Yet another Saab Shelby wheel question[s]

[Camshaft]

SO, I found my wheels, and hopefully, by the end of July, they will be purchased and mounted. They are, of course, the Ronal Carrol Shelby Saab wheels. What size tires do I need? I'm considering Falken Azenis right now. Also, do these wheels bolt right on? Do I need any sort of spacers? Lastly, will the black LE lugnuts fit?

 

[Hap Waldrop]

Well I'm not up on the offsets of the Saab wheels, but with the Superlite 15 x 6s we recommend 185-195 60/65 15 tires.

 

[Nunyas]

I have a set of SAAB Shelby wheels as well. I'm send mine out to a wheel place to have them refinished before I mount mine on my car. The wheels I got are 15x5.5. However, the offset on the wheels is up there around in the +40 range; the 'suggested' offset is +22'ish. I've dry fitted my wheels, and found that I was unable to slide my hand between the inner fender and the back of the wheel (too close for comfort, IMO). The stock gap in that area I can fit 4 fingers.

I will be getting 1" spacers for my car to go with these wheels.

For tires, I'm currently bouncing back and forth between 185/65 and 195/60. They both have the same diameter, or close enough to the same diameter that it won't make too much of a difference to your speedometer. 195's are a touch wider.

I'm currently running 185/65 on 14" Rostyle wheels, and I have been very impressed with the amount of grip I get out of them so far. I think I'll run out of courage before I run out of grip with these.

The more I think about it the more I think I will end up going with 185/65 for the 15 inch SAAB Shelby rims. The slightly narrower tire will have less chance of rubbing.

To help figure out whether or not you should be getting spacers for your set of SAAB Shelby wheels, I highly suggest that you mount it to the car and check the amount of clearance you have on the back side of the rim with the weight of the car on the suspension. You might be able to get away without any spacers, but I'm willing to bet that you'll more than likely need at least a 1/2" spacer to get a comfortable amount of clearance.

 

[DavidDeutsch]

I run Saab Incas on 1980 B w/ 195x60x15 Yokohamas. 3/16ths spacers is all I used in the rear... nothing on the fronts, works fine.

 

[tony barnhill]

I run the Saabs without any spacers but if you're gonna go for a wider tire, put at least a 5/8" spacer back there.

 

[Nunyas]

Here's another question about SAAB Shelby wheels:

I noticed the mounting surface on the SAAB Shelby wheels are pretty darn thick, MUCH thicker than the Rostyle wheels. They're so thick that less than half the wheel stud goes completely through them.

Are the SAAB Shelby wheels supposed to use a different style lug nut than our Rostyle wheels? I use tapered lug nuts with my Rostyles; should I use lug nuts that have a 'shank' and tapered seat with the SAAB Shelby wheels?

 

[Nunyas]

Never mind, I found my answer about lug nuts on a SAAB wheels site:

https://jpowell.tripod.com/saab-wheels/#mods

"...Shelby wheels use a flat-seat (shouldered) nut."

 

[Camshaft]

Are the LE lugnuts tapered?

I really love you guys, thanks for all of your help! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thankyousign.gif

 

[bobmga62]

I just got my ronal Saab Wheels for my MGA last week, (5.5 x 15) have as yet mounted tires, but everything bolts up and clears fine so far...

I do not understand the spacer issue.. if anything, the spacer will push the tire t the outside (so that it hits the inside of the outer fender)
though a wider rim, with the .4 offset, the inside of the tier/wheel edge should almost be neutral...???

This is on an A, BTW..

r

 

[Nunyas]

we were talking about B's. In my particular situation with the Saab Shelby wheels (mine are 15 x 5.5" E40 (+40mm offset)), the clearance behind the wheel is very small on the rear axle; I can't fit a finger between the inner fender and the wheel. The +40 offset that is on the wheel puts the wheel too far inside the wheel well for my taste (very tight clearance). The recommended offset for 15x5.5" wheels on an MGB is around +22mm. So, yes the spacers will move the wheel outwards, but in my case on my '76 B a 25mm spacer will put the wheel very close to the recommended offset. 40mm - 25mm = 15mm that's within 7mm of the recommended 22mm offset.

That's my plan, and I'm sticking to it! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

 

[MGADerek]

One thing to remember. If you're using a "normal" wheel as a spare, don't forget to carry 4 of the correct nuts!

 

[Nunyas]

yup... I noticed that on "The Tire Rack"'s website earlier. That hadn't crossed my mind until I realized that I would need a different type of lug nut.

 

[Nunyas]

bah! I had a co-worker drop my SAAB Shelby wheels off at a wheel repair shop on Friday. I initially expected it to only cost about $80/wheel to have them refinished the way I wanted; I wanted the centers to be painted Graphite Metallic/Gunmetal Metallic/Dark Grey Metallic with a machined finish on the lip. I got a call after they were dropped off and the guy was telling me it would be about $150/wheel to do. At $150/wheel, I could buy a set of 4 wheels for the same cost. I know they would weigh a bit more, but crikey $150/wheel to fix and refinish is pricey, IMO.

Anyways, I ended up telling the shop to strip the wheels, repair any damages there might be, and ensure they're round and straight. I'll be painting the buggers myself!

 

[swift6]

Dupli-Color makes three wheel specific paints. Silver, Charcoal and Bronze. They boast good heat resistance, brake dust resistant etc... I painted my TR8 wheels with some and am very happy so far. They clean up nice and are holding up very well. Even through the nasty winter we just had and all the mag-chloride they used on the roads.

 

[Nunyas]

yeah, I looked at the rattle wheel can paints Dupli-Color ( https://www.dupli-color.com/products/wheel.html )has available on their site. The color I like most is "Graphite". It's basically a dark grey metallic. I figure a couple cans of etching primer, some 600+ grit wet/dry sand paper, up to 8 cans of the color wheel paint I want, 'tack cloths', paint thinner, masking tape, and my time and patience will be a ~lot~ less expensive than what this wheel place wanted to charge me to refinish the wheels.

After all that I think I'll need some S.O.S. pads and Brasso to get the lip looking the way I want it for a complete wheel.