News

Finally found compatible aftermarket alloy wheels for my Scorpio N

17th April 2024, 15:30 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

They were previously being used on a Mahindra XUV500 but since getting a good set of used rims in this size and PCD was a rare thing, I went ahead with them.

BHPian vivekgk recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi,

As I have already lamented on the tyre/wheel section, Mahindra "cruelly" chose to outfit the Scorpio-N with an odd PCD/wheel size/Tyre size combo, restricting the mod potential of the Scorpio rather badly. The PCD is 5 x 139.7. The tyre size is 245/65 on R17 wheels which is unique to the Scorpio-N, AFAIK. Why did they put this odd PCD on the Scorpio-N, when every other vehicle, even their Off-road focused Thar has a 5x114.3 PCD?

Why is this a problem? While 5x139.7 is a very common PCD, used by the older Jeeps, the Gypsy and the Jimny and also the erstwhile XUV5OO, the problem is that commonly available off-road wheels usually use a 15-inch or 16-inch rim, with tall sidewall tyres. 17-inch and above sizes commonly come with a 6x139.7 PCD, used by the Fortuner/Hilux/D-Max/Endy and such.

Scorpio-N is thus caught in a no-man's land in between these two common sizes. Most of the options in the 17-inch come in the 5x114.3 PCD, due to it being the most common in this price range. It's used in the Creta, Seltos, Vitara, and even the XUV700, Scorpio Classic and the Thar, which makes it easier to find a design that you like.

I didn't want to use a PCD adapter except as a last resort, as it adds another failure point, and is supposed to cause instability and wobbling+vibes at higher speeds. At the time, there were very few options available, and I didn't like most of them. I was calling up dealers all over Kerala, and scouring through OLX/FB market for used options, with limited success.

Then, I got a lead from Kottayam, where one of my friends had gotten alloys fitted for his Bolero. While we were admiring the ones he had got, he told me that the dealer had a variety of options in stock. The Dealer was Parappally Tyres, Kottayam. I got in touch with them, and they sent me several options, all priced around 40-60k, none of which really appealed to me, esp at the prices quoted. Then, he sent me this pic of a used set taken off an XUV5OO.

I immediately liked the design and did a reverse image search on Google, and came up with the make and the model, as well as some more pics. It's from a brand called VOS, not sure about the model. Originally, it came with a really cool gloss black finish with diamond cut accents, as seen here.

However, the pics forwarded by the dealer showed a fair amount of scratches. it would definitely need to be retouched or repainted.

Here's what they are supposed to look like. Pics taken off Facebook.

I had planned to restore it to its original finish, but my go-to detailer said it was a no-go. There were scratches all over, and the diamond-cut finish could not be retained by him. It would have to be one shade. After some deliberation, I decided to go for a full bright silver finish, which I thought would go well with the silver accents on the Beast, and would also give a more classic SUV look.

My cousin from Kottayam helped me out by checking out the rims in person and sent me his own set of pics. He said there were no major scratches and no dents. They were also really wide at 8J. I had another chat with the dealer and settled on the price, which was a bit more than I had planned.

Still, getting a good set of used rims in this size and PCD was a rare thing, and I had seen higher prices in OLX and FB marketplace. Plus, I liked the pattern, especially up close. I paid an advance immediately and paid the balance after they had sent me the Waybill, and it was confirmed. Even considering the additional cost of painting, I felt it wasn't a bad deal, all things considered.

The wheels reached me in a couple of days by parcel service. I immediately took them to the painter. As he was busy, it took about a week to get them painted. I went to pick them up and I was impressed by the quality of the finish. They looked absolutely brand new. Unfortunately, I lost the pics that I'd taken immediately after painting due to a screw-up on my part. These pics were taken after the wheels had been dirtied a bit after a trip.

The rims stayed in the back seat of the Beast for a week before I found the time to get them fitted. However, once I got them to the tyre store, there was a problem. The 245/65 R17 tyres were a bit too narrow for the 8J rims. The factory steel rims were 7J which seemed a bit too narrow for the 245s. So, the tyres were pinched on the stock rims, which made the gap even larger on the alloys. But these guys were experienced in fitting narrow rims on wide wheels since that is the current trend here for hot hatches and sedans. They simply stuffed the gap with old tubes, and once the tyre started filling up, pulled out the tubes.

Getting the alignment done...

The wheels fitted very well on the hub, and there were no issues with clearance. They did tell me that the OEM wheel spanner was no longer usable due to the large -ve offset of the rims and the deep holes for the wheel studs. I got a universal cross-shaped TAPARIA wheel spanner from Amazon which solved the issue.

So, here's what the Beast looks like with the new rims. I think that the stance has improved vastly. My concerns are with the tyres protruding out of the wheel well, which might cause issues with the authorities. I feel that the turning circle has also increased due to the increased track. The ride quality has improved, and the handling at low and high speeds has not been affected.

Please post your valuable comments and suggestions.

On another note, I also had a chance to compare the Beast with a friend's Fortuner. It was a 2020 2WD AT model. While the interiors were far more plush feeling than my Z4, I felt that it was noticeably harder to drive in the city due to the tight steering, and I also felt that there was more lag in the TC. The Sport mode felt a lot more powerful than the Scorpio. The Beast also rode a lot better, in both our opinions.