MOT rules regarding wide wheels

[Bushboy]

ive been reading through a few sites regarding the MOT tests for wheels and tyres and nowhere does it mention anything about the wheels having to be within the arches.

my minilites come out roughly 1" on the back. does anyone actually know if there are any rules regarding this or if it will be ok? i dont particularily want to be pulled by the police about them but at the moment i cant find anything to say that im not allowed to have them!

minis using the sportspack minilites have the wheels about an inch out of the arches.. even with the sportspack matching arches. they get away with it!

heres a quick piccy anyway

 

[Ben R]

I'll ask at work for you tomorrow mate. Cars looking good BTW! need to smooth those bumpers now though?

 

[bulldog5046]

i dont think it matters... remember that road legal 11.5L car that did 0-60 in 1.25 seconds.... well... those rear wheels came out of the arches by about.....ohhh....i dunno......5ft?

 

[Alex]

They shouldn't be outside of the wheel arches, but if theres not much in it, it'll probably pass.

EDIT: but they look quite a long way out... perhaps a wider bodykit/ arch extentions are required.

 

[bulldog5046]

Oops.... my bad....they dont stich out atall

https://www.fiatforum.com/showthread.php?t=33171

 

[Helz]

There's nothing on the MOT sites about it but I have spoken to MOT testers about this before and they've said it's a failure if it sticks out at all due to the damage it can cause to the car and pedestrians. Have you a set of normal wheels you can use for the test?

 

[EvilJaxx]

I had spacers on my Cinq when i use to own one and they stuck out about the same as yours and passed its MOT fine so you will be fine also cars looking good, just need to fix that bonnet and it will be very nice!

 

[Alex]

Direct from the fiatforum resident fuzz

 

[Bushboy]

well i would like some wider arches but there arent any off the shelf ones for a cinq so anything i do will have to be custom!

cheers ben! btw, are you any good at moulding things to other things? i have an idea that i would like some sportspack mini arches moulded to some abarth arches for the cinq to make them wider.. would you be able to? ide give it a go myself actually

just know ude do a better job

but like ive said, there isnt anything in the MOT rules that mentions anything about wheels having to be in the arches.. not a single thing

 

[Bushboy]

hmm well im driving it to work tomorrow with em on the back ( cant be bothered to take em off at the moment)..

tbh.. i really dont see how it can cause any danger to pedestrians... shurely if they are walking close enough to get hit by them then they shouldnt be in the road or i shouoldnt be driving on the pavement in the first place

 

[Liam]

Also aren't wider wheels illegal due to higher amount of spray given off in bad conditions?

Liam

 

[chrisunoman]

I thought it was just the tread of the tyre that cant be showing outside the arch, thats why on euro-style vws etc they have the ultra stretched tyre. Im sure i read that somewhere....

 

[Helz]

hmm well im driving it to work tomorrow with em on the back ( cant be bothered to take em off at the moment)..

tbh.. i really dont see how it can cause any danger to pedestrians... shurely if they are walking close enough to get hit by them then they shouldnt be in the road or i shouoldnt be driving on the pavement in the first place

As was explained to me, it's because if you bash into them they are more likely to get caught by the wheels than just getting bumped by the arches. I dunno though, opinion seems very split on this.

 

[Bushboy]

mot rules are retarded

will have to sort out some wider arches...

does it matter what they are made of? how about if i safely secure some cardboard arches to the car?

 

[Alex]

Also aren't wider wheels illegal due to higher amount of spray given off in bad conditions?

Liam

are you making this up???

I always was told that the wheels should be within the arches of the car, or inline with the most widest part of the car (not including mirrors)...

Bushboy, you're probably right... if the tyres are going to cause any damage to a pedestrian you've probably already given them a hiding with your mirrors.

 

[Stu DemonD]

I presumed they were illegal like that, but nothing to substantiate that - will go a hunting....

 

[Alex]

Perhaps we should have a searchable copy of the MOT rules and guidelines so that we can get definitive answers???

I'll see if I can't find an e-copy of them somewhere.

 

[Stu DemonD]

Off the Boy Racer site http://www.boyracerguide.co.uk/guide.php#wheels

BIGGER WHEELS - Boy racers are obsessed with the size of their wheels (often noted by impartial observers to be suspiciously Freudian) and the bigger the wheel radius the more impressed fellow boy racers are with the car. Often drastic modifications need to be done to the wheel arches to accommodate the bigger wheels, so this mod is not recommended for novices. 18" wheels are an acceptably large size, especially on smaller cars where the extensive engineering work required to fit them is greatly admired. Aspiring boy racers must however be very careful to make sure that their modifications to their vehicle's wheel arches does not render the car illegal - it is easily done

 

[Bushboy]

i found this somewhere on the interweb.. a sitewith loads of Q&As about the mot test to a supposed mot tester who set the site up


PROTRUDING WHEELS -

I have recently purchased a set of alloy wheels from [a retailer] for my Ford Focus ST170 [who in turn fitted them to my car].
They appeared to be look a wider fitment than the original standard wheel even though they were the same size, 215/45/17, and were visibly protruding beyond the wheel arch on the front by approximately 5-6mm. They have also been catching the wheel arches on the front when going over speed ramps or bigger bumps in the road.
A local MOT Testing Station could not clarify whether this protrusion was classed as illegal so I would hope you could provide clarification? Steven Jewitt

---


As I understand the situation the only way the MOT is affected is if your new wheels actually foul the bodywork or any other part of the vehicle when the wheels are turned lock to lock when the vehicle is sitting in its normal position.
Remember too that your vehicle has to comply with 'construction and use' regulations which are not necessarily the same as the regulations regarding the MOT. Unfortunately we are unable to assist you with respect to those requirements. -MOTT



going buy this, my wheels turn fine lock to lock and dont touch any of the paint work (except in the back over major bumps).

but thats a point, theoreticaly they dont stick out further than the bodywork as the mirrors stick out further than the wheels do!

 

[Ben R]

well i would like some wider arches but there arent any off the shelf ones for a cinq so anything i do will have to be custom!

cheers ben! btw, are you any good at moulding things to other things? i have an idea that i would like some sportspack mini arches moulded to some abarth arches for the cinq to make them wider.. would you be able to? ide give it a go myself actually

just know ude do a better job

but like ive said, there isnt anything in the MOT rules that mentions anything about wheels having to be in the arches.. not a single thing

PM or phone me mate!
Back on topic, as I said I'll ask the techy's at work for you they'll be able to give you a definate answer!