Please tell me it aint so!!!, Celicas are a wheel nightmare! Options

[silvasurfa]

Just been to my local garage askin info on the Celica,
asked em if they worked on many? they said a few.
Many problems ugrading wheels on them? he then gave me a really funny look and basically said not to go near them,
I asked him to elaborate as that just aint happnin and he went on to say that there are only about 5 sets of aftermarket wheels that will go on them,(bear in mind im in the uk)due to the wheel bolt spacings, he said also that they cost a fortune as theyre so rare.
This is not what i wanted to hear and more to the point not what id heard before.
He was then saying how one time a bloke wanted to swap his front wheels for his back to save tyre wear and they were completely different spacings on the bolts, mentioned the difference being 100mm and 110mm or something.
If anyone knows what im talikng about and wants to make me feel better please do.
The car im selling was a bitch when it came to this and was hoping it would be easier with the celi, also just found out that my dream 18s have dropped to an affordable price and was gettin really excited

[SiKBOY]

The fronts and backs are the same. 5X100. There are heaps of wheels that fit that bolt pattern but if you want some that fit properly you will have to do a bit of searching. Fitting properly meaning that it should be hub centric with the correct offset and have the bolt pattern of 5X100

[silvasurfa]

the offset being 37 right?

[Charlie97L]

QUOTE (SiKBOY @ Jul 27, 2003 - 9:19 PM)

The fronts and backs are the same. 5X100. There are heaps of wheels that fit that bolt pattern but if you want some that fit properly you will have to do a bit of searching. Fitting properly meaning that it should be hub centric with the correct offset and have the bolt pattern of 5X100

if you have a GT-Four, the offset on the front and the rear wheels is different, i believe that is what the mechanic is referring to.

[Zephyr]

Well, I hate to be redundant here, as I've written the same stuff about six times on as many different posts, but I've had two set of wheels put on my 96 GT and neither one worked properly. At highway speeds a vibration of the steering wheel and the entire car is present, and it's really uncomfortable. Others here have chimed in with the same problem after I've posted mine.

It goes way beyond balancing the wheels. Absolutely nothing 3 different tire shops have done has fixed the problem, and they've done everything they can do. The only thing that worked was putting the factory wheels back on. Even though the manufacturers claim that everything about their wheel is correct for our application, something is still wrong with their wheels when it comes to exact fit.

Hopefully someone here will clear us up someday soon and you'll be able to make an informed purchase on a set of wheels that won't give you any problems.

[BlackSTX]

Maybe it's the tires and not the new rims? My tires on my stock wheels are old and I get some vibration at 75 mph and my steering wheel vibrates. Maybe there's more to it than just the wheel. Just a suggestion.

[XSTeknique]

Hmm...I've actually never heard this problem before. I went from factory 14" wheels to 18" aftermarket wheels and no noticeble problem. Guess I should look out for some now huh?

[95celigt]

I haven't any problems with my 17's. They are 17x7 42 offset with 215/45/17 tires. I have never had problems with shaking or rubbing. At 85 mph my car rides smoother then the factory wheels did.

[SiKBOY]

QUOTE (silvasurfa @ Jul 28, 2003 - 12:27 PM)

the offset being 37 right?

offset is 38

[silvasurfa]

thanks sikboy

[CelicaGT]

gts 16" rims are good and smooth all the way up to 100mph, never been past that........ yet

[Andason]

QUOTE (CelicaGT @ Jul 28, 2003 - 5:08 PM)

gts 16" rims are good and smooth all the way up to 100mph, never been past that........ yet

ill vouch for 120

[Celicav]

Go to www.tirerack.com and learn about wheels fitting right. Basically, they have to be hubcentric, meaning that the big mounting hole in the center of the rim has to fit snug around the hub of the car. GOOD wheel packages should come with centering rings specific to your car if the wheel hole is greater diameter than the hub. So, if the wheel does not fit right and snug, this can cause vibration and that can be a cause of steering wheel vibration. Also, many aftermarket wheels require STATIC balancing, meaning that the balancing weights have to be placed on the very INSIDE of the rim. This will solve steering wheel vibration in this case. Trust me, I learned these lessons over time...

[Zephyr]

Yeah, like I said, I hate to be rudundant, but all the suggestions given here petered out into nothingness in my situation. We swapped tires for a new set, still there, 3 different sets of centric rings, no help. Road force balanced all the tires, no help. The shops used the weights that crimp on the outside of the wheel and the ones that stick on the inside, no difference.

I called Toyota to see if the 7th gen wheels have the same hub as the 6th gens, but they don't, so I'm not going to try a set of those.