Frequently asked questions - wheels, tyres and hubs

We are asked about many subjects in the Dutton Owners Club, and these pages are aimed to help you find some of the answers to the most commonly asked questions. All these FAQs are from our members and the DOC accepts no liability for the information following. These methods have been used by our members, but people who are unsure should consult a qualified specialist (eg: welder, engineer, mechanic) if they require further information.
If you can't find the information you need here, you may also post a general question on
the online Q&A page.

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Wheels, tyres and hubs

Sizing your wheels and tyres

You've built your Dutton, or bought it from someone, and you're wondering what to do about those large spaces above the tyres and below the wheel arches, and that lack of ground clearance... sound familiar? Hopefully the following should shed a little light on the matter.

Wide low profile tyres may look good on a Phaeton or Melos, but the large gaps don't, and Sierras do not look right on 13" rims. What can you do about it? Well, hopefully the following table will give you some help, as it shows the overall diameter of various wheel and tyre size combinations. This should enable you to compare the size of the combination you already have, with what you think you might like, before going off and parting with hard-earned cash. These figures are for guidance only, and different manufacturer's tyres will vary slightly in size. Not all tyre sizes will fit the rims if the difference is too much.

Remember if you do change your wheel or tyre sixes, your speedometer reading will also change. This is because it is dependant on the the speed of the engine, and therefore if you have a different ratio and wheel/tyre size than the donor car, it will be inaccurate.

And here's an example, just to make things even easier...

When I bought my Phaeton S3 it had 205/60 tyres. With these the sump sometimes scraped the road, and when it rained the car floated! Of these two problems, the tendency for the car to lose grip when it was wet was the most worrying. (Odd that!) So, when the tyres wore out, I replaced them with 185/60s. Now the car gripped when it rained. Looking at the table below with this in mind, it shows a reduction in diameter of 576mm to 552mm, or 24mm, which in turn means the car is 12mm closer to the road. In reality, this figure would be less, as the old tyres were worn, but you get the picture. Anyway, the result was now that the sump did not scrape the road - it hit it, especially when the car was fully laden. This was a bad thing. As the tyres wore, this problem became worse, until the sump became so worn the engine dumped all its oil. A very bad thing... The answer: raise the engine and make the sump shallow - now the exhaust hits instead! There was a solution though, borrowing a long suffering friend's 13" wheels with 185/70s  - while rebuilding their Phaeton S4 - (590mm diameter) solved the problem, by making the car 19mm higher. I had to give the wheels and tyres back sadly when the project was finished. Neat huh!

 Tyre diameter
mm (inches)

Wheel rim size

 
 13" 14" 15"

500-542
(19.7-21.3)
175/50
155/65
185/55
175/60 
506
532
534
540
195/45
185/50
532
542
   
544-555
(21.4-21.9)
165/65
195/55
155/70
185/60 
544
544
548
552
165/60 554     
555-570
(21.9-22.4)
175/60
165/70
195/60
185/65 
558
562
564
570 
155/65
185/55
175/60
165/65
195/55
 558
560
566
570
570
195/45  557
 575-585
(22.6-23.0)
175/70
205/60
195/65 
576
576
584
185/60
205/55
175/65
578
582
584
215/45
195/50
185/55
575
577
585
585-595
(23.0-23.4)
215/60
185/70
588
590
165/70
195/60
18/65
 588
590
596
205/50
234/45
195/55 
 587
593
595
595-620
(23.4-24.4)
225/60
195/70
235/60
600
604
612 
175/70
205/60
225/55
195/65
215/60
185/70
 602
602
604
610
610
615
215/50
225/50
205/55
285/40
255/45
195/60
215/55
185/65 
 597
607
608
609
611
615
617
621
620-635
(24.4-25.0)
    205/65
255/60
195/70
 622
626
630
345/35
206/60
225/55
195/65 
623
627
629
635 
 635-650
(25.0-25.6)
     235/60
205/70
 638
644
 235/55
215/60
185/70
205/65
 639
639
641
647
650-665
(25.6-26.2)
     245/60
215/70
 650
658
 195/70
225/60
215/65
235/60
 655
656
661
663
 665-690
(26.2-27.2)
         205/70
225/65
215/70
275/55
255/60
 669
673
683
683
687

 

Triumph / Ford wheels

Is there any simple way around having two different pattern wheels, and the problem of a spare, for Duttons with Triumph front suspension and a Ford rear axle?
One way to get the Ford pattern all round is to have the hubs modified with Ford studs on the correct PCD. This can be done by Pop Browns, Harlow, Essex Tel/Fax: 01279 412794 www.popbrowns.co.uk

A more expensive way is to fit aluminium front hubs to the Triumph Herald or Vitesse stub axle. These can be drilled to suit Ford, BL, or Triumph wheels and are obtainable from Merlin Motorsport Chippenham, Wiltshire Tel: 01249 782101 www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk

Another way is buy some Weller Wheels. These can now be supplied in a range of sizes with both Ford and Triumph holes properly pressed in the steel. (Not sure if they are still available as this information comes from 1996). You could get one as a spare, but then where do you put it?

 

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Updated August 2004