Customising your wheels and tires

[Toonarly]

I read many posts about the difficulty of changing wheels and tires to fit the I-Miev other than stock. I have a solution that worked for me and I like it very much. I hope this helps you too.

Just added on 01.23.2021 here is video on my Rumble channel to show you the finished job:

https://rumble.com/vd52zd-imiev-custom-tires-and-rim-conversion.html

Here are the ingredients and sources:

4 - 4x100 to 4x100 wheel spacers hub adapters 2" thick 12x1.5 lug studs x 4 rims x 1 from USAdapters.com for each wheel hub.
2 - 15" Vision Wheels from trucksnautos through E-Bay
2 - 14" Vision Wheels from trucksnautos through E-Bay
2 - Achillies ATR-K Economist 185/50/R15 for the rears (51.80 each through easy tire) Free delivery
2 - Achillies ATR-K Economist 165/50/r14XL BSW fronts (42.02 each through easy tire) Free Delivery
1 Set of wheel lug nuts (black) DOR 711-356 (O'Reilly auto parts number) You will need these to mount the wheels your old lug nuts won't work.

1. BE SURE to torque the spacers correctly and you can use some locktight if desired. Get QUALITY spacers, not Ebay cheapies. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE and most the "cons" arguments are from folks who learned the hard way and went with knockoffs.
2. The Spacers I got are excellent quality and are used in numerous racing and off road applications.
3. There are numerous PROs and CONS on the use of spacers, Those that have used them correctly I have found have little issues or problems even over many years, those who do not install or use them correctly will experience issues that can be considered dangerous or even life threatening. Any aftermarket customization will "change" certain aspects of the vehicles original specs and tolerances and can cause undesired problems if the job is not done professionally. The spacers MUST mount flush with the hub and the hub stud bolts do not protrude further than the spacer outer edge where your wheel/rim mounts. It is up to you what you do, do your own research. I've done mine for over a year and I'm pleased with my results.
4. One such "con" that has been mentioned is "scrubbing". In my case with the 2 inch spacers on the front and also 2 inch (approx) shorter tire height on the tires, I found in my case, there is very minimal scrubbing and even on a level surface was able to easily push the car in neutral while being turned sharply. I will try it again when it rains and on ice in the wintertime. I'll update as the time goes along and let you know my experiences.
5. The wheels or "rims" do set back and actually place the tire in the same spot as the stock tires but are wider rubber so they do stick out a bit from the wheel well by about an inch.
I have a few good pictures of the customization during and after completion, I do not know how to upload them to the forum, If someone knows and can let me know I'd be happy to share them here.
6. One note: I have run the rear wheels with 2 inch spacers for over a year now without any adverse effects on them. Now that all four are "equal" I'll let you all know as time goes on.

The vehicle handles a LOT better due to the extra 4 inches in width (2 on each side) and corners very well like a go cart, with the wider track the car is less subject to flip. I also noticed in a high wind it stays on the roadway better and does not get "pushed" sideways like it did before in a strong crosswind. more aerodynamic from the front as well due to lowered front end.

Not as "top heavy"

Better road traction too, and looks very "bad ass" especially with the black wheels on a white car with black window tinting.

Update: Its now June 26th, more than a several months after my "upgrade" No issues so far. Tires still have the new look and the "scrubbing" issue as far as I can see is non existent. I drive it only in town here so I don't put a lot of miles per day, handles well. One thing I did notice is the "inflation" icon blinks on signifying tire inflation but that is fine, It must be set to the original tires, When and if I can locate how to reset this I'll let you know. I'll be getting some mini mud flaps to add on to eliminate a bit of the spatter on the sides due to the increased tire width. Other than that, I like the "fit"


Update:
After a whole year driving with the new wheel setup, I've had no issues with "scrubbing" whatsoever, even on ice or rain. the car handles better around corners and is not as top heavy due to increased width. So far it works great. The only issue that occurs that I've seen is the tire inflation indicator remains on as if tires are low inflation, other than that all else works great.


Update;

It' now been a few years since my wheel conversion, NO PROBLEMS whatsoever with tire wear or scuffing, its 01.22.2021 right now. still love the customization and highly recommend it.


Here is a link to my Rumble channel with my wheel upgrade. this will give you a visual. Thanks!

https://rumble.com/vecr5z-imiev-tire-and-rim-conversion.html


Update#3 Its now 2021, August 8th and NO problems with the tires or any scrubbing as was said in the below post. I've had the car now for 5 years ALL of which have used the setup above for custom wheels. I even got up to speeds of 80MPH to test vibration, there was a bit due to wheel balancing issues but those are easily remedied. Tires still have A LOT of tread! I've travelled about 10000 miles so far this way with no issue whatsoever.

 

[Don]

You didn't change the wheelbase at all - It's still stock

What you did change (and by LOT) is the track width - You must have all 4 tires sticking out way past the fenders

When you change the track width, you mess up the scrub radius and there's no adjustment to correct for that. When you turn the front wheels, the inner wheel turns a sharper angle than the outside wheel, so it rolls on a smaller radius than the outer wheel. The angle each wheel turns is carefully chosen and factory preset and it's based on the stock track width, so that neither tire 'scrubs' (slides sideways) when the wheels are turned and now you've altered all that by a TON! - Mounting a wheel with an offset 5mm different from stock alters the track width by about 3/8ths inch. You changed it by 4 inches!! Using a 10mm spacer behind each wheel which is necessary to mount a 5 inch wheel changes the offset by 3/4 inch and that's not good . . . . but 4 inches is just terrible

You can check this for yourself if you doubt what I say is true - Park the car on a flat surface, crank the front wheels all the way to one side, put it in neutral and get out and try to push it - It won't be easy and you will actually hear the front tires scrubbing. That scrubbing is going to kill your range and wear out your front tires quickly

You may *think* it handles better, but in reality, it doesn't. It will be especially treacherous in the rain, because the scrubbing will cause the front wheels to lose traction (they'll be sliding sideways) and that will greatly increase the understeer. It's bad on dry pavement too but it's really bad on wet roads. The car will be 'darty' as which front wheel actually grabs traction shifts unexpectedly from side to side - It is not possible for both front wheels to have traction when the wheels are turned very far. Anything that causes a lack of traction is really BAD and can't improve handling

Too gnarly indeed! I'm glad you like the look because that's all you got with this . . . . but I wouldn't advise anyone else to try it - It's an accident waiting to happen

Don

 

[Toonarly]

• May 8, 2018

• 
  
• Edit bookmark
• #1

I read many posts about the difficulty of changing wheels and tires to fit the I-Miev other than stock. I have a solution that worked for me and I like it very much. I hope this helps you too.

Just added on 01.23.2021 here is video on my Patriottube channel to show you the finished job:

https://www.patriottube.tv/v/1577928170/Imiev-tire-and-rim-conversion
Here are the ingredients and sources:

4 - 4x100 to 4x100 wheel spacers hub adapters 2" thick 12x1.5 lug studs x 4 rims x 1 from USAdapters.com for each wheel hub.
2 - 15" Vision Wheels from trucksnautos through E-Bay
2 - 14" Vision Wheels from trucksnautos through E-Bay
2 - Achillies ATR-K Economist 185/50/R15 for the rears (51.80 each through easy tire) Free delivery
2 - Achillies ATR-K Economist 165/50/r14XL BSW fronts (42.02 each through easy tire) Free Delivery
1 Set of wheel lug nuts (black) DOR 711-356 (O'Reilly auto parts number) You will need these to mount the wheels your old lug nuts won't work.

1. BE SURE to torque the spacers correctly and you can use some locktight if desired. Get QUALITY spacers, not Ebay cheapies. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE and most the "cons" arguments are from folks who learned the hard way and went with knockoffs.
2. The Spacers I got are excellent quality and are used in numerous racing and off road applications.
3. There are numerous PROs and CONS on the use of spacers, Those that have used them correctly I have found have little issues or problems even over many years, those who do not install or use them correctly will experience issues that can be considered dangerous or even life threatening. Any aftermarket customization will "change" certain aspects of the vehicles original specs and tolerances and can cause undesired problems if the job is not done professionally. The spacers MUST mount flush with the hub and the hub stud bolts do not protrude further than the spacer outer edge where your wheel/rim mounts. It is up to you what you do, do your own research. I've done mine for over a year and I'm pleased with my results.
4. One such "con" that has been mentioned is "scrubbing". In my case with the 2 inch spacers on the front and also 2 inch (approx) shorter tire height on the tires, I found in my case, there is very minimal scrubbing and even on a level surface was able to easily push the car in neutral while being turned sharply. I will try it again when it rains and on ice in the wintertime. I'll update as the time goes along and let you know my experiences.
5. The wheels or "rims" do set back and actually place the tire in the same spot as the stock tires but are wider rubber so they do stick out a bit from the wheel well by about an inch.
I have a few good pictures of the customization during and after completion, I do not know how to upload them to the forum, If someone knows and can let me know I'd be happy to share them here.
6. One note: I have run the rear wheels with 2 inch spacers for over a year now without any adverse effects on them. Now that all four are "equal" I'll let you all know as time goes on.

The vehicle handles a LOT better due to the extra 4 inches in width (2 on each side) and corners very well like a go cart, with the wider track the car is less subject to flip. I also noticed in a high wind it stays on the roadway better and does not get "pushed" sideways like it did before in a strong crosswind. more aerodynamic from the front as well due to lowered front end.

Not as "top heavy"

Better road traction too, and looks very "bad ass" especially with the black wheels on a white car with black window tinting.

Update: Its now June 26th, more than a several months after my "upgrade" No issues so far. Tires still have the new look and the "scrubbing" issue as far as I can see is non existent. I drive it only in town here so I don't put a lot of miles per day, handles well. One thing I did notice is the "inflation" icon blinks on signifying tire inflation but that is fine, It must be set to the original tires, When and if I can locate how to reset this I'll let you know. I'll be getting some mini mud flaps to add on to eliminate a bit of the spatter on the sides due to the increased tire width. Other than that, I like the "fit"


Update:
After a whole year driving with the new wheel setup, I've had no issues with "scrubbing" whatsoever, even on ice or rain. the car handles better around corners and is not as top heavy due to increased width. So far it works great. The only issue that occurs that I've seen is the tire inflation indicator remains on as if tires are low inflation, other than that all else works great.


Update;

It' now been a few years since my wheel conversion, NO PROBLEMS whatsoever with tire wear or scuffing, its 01.22.2021 right now. still love the customization and highly recommend it.


Here is a link to my Patriottube channel with my wheel upgrade. this will give you a visual. Thanks!

https://www.patriottube.tv/v/1577928170/Imiev-tire-and-rim-conversion

Update#3 Its now 2021, August 8th and NO problems with the tires or any scrubbing as was said in the below post. I've had the car now for 5 years ALL of which have used the setup above for custom wheels. I even got up to speeds of 80MPH to test vibration, there was a bit due to wheel balancing issues but those are easily remedied. Tires still have A LOT of tread! I've travelled about 10000 miles so far this way with no issue whatsoever.

Update#4 December 2023 still going strong, delivering Pizza in it regularly so put on about 20k since tire change and now will look for new tires as these are now low tread, but no scrubbing whatsoever. So still love the look and the handling. Had to copy and paste my old post here so I could add the new links to the videos...Enjoy

 

[jalovick]

Hi,

Well done on finding some good options. I went a slightly different route, documented below. Like you, I've had no scrubbing issues, it handles well, did require a few goes at finding a wheel alignment that was comfortable (around 1.3° in from memory), but overall quite good.

https://aeva.asn.au/articles/adventures-in-customising-a-mitsubishi-imiev-wheels/
I went the route of getting stock Yaris 15x5 alloy wheels machined out to a centre bore of 56.1 for the front. Machining opened up the option of a range of common stock wheels, and I think I could go to 15x5.5 if I wanted to, using Mazda2 alloys.

It's good to see people trying other things, and keeping these on the road.

Jamie

 

[Toonarly]

Hi,

Well done on finding some good options. I went a slightly different route, documented below. Like you, I've had no scrubbing issues, it handles well, did require a few goes at finding a wheel alignment that was comfortable (around 1.3° in from memory), but overall quite good.

https://aeva.asn.au/articles/adventures-in-customising-a-mitsubishi-imiev-wheels/
I went the route of getting stock Yaris 15x5 alloy wheels machined out to a centre bore of 56.1 for the front. Machining opened up the option of a range of common stock wheels, and I think I could go to 15x5.5 if I wanted to, using Mazda2 alloys.

It's good to see people trying other things, and keeping these on the road.

Jamie

I like what you did, How did you machine out the centers? what tools did you use? Did you need spacers to bring them away from the brake calipers especially on the front? Nice job by the way.

 

[jalovick]

I like what you did, How did you machine out the centers? what tools did you use? Did you need spacers to bring them away from the brake calipers especially on the front? Nice job by the way.

Hi,

I had them professionally machined by a local wheel shop. No spacers were required, I just measured everything to make sure they'd fit. They clear the calipers fine, just like the originals, it's the shock you need to avoid.

Thanks!

Jamie