Alloy Wheels : Do you buy in a set of 4 or 5?

iraghava · 22nd February 2007, 17:29

My choices are 5 wheels, unless you are upgrading the rimsize big-time which means you can't fit the spare in the wheel well.

5 wheels make sense if you do lots of highways runs especially through areas where Tubeless repair shops are not present. But again the spare has to fit in the well.

4 wheels if you only drive within the city & have access to good tyre repair shops nearby.

Another option would be to buy 4 wheels & keep a portable tyre inflator with you which can help in the case of a tubeless tyre suffering a small puncture. But if you tear a sidewall or something then you're in trouble!

karan561 · 22nd February 2007, 17:56

I bought a set of 4 as the wheels i upsized were of 17" ..... and running on 225/45 and my stock 15" rimz were on 205/60 .... it gets adjusted and ne way i use that tyre only during a punctre and repair the 17" one and place it back again .......... and ne way the 17" rim would not have fit in the boot .....

rr_zen · 22nd February 2007, 21:41

When I decided to go in for alloys for my esteem, I was very clear right from the beginning that I wanted 5 and not 4. The fifth one was not a problem in my case as I was not upsizing and also the dealer offered a discount if I took 5 instead of 4

WasavaTyres · 22nd February 2007, 21:52

Well I feel it's a pure waste of dough for something that ends up in the trunk or on the underbelly.In fact I advise all scorpio owners to go in for 4 wheels.And with so many brands having virtually the same designs getting a spare is definetely not going to be a pain.Go to any alloy stockist and check out teh catalogs,hi-join,plati,neo,SM,F1,XXO1 they all have similiar designs with diff logos.Got a set with 195R14's for my getz today,set of 4

manveet · 22nd February 2007, 23:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres

Go to any alloy stockist and check out teh catalogs,hi-join,plati,neo,SM,F1,XXO1 they all have similiar designs with diff logos.

Naah. Not at all. For instance, try to find a pair similar to the ones on my OHC.

Catalogues are useless, one should compare with whats available in stock.

jango · 23rd February 2007, 11:15

The problem arises only if one of the 4 alloy gets damaged and if one is not able to get a substitute for it !! in terms of design !!

ex670c · 23rd February 2007, 11:44

NEVER EVER buy tyres & Rims/Wheel Discs in 4.
ALWAYS buy a set of 5 tyres & Rims/Wheel Discs.

If the spare is not FULL-SIZE, imagine a Front Wheel puncture.
The Steering will get disbalanced and the vehicle will pull to one side.

In case for of the Driven Wheels (FWD or RWD) it will grossly mismatch wheel speed while turning.

It will aggravate tyre wear and strain the axles and differentials.

Regards,

Arka

chanapli · 23rd February 2007, 12:43

Use of spare wheel is only till the next repair shop!.

And for the model existance, buy Indian ones ( like Aura) they never vanish like chinky models.

esteem_lover · 23rd February 2007, 13:24

I would not get paranoid about a 5th wheel. Of course i do not have a super upsize also. depends on the mismatch.

devarshi84 · 23rd February 2007, 13:51

Got a set of 5 14-inch alloys wheels. Am in the market for new 15-inch shoes. All the dealers insist on a pair of 4.

moralfibre · 23rd February 2007, 13:59

In my Zen I had opted for 5 BSA rims. I had faltered with the rim widths (5.5j) since I did not know T-Bhp then. I would still go for 5 new rims if I were to upgrade my alloys.

manveet · 23rd February 2007, 15:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by ex670c

NEVER EVER buy tyres & Rims/Wheel Discs in 4.
ALWAYS buy a set of 5 tyres & Rims/Wheel Discs.

Please give supporting logic. CapsLock alone doesn't add weight to argument

Quote:

Originally Posted by ex670c

If the spare is not FULL-SIZE, imagine a Front Wheel puncture.The Steering will get disbalanced and the vehicle will pull to one side.

In case you are considering driving on the Spare which is not full size, vehicle may be not properly balanced anyways. We are NOT suggesting driving on the spare .. just saying you may not need to use it .. if you do then get it fixed ASAP. I'm sure a second puncture while one is going to get the first fixed is highly unlikely.

In case you are saying that I'm driving with normal tires, how does it matter what I have in the boot .. car will anyways pull to one side in case of FWD puncture irrespective of tire size !!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ex670c

In case for of the Driven Wheels (FWD or RWD) it will grossly mismatch wheel speed while turning.

It will aggravate tyre wear and strain the axles and differentials.

Chill with the paranoa

Everyone has driven on a puncture some time or the other - nothing happens except to the tire.

ex670c · 23rd February 2007, 18:04

Hi Guys,

Nothing MUCH will happen if you are driving around in the city.

My ARGUEMENT is -

1)These problems get aggravated on HIGHWAYS, at NIGHT and OTR Situations, where you may have to drive a considerable distance "to the puncture shop"

2)If you have a set of 5 tyres - THE 5 TYRE ROTATION PATTERN will increase the life of each tyre because each is rested (spare).

3) Personally I prefer my Tyres to be seated and unseated by the Machine, than by using the Hammer and Pry Bar........On a Alloy....it will be come a Testimonial, a Slam Book ....after a profusely sweating "punchur" mechanic..has displayed his wrestling skill, his grasp of the laws of PHYSICS and, good ol' "Maar Hathoda....Maar"......hopefully; not withstanding my PARANOIA we should be able to find a TYRE Seating machine in every Indian Village or the National Highways, that too at Night.

Regards,

Arka

PS - PENNY WISE, POUND FOOLISH!!!

s0uljah · 23rd February 2007, 21:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by rks

See the following link on the dangers of using aged tyres: Aged Tyres

Getting a new car next week...Heard some ridiculous figures being offered for
exhange of brand new tyre + oem discs (900rs etc) so I had the brilliant idea of keeping back all tyres and rims !!! Lol.

Been pondering on whether retaining *one* as spare is sensible or not
(considering Im going from 165/80/R14 to 205/55/R15).

After having read RKS's link I guess keeping a spare and not utilizing is futile.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rks

best plan would be to use the stock rim with a used second-hand tyre as spare.

Brilliant !! I could look for another vehicles OEM 15" rim and source a used tyre of the same profile to solve my problems..... !

pramodkumar · 23rd February 2007, 23:35

Hey guys this might sound stupid but it helps. Carry a spare tube along in the trunk and in case if you feel stranded you can put this tube in the tubeless tyre. So what say issue resolved?

22nd February 2007, 17:29	#16
iraghava Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bhaiyyaland Posts: 8,033 Thanked: 265 Times View My Garage	My choices are 5 wheels, unless you are upgrading the rimsize big-time which means you can't fit the spare in the wheel well. 5 wheels make sense if you do lots of highways runs especially through areas where Tubeless repair shops are not present. But again the spare has to fit in the well. 4 wheels if you only drive within the city & have access to good tyre repair shops nearby. Another option would be to buy 4 wheels & keep a portable tyre inflator with you which can help in the case of a tubeless tyre suffering a small puncture. But if you tear a sidewall or something then you're in trouble!
	() Thanks

22nd February 2007, 17:56	#17
karan561 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 5,068 Thanked: 22,246 Times View My Garage	I bought a set of 4 as the wheels i upsized were of 17" ..... and running on 225/45 and my stock 15" rimz were on 205/60 .... it gets adjusted and ne way i use that tyre only during a punctre and repair the 17" one and place it back again .......... and ne way the 17" rim would not have fit in the boot ..... Last edited by karan561 : 22nd February 2007 at 17:57.
	() Thanks

22nd February 2007, 21:41	#18
rr_zen Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 1,799 Thanked: 400 Times View My Garage	When I decided to go in for alloys for my esteem, I was very clear right from the beginning that I wanted 5 and not 4. The fifth one was not a problem in my case as I was not upsizing and also the dealer offered a discount if I took 5 instead of 4
	() Thanks

22nd February 2007, 21:52	#19
WasavaTyres BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Indore Posts: 816 Thanked: 450 Times View My Garage	Well I feel it's a pure waste of dough for something that ends up in the trunk or on the underbelly.In fact I advise all scorpio owners to go in for 4 wheels.And with so many brands having virtually the same designs getting a spare is definetely not going to be a pain.Go to any alloy stockist and check out teh catalogs,hi-join,plati,neo,SM,F1,XXO1 they all have similiar designs with diff logos.Got a set with 195R14's for my getz today,set of 4
	() Thanks

23rd February 2007, 11:15	#21
jango BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New York & kotayam Posts: 800 Thanked: 23 Times View My Garage	The problem arises only if one of the 4 alloy gets damaged and if one is not able to get a substitute for it !! in terms of design !!
	() Thanks

23rd February 2007, 11:44	#22
ex670c Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 2,470 Thanked: 1,951 Times View My Garage	NEVER EVER buy tyres & Rims/Wheel Discs in 4. ALWAYS buy a set of 5 tyres & Rims/Wheel Discs. If the spare is not FULL-SIZE, imagine a Front Wheel puncture. The Steering will get disbalanced and the vehicle will pull to one side. In case for of the Driven Wheels (FWD or RWD) it will grossly mismatch wheel speed while turning. It will aggravate tyre wear and strain the axles and differentials. Regards, Arka
	() Thanks

23rd February 2007, 12:43	#23
chanapli BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Banglaore Posts: 270 Thanked: Once	Use of spare wheel is only till the next repair shop!. And for the model existance, buy Indian ones ( like Aura) they never vanish like chinky models.
	() Thanks

23rd February 2007, 13:24	#24
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	I would not get paranoid about a 5th wheel. Of course i do not have a super upsize also. depends on the mismatch.
	() Thanks

23rd February 2007, 13:51	#25
devarshi84 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ahmedabad - Tor Posts: 4,024 Thanked: 211 Times View My Garage	Got a set of 5 14-inch alloys wheels. Am in the market for new 15-inch shoes. All the dealers insist on a pair of 4.
	() Thanks

23rd February 2007, 13:59	#26
moralfibre Team-BHP Support Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: MH-12 Posts: 8,451 Thanked: 13,973 Times	In my Zen I had opted for 5 BSA rims. I had faltered with the rim widths (5.5j) since I did not know T-Bhp then. I would still go for 5 new rims if I were to upgrade my alloys.
	() Thanks

23rd February 2007, 18:04	#28
ex670c Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 2,470 Thanked: 1,951 Times View My Garage	FULL-SIZE Spare Tyre Hi Guys, Nothing MUCH will happen if you are driving around in the city. My ARGUEMENT is - 1)These problems get aggravated on HIGHWAYS, at NIGHT and OTR Situations, where you may have to drive a considerable distance "to the puncture shop" 2)If you have a set of 5 tyres - THE 5 TYRE ROTATION PATTERN will increase the life of each tyre because each is rested (spare). 3) Personally I prefer my Tyres to be seated and unseated by the Machine, than by using the Hammer and Pry Bar........On a Alloy....it will be come a Testimonial, a Slam Book ....after a profusely sweating "punchur" mechanic..has displayed his wrestling skill, his grasp of the laws of PHYSICS and, good ol' "Maar Hathoda....Maar"......hopefully; not withstanding my PARANOIA we should be able to find a TYRE Seating machine in every Indian Village or the National Highways, that too at Night. Regards, Arka PS - PENNY WISE, POUND FOOLISH!!!
	() Thanks

23rd February 2007, 23:35	#30
pramodkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gods own country Posts: 2,302 Thanked: 2,208 Times View My Garage	Hey guys this might sound stupid but it helps. Carry a spare tube along in the trunk and in case if you feel stranded you can put this tube in the tubeless tyre. So what say issue resolved?
	() Thanks