Alternative for 505 Metric TRX Wheels
When we bought our well maintained 1984 505 STI sedan last year
from PCC member David Howe, we were told that getting tyres to fit
the metric sized factory alloy wheels was expensive and difficult.
How true. In fact, we could only locate the metric Michelin TRX
tyres via Vintage Tyres in Melbourne - at a cost of around $400
each. So, I did some research and decided to purchase some
aftermarket alloy wheels. The advantages of the modern alloy wheels,
apart from being standard size and good looking, is that they are
much harder than the old alloy wheels and less prone to developing
flat spots. They are also accepted by the insurance company which
likes Peugeot 505 rims to be a maximum of 6.5 inches wide.
Choosing an aftermarket wheel was easy. I could find only one
manufacturer and one style of wheel to suit - Performance Wheels'
Superlite 15 x 6. I shopped around and ordered a set of four from a
discount tyre retailer in Phillip for $220 each. I then chose to get
the tyres from QuickFit as I wanted Michelins or Kumho tyres which
were not available from Discount Tyres. A mini disaster then ensued
as the wheels did not fit the car (one rear wheel was hitting the
brake calliper).
I feared the worst as the wheels had tyres fitted
and were therefore not returnable to the original supplier. I was in
a quandary- who would fix the problem? Quickfit who had fitted tyres
to incorrect wheels despite my instructions to ensure the wheels
fitted before the tyres went on? Or the discount tyre retailer who
supplied the wheels in the first place? As it turned out, the
discount tyre retailer did not want to know about it at all. However
Tony at Quickfit investigated the problem and discovered that the
wheel factory had supplied the incorrect offset.
So after a couple of weeks wait, a new set of wheels with the
correct offset were supplied and fitted. I chose 206/65 Kumho
Powermax tyres which fill out the guards nicely and give the car a
muscular stance, as the photo shows. The Kumhos were rated highly by
Choice magazine and were $15 cheaper than the equivalent Michelins
(OK, I'm not a real purist!). While I was not overly impressed with
the discount tyre retailer's handling of the incorrect size problem,
they did have the best price for the wheels. However I can
thoroughly recommend QuickFit for professional and knowledgeable
service as well as a good price on tyres.
So far, so good. The only problem I have encountered is that when
there is a load on the left rear wheel (eg fast corners or
passengers) the wheel occasionally scrapes on the rear mudflap near
the top of the wheel travel. This is caused by a combination of the
offset of the rim (which makes it sit out about 1cm wider than the
standard rim) plus the extra 1cm of tyre width. But it's a minor
annoyance and does not cause any damage to car or tyre. A 195/65
tyre or a lower profile tyre may help. If you have the old metric
wheels, the Superlites are a good way to add life, value and even
better looks to your 505 and ensure that future tyre procurement
will not be an issue.
Stephen Alegria
February 2004
