably get away with.
You should find the braking systems on the Clio have sensors on the hubs so the overall radius should not affect it, the speedo is the biggest issue.

 

[sinewave]

I'd leave well alone on a 17 year old's insurance.

Even putting a Sticker on a Car insured by such a young driver will invalidate their insurance should owt happen.