Wheel Trims - diameter vs tyre indication?

Basq

Hey lads and lasses,

So basically gonna pick up some new wheel trims for my VW Polo. Am getting a replacement wheel (from a knock against the curb with the ice at Christmas. It was straightened out.. but you know, better safe than sorry) and old wheel trims are falling apart.

Was up in Halfords and was gonna pick some up but realised I'd a €50 voucher at home to use for Halfords so I said I'd reserve online and pick them up tomorrow.

The wheel I ordered was a 15" wheel so I assumed I'd need 15" wheel trims, I measured my old wheel trims and they're 15" across.

But yet on the Halfords site..

HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT TRIM FOR YOUR WHEELS

• Wheel trims are only suitable for standard steel wheels
• On your tyre the number that follows the 'R' indicates the rim diameter in inches
• e.g R14 indicates you need a 14" Wheel Trim

But here's the kicker - my tyres have R14. And I did think the 15" wheel trims looked quite big.

Anyone shed any light here?

andyseadog

you wouldn't get 14 inch tyres onto a 15 inch rim, so you must have had the wrong wheel trims on, held with cable ties or studs or something.

you need 14's.

Basq

Basq wrote: »

But here's the kicker - my tyres have R14.

14" trims so.
You should have ordered a 14" wheel too.

Basq

andyseadog wrote: »

you wouldn't get 14 inch tyres onto a 15 inch rim, so you must have had the wrong wheel trims on, held with cable ties or studs or something.

you need 14's.

They were on just fine.. they weren't held with cable ties or anything.

RoverJames wrote: »

14" trims so.
You should have ordered a 14" wheel too.

Balls.. don't me saying that to me now. It's been collected.

The crowd I ordered off (Volkswagen dealer) ran the chassis number and confirmed it was a 15" 5 stud steel wheel.

andyseadog

get a tape out and measure your other 3 rims.

madness buying a new rim anyway, should have went to a scrappy, would have got one for peanuts, but hindsight and all that.

Basq

Basq wrote: »

The crowd I ordered off (Volkswagen dealer) ran the chassis number and confirmed it was a 15" 5 stud steel wheel.

Well if you have R14 tyres, you have 14" wheels

Basq

andyseadog wrote: »

madness buying a new rim anyway, should have went to a scrappy, would have got one for peanuts, but hindsight and all that.

Rang around a couple of scrapyards.. no-one had them. A new wheel was €53.. could have been worse.

RoverJames wrote: »

Well if you have R14 tyres, you have 14" wheels

That's my suspicious.. I actually took a note of 14" last week so pretty sure I did order 14" wheels but 15" are stuck in my mind for some reason.

Just went out and measured my wheel that's on it now and new wheel - they come up at 15". Put the new wheel against the old wheel and seems a perfect fit.

Will take a couple of photos. Tad confused myself.

Maybe I'm measuring it incorrectly.

Basq

I'm measuring from outer rim to outer rim - like so:



Should I be measuring inner instead?

mp22

http://www.autoamenity.com/FAQ/WheelSize.htm and relax

Basq

Thank f*ck!

DO NOT MEASURE RIM OR HUBCAP SIZE - A tape measure will give you the WRONG size! It will measure a little over an inch larger than the actual wheel size.

God bless ya mp22.. relax indeed!

mickdw

Yes, you were measuring to the lip of the rim whereas the part of the rim where the tyre bead sits would be more accurate. Still you have 14" tyres/wheels so you need 14" trims.
Now the only remaining mystery is - did you get a 14 or 15" wheel from the dealer?

Basq

mickdw wrote: »

Now the only remaining mystery is - did you get a 14 or 15" wheel from the dealer?

The wheel I'm measuring in the the photo above is the new wheel..

.. so assume it's 14" as I was measuring from the lip of the rim - and getting 15".

I took a note last week that I needed a 14" 5 stud steel wheel.. and I would have read that to the dealer but got 15" in my mind for some reason.

mickdw

Ah ok, all is well so.