Aftermarket Alloys & NCT

Stuart085

Hi all,

I have a 04 Focus hatchback and about a year ago my partner skidded on some ice and buggered up one of the alloys.

We've been using the car with the spare since then, it's the same size as the others and the tyre was also replaced with the other 3 alloys. I've been told that the car will fail the NCT if I take it in with one steel and three alloy wheels.

Now the NCT is due on Tuesday and I have failed to find an identical replacement 14" alloy at any scrapyards as they only have the 15" variant.

As it turns out, I have a set of 4 16" after market alloys which I got for this car ages ago and never bothered putting on.

They fit the car however the diameter is smaller and the wheel is wider, I've added pictures for comparison to the stock alloy and fitted to the car.

Does anyone have any input regarding the pictures?


Obviously I'll be replacing all the tyres and the after market alloys themselves are undamaged apart from the paint work.

greasepalm

plenty of places can repair alloys or is it beyond repair? wonder if you could find same size steel and use low profile to match others?
looked at photos think it will fail not got 4 wheel nuts and different size wheel,spare possibly says emergency and pumped to 60 psi?

reread you have 4 x16 wheels complete,might be a better option?

should have asked date on sidewall under 6 years?

Stuart085

greasepalm wrote: »

plenty of places can repair alloys or is it beyond repair? wonder if you could find same size steel and use low profile to match others?
looked at photos think it will fail not got 4 wheel nuts and different size wheel,spare possibly says emergency and pumped to 60 psi?

reread you have 4 x16 wheels complete,might be a better option?

I have 4 of those black 15 spoke alloys which I can easily buy some proper tyres for. But if I do that, will the car pass an NCT or are they too wide for the car?

I'm not sure what you mean with regards to another steel. Do you think I can pass by putting another steel on the other side of the car so the two fronts are steels and the two rears are stock alloy?

Stoolbend

If the wheel and tyre are the same size I don't see the problem.

Wheels and Tyres are visual items now anyway, so just put it through and see if it fails.

Supergurrier

As long as wheel is same width and tyres are same size per axle you are fine.

Stoolbend

The aftermarket wheels should fail though as they are out past the wheel arches.

greasepalm

when a car bounces sometimes rear wheels go higher than wheel arch if too wide,boy racers forget that.
the last photo looked like a smaller bald tyre spare? and other was road wheel,as the other poster said stick it in for the test as that will give more time to sort it,did you try ford for that alloy?

Stuart085

Supergurrier wrote: »

As long as wheel is same width and tyres are same size per axle you are fine.

So based on this, will my car pass with 3 stock alloys and one steel on the front passenger side?

All 4 wheels have new tyres and there is no pulling to one side or shaking even at high speed.

Supergurrier

greasepalm wrote: »

when a car bounces sometimes rear wheels go higher than wheel arch if too wide,boy racers forget that.
the last photo looked like a smaller bald tyre spare? and other was road wheel,as the other poster said stick it in for the test as that will give more time to sort it,did you try ford for that alloy?

Or when there is two fat birds in the back (hurhurhur)

Supergurrier

Stuart085 wrote: »

So based on this, will my car pass with 3 stock alloys and one steel on the front passenger side?

All 4 wheels have new tyres and there is no pulling to one side or shaking even at high speed.

Wheels don't have to match just be same size per axle

Stuart085

Stoolbend wrote: »

The aftermarket wheels should fail though as they are out past the wheel arches.

I see, I think I'll just get rid of them then

Stuart085

Supergurrier wrote: »

Wheels don't have to match just be same size per axle

That's awesome news, thanks! Now I just need to find a spare for the boot