Technical Wheel and Tyre options

[Legendsailing]

Hi Folks

I've recently purchased a 2014 Fiat Panda 4x4 for getting up and down my (incredibly bumpy, suspension destroying) driveway. Having averaged annual bills into the thousands on maintaining the running gear and suspension on the various SUV's I have owned over the years. I recently came to the conclusion that a lighter car might fare better.

So far so good! The Panda seems to almost float up my driveway at around 8mph. I'm wondering if a combination of a smaller wheel size and a larger tyres profile would improve the ride even more?

My first thought was to swap out the 15" wheels for 14" wheels and fit 175 75 R14 tyres. This would decrease my overall diameter by 3.4mm which is pretty inconsequential and has the possibility of improving fuel economy slightly due to the narrower tyre.

I'm way past pushing the car to it's limits on the road so not bothered about reducing the tyre width.

Does anyone know how small a wheel I can fit on the car without modifying the disk and calliper set up?

The more tyre I can fit between the wheel and the driveway the smoother the ride will be and the less damage will be caused to the vehicle as I go up and down.

 

[JayAre]

Hi Folks

I've recently purchased a 2014 Fiat Panda 4x4 for getting up and down my (incredibly bumpy, suspension destroying) driveway. Having averaged annual bills into the thousands on maintaining the running gear and suspension on the various SUV's I have owned over the years. I recently came to the conclusion that a lighter car might fare better.

So far so good! The Panda seems to almost float up my driveway at around 8mph. I'm wondering if a combination of a smaller wheel size and a larger tyres profile would improve the ride even more?

My first thought was to swap out the 15" wheels for 14" wheels and fit 175 75 R14 tyres. This would decrease my overall diameter by 3.4mm which is pretty inconsequential and has the possibility of improving fuel economy slightly due to the narrower tyre.

I'm way past pushing the car to it's limits on the road so not bothered about reducing the tyre width.

Does anyone know how small a wheel I can fit on the car without modifying the disk and calliper set up?

The more tyre I can fit between the wheel and the driveway the smoother the ride will be and the less damage will be caused to the vehicle as I go up and down.

Hi - you don’t say if you’ve a TA or M/jet.

Checking the Owner H/book it seems there’s no provision for 14” wheels for the M/jet.

There is for the TA:
Rim: 5.5J x 14H2 - ET35
Tyre: 175/65 R14 82T
but there is no rim specification for your proposed 175 75 R14 tyre.

You need advice from someone (here or at Fiat) who can confirm that your proposed 14” wheels and offset with the deeper tyres will be compatible with the discs etc

Also, as a modification, you should first inform your insurance company and request they confirm acceptance/terms, because it is a notifiable change.

Edit to add:
If you have a spacesaver tyre it seems you’ll also need to replace it with a 135/80 R14 84M (the 15” spacesaver is listed as 125/80 R15 95M) and, again, you’ll need to check the offset is correct for your car.

Good luck!
Jay

 

[chris3234]

Correct me if I wrong
You can't fit 14inch wheels to the 4x4 due to the larger front brakes in these?

Could have made that up or getting mixed up with something else

 

[Legendsailing]

Hi - you don’t say if you’ve a TA or M/jet.

Checking the Owner H/book it seems there’s no provision for 14” wheels for the M/jet.

There is for the TA:
Rim: 5.5J x 14H2 - ET35
Tyre: 175/65 R14 82T
but there is no rim specification for your proposed 175 75 R14 tyre.

You need advice from someone (here or at Fiat) who can confirm that your proposed 14” wheels and offset with the deeper tyres will be compatible with the discs etc

Also, as a modification, you should first inform your insurance company and request they confirm acceptance/terms, because it is a notifiable change.

Edit to add:
If you have a spacesaver tyre it seems you’ll also need to replace it with a 135/80 R14 84M (the 15” spacesaver is listed as 125/80 R15 95M) and, again, you’ll need to check the offset is correct for your car.

Good luck!
Jay

With the 175/65 R14 the overall diameter would be reduced losing road clearance and altering the gearing. 175/75 R14 was the closest match I could find for the overall diameter remaining close to the same.

The Car is a TwinAir, I've got a friend with a mk2 Panda which I think is on 14" wheels so I might check it physically to see if they will accommodate the brakes discs.


Thanks for your suggestions


regards


Andy

 

[JayAre]

With the 175/65 R14 the overall diameter would be reduced losing road clearance and altering the gearing. 175/75 R14 was the closest match I could find for the overall diameter remaining close to the same.

The Car is a TwinAir, I've got a friend with a mk2 Panda which I think is on 14" wheels so I might check it physically to see if they will accommodate the brakes discs.

Yes, of course, you would need the 175/75 higher profile tyres on 14” wheels for the overall diameter to remain close to the original, but there is no wheel specification for these in the handbook - you would need to check, and your friend’s mk2 Panda won’t help you “to see if they will accommodate the brakes discs” because it is a totally different car to the mk4 TA

 

[porta]

Hi Folks

I've recently purchased a 2014 Fiat Panda 4x4 for getting up and down my (incredibly bumpy, suspension destroying) driveway. Having averaged annual bills into the thousands on maintaining the running gear and suspension on the various SUV's I have owned over the years. I recently came to the conclusion that a lighter car might fare better.

So far so good! The Panda seems to almost float up my driveway at around 8mph. I'm wondering if a combination of a smaller wheel size and a larger tyres profile would improve the ride even more?

My first thought was to swap out the 15" wheels for 14" wheels and fit 175 75 R14 tyres. This would decrease my overall diameter by 3.4mm which is pretty inconsequential and has the possibility of improving fuel economy slightly due to the narrower tyre.

I'm way past pushing the car to it's limits on the road so not bothered about reducing the tyre width.

Does anyone know how small a wheel I can fit on the car without modifying the disk and calliper set up?

The more tyre I can fit between the wheel and the driveway the smoother the ride will be and the less damage will be caused to the vehicle as I go up and down.

Simple answer is yes, and all the tyre company websites do ‘conversion charts’ for different wheel/tyre combinations…
The issue is offset and clearance of brakes…if your mate allows, try his wheels on yours

 

[The Panda Nut]

Im off on hol tonight but will try and see if a 14" wheel fits on the 4x4 next weekend for future reference. To be honest I will be very suprised if it does not fit.

 

[Dan at Adrian Flux]

Hi.
If you have any issues with insurance at all for a change of wheels then please feel free to drop me a line,
Regards,
Dan.