Blog 5.3 - Hoops & Casings

(or Wheels & Tyres)

February 2024

From day one, I really haven't liked the look of the original-fit Fiat alloy wheels. I'd intended to swap them out for something better as soon as we got the van, but that went by, and here we are rapidly approaching two years on, so I thought it time to do something about it.

The first thing to decide on was which tyres to have. I flirted, briefly, with the usual suspects, the premium-priced and very chunky BF Goodrich T/As, but dismissed these due to their ubiquity and the fact that they're known for being a bit 'droney' at the speeds that we typically travel at. So, a bit of research turned up the option of Yokohama Geolandar (sic) GO15 T/As.

These have a reputation for being quiet and long-lasting, and have the desirable 'mountain snowflake' marking making them suitable for use during the winter months in regions that demand them (including the Alps, Pyrenees, and even the Massif Central in France). Mainly, though, they should help - a bit - with getting off wet grass, which is something that has almost, but not quite, caught us out once before.

Wheels were another choice to be made. I initially considered some from Elite Wheels, very similar in design to the ones I eventually chose, but I rejected them as they only came in a matt grey finish in the fitment I needed. I wanted gloss black, and Rogue Alloys in Reading had just the right thing, so I ordered these for pallet delivery, and a few days later, voila!

Unpacked, and with a coat of wax inside and out, they were ready for installation.

They came with black bolts, and locking bolts too, so that was another box ticked.

Fitting should have been quick and straightforward, and would have been (save for an unforeseen issue with poorly factory-installed bearing covers on the rear hubs which caused the wheels' centre caps to pop off as I tightened the bolts. Wheel off again, and after knocking the cap(s) home fully, all was well).

The lack of straightforwardness, in the main though, was down to me. I'd bought a Lanoguard rustproofing kit some time ago, so it was an ideal opportunity to clean the dust from the wheelarches and spray the lanolin-based fluid everywhere!

And I mean everywhere. Being slightly breezy, it blew all over me, and all over Admin's Toyota. And it's a bugger to get off (which is at least reassuring for the projected durability of the stuff).

And it smells like a sheep pen at Rugby Market...

Note to self: Next time, choose a perfectly still day!