Spare Wheels

[mckemie]

I've searched, without success, for a few spare wheels. $200 is about the cheapest I've found. The other day at Mitsubishi dealer, I noticed a Mirage wheel looked pretty close. TireRack tells me both have a 4-100 bolt pattern with the same bore hole. Can anyone confirm or deny that a Mirage wheel/tire will work on an imiev?

 

[PV1]

They would have to be 15" wheels (the 2017 GT model has them), but looking at the tire sizes, they'll likely only fit the rear of the i-MiEV.

 

[mckemie]

They would have to be 15" wheels (the 2017 GT model has them), but looking at the tire sizes, they'll likely only fit the rear of the i-MiEV.

Thanks for the response!

I believe the imiev has 15" wheels (4.5" wide?) while many Mirages have 14" wheels, up to 6" wide. Do you know for sure that the 14" wheels will not fit on an imiev? I haven't measured ODs on the 14" and 15" tires but I believe they are close.

I'm fairly close to ordering a tire+wheel from TireRack just to see if it will fit.

I'm stimulated by having had a flat a few months ago. The car was out of commission for a couple of days while I hauled the flat into town to get it fixed.

Edit:
It looks like TireRack lists 4" width for 15" imiev and 4.5" width for 14" Mirage. Pretty close.

 

[PV1]

I believe the i-MiEV front wheels are 4" wide, and the rear are 6" wide. 15" wheels all the way around, but different widths. I don't think a 14" wheel will clear the front brakes, but should work on the back.

I think Joe found that the spare tire for his former Honda Insight fit the front without modification. Other members have gotten different wheel/tire combos on the car, but it required spacers and changing out the lugs.

There is a OD ratio that is very strict on the i-MiEV. A replacement tire/wheel combo must be within 3% of the original tire, otherwise regen braking is severely crippled. I put 175/55R15 on the back instead of the stock 175/60R15, and this was too much of a change in OD. Some possible sizes that should theoretically work:

Front:
155/60R15
165/55R15

Rear:
185/55R15
165/65R15

Mitsubishi had to get creative in making the i-MiEV understeer. When they were developing the car, having the same size tire for front and back caused the car to oversteer.

 

[mckemie]

I'm interested in keeping the car functional for a few days while a flat is repaired. Not so much under/oversteer or regen.

I searched the forum for "spare wheel" and came up empty. I wonder what I should have searched on?

Thanks!

What a silly problem to have! A car that requires $700+ worth of spares!

 

[kiev]

or $25 at a salvage yard to get you one of them temporary spares just to get around for a few days...

 

[jray3]

$25 or even less, and the 1st gen Honda Insight spare wheel is an ultralight aluminum beauty.

 

[Aerowhatt]

I'm interested in keeping the car functional for a few days while a flat is repaired. Not so much under/oversteer or regen.

I searched the forum for "spare wheel" and came up empty. I wonder what I should have searched on?

Thanks!

What a silly problem to have! A car that requires $700+ worth of spares!

Try looking here http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=2983 several options for temporary spares exist. I paid $125 for a new salvaged Honda Fit (2013) temp spare. It fits front or back and does not adversely effect regen.

Aerowhatt

 

[mckemie]

Thanks for the possibilities! The bolt pattern on the imiev is 4-100 and folks have said both Honda Fit and Gen 1 Insight wheels fit. I've also noticed that Mits Mirage seem to have that bolt pattern. Others?

Is the Fit wheel you mention a "smaller than road wheel, carry as a spare" or a "normally rolls on the road"?

Can anyone suggest a salvage yard that specializes in the small Hondas and is willing to ship? Or, maybe a salvage yard that does imievs?

 

[JoeS]

Willie, for the spacesaver Gen1 Honda Insight wheels (they're ultra-light alloy) you might try Insight Central Buy/Sell:
http://www.insightcentral.net/forums/buy-sell-insight-related-items/
I carry two of them in a Rubbermaid box together with a lug wrench and small scissor jack whenever I travel out of my immediate home area. They're a different diameter than our i-MiEV, but replacing two keeps things balanced and operable.

 

[Aerowhatt]

Thanks for the possibilities! The bolt pattern on the imiev is 4-100 and folks have said both Honda Fit and Gen 1 Insight wheels fit. I've also noticed that Mits Mirage seem to have that bolt pattern. Others?

Is the Fit wheel you mention a "smaller than road wheel, carry as a spare" or a "normally rolls on the road"?

Can anyone suggest a salvage yard that specializes in the small Hondas and is willing to ship? Or, maybe a salvage yard that does imievs?

Bolted on the Honda Fit the temp spare for it would run small compared to it's stock tires. But on the iMiev the Fit spare is just right and does not have enough circumference difference from the stock tires on the car to cause any problems for the regen etc.

Aerowhatt

 

[kiev]

i searched the websticle for 1st gen honda insight spare wheels and what did i find--a link to their forum where they discussed using their spare wheel as a primary with regular sized tires...

and what else did they have--a link to our forum's wheel options thread

So we want to get their spares, and they want to get our wheels--it's the circle of wheal life...

smokem if you gottem

The honda compact spare only weighs about 15 lbs with the T115/70D14 tire. It is about 21.5" diameter so the regen won't work, but at least it could get you home. The lug nuts are 21mm so you'll need that lug wrench and a small scissor or screw jack as a minimum. i've got over 30k miles on the rear tires so i'll be carrying this spare until i get some new rubbers on the rear. A 165/65R14 might fit on the rim and gain a little diameter to allow regen if a person wanted to run it longer than just a temporary ride to get home.

 

[mckemie]

Some developments:
I bought a couple of Fit spares and had occasion to use one on the rear. I drove it several days including two trips of 20 miles. I noticed the smaller OD seemed to interfere with regen; I had none.

Laying around my place, I found some wheels and tires that I'm pretty sure came off of an 81 Escort. When removing the Fit spare to install my repaired flat, I tested the Escort wheel. It fit. At least on the rear. The Escort tire is very near the OD of the rear imiev. Most sources list the Escorts as 13"; mine is 165R14.

Regen returned with the original wheel.

When the opportunity is presented, I will test the Escort on the front of the imiev and report results here.

Incidentally, my newer imiev has four theft deterring lug nuts. I do not want them and will trade for four regular lug nuts to anyone willing to pay shipping. I'm in Texas.

 

[mckemie]

I'm now testing one of the Escort wheels on the rear. It won't fit on the front. I have regen; it appears to be almost exactly the right OD. I looked up 81 Escort on TireRack and they have only 13" wheels listed. The one that works on the rear is P185/65R14.
For certain 81-83 Escort/EXP (approximately) 14" wheels seems to have been an option.
:

 

[Don]

Literally dozens of wheels/tires will fit on the rear - Nearly anything with a 4 X 100 bolt pattern. The brake drum is small and there are no suspension clearance problems. As you discovered, if you get very far from the correct diameter, you lose regen

The trick is to find a spare which fits both the front and the rear. Mitsu installed a steel collar on the front hubs which prevents you from installing the rear wheels on the front (they won't fit for clearance reasons) so our car has front and rear wheels with different center bores. You can pull off those steel collars which will enable you to mount wheels with the same center bores as the rears, *if* you don't have clearance problems

Wheel width and offset are very critical for the fronts. The Insight spares are maybe the best choice for a spare that you can use for either the front or rear without problems

Don

 

[mckemie]

I LOVE my imievs! This horseshit of different size wheels front and back tempers my affection. That and the really crappy instrumentation.

I find my imievs get stuck WAY to easily. I'm thinking of putting larger 14" tires on my Escort rims and leaving them on the rear long term. Does anyone have suggestions of sizes known to fit under the car? I know, I know, the speedometer/odometer will be wrong and I will have less torque. One of my cars is used primarily around my place on non-public roads at relatively low speeds. And off the roads.

 

[jray3]

If you're off-roading an i-MiEv, have you tried some aggressive tread? I think the i has excellent traction within the tire limitations. A snow tire might be easier to find than a small-enough mud tire, but this vintage military pattern might fit...
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cok-59132/overview/

 

[mckemie]

If you're off-roading an i-MiEv, have you tried some aggressive tread? I think the i has excellent traction within the tire limitations. A snow tire might be easier to find than a small-enough mud tire, but this vintage military pattern might fit...
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cok-59132/overview/

I'd love to be able to fit those tires. However, they are 30" OD! Without body modification, the rear imiev has room for about 24", 25" at the most.
I have a pair of 185-65 14 I'm going to try; they are about 24" OD. Other possibilities are 175 and 60-70. Unfortunately, I didn't find snow or mud treads.

Considering the availability and cost of OEM sizes, I may consider something like the above when it comes time to replace my original tires on my "highway" imiev. Does anyone have comments on available OEM size tires?

I am blessed with having a set of steel and a set of mag 14" wheels that had been used on my 80s Escort. They seem to work well on the imiev rear. Incidentally, this Escort is a Jet, a "factory" lead conversion done my Jet Industries in Austin during the EV boom of the 80s.

Does anyone have advice on source/price of tire pressure sensors? And making them work? Though having the tire pressure warning on all the time is a minor irritation.

 

[mdbuilder]

Tire rack shows them:
https://www.tirerack.com/tpms/results.jsp?autoMake=Mitsubishi&autoModel=i-MiEV&autoYear=2012&autoModClar=SE

Making em work probably requires a trip to the dealer.

 

[les1]

i am aware this post was ages ago but if anybody is still out there with knowledge off this subject i would appreciate an answer our motorway system is all good for longer journeys but a spare in the back lets call it a get you home answer without lifting the rear seat etc.
so hear goes will this fitt my 2012 i miev.https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/honda-civic-mk7-01-05-1-4-space-saver-spare-wheel-t125-70d15-95m/16004247771?iid=263061305380
thanks