As per the subject. I have an 11" Astrali but I'm struggling to turn it and want to go to 13". There seems plenty of choice on Ebay, but I'm wondering if those 6 small holes and the large centre hole will line up? (I want to leave the boss in place).
Thanks for any help.
AFAIK, the hubs are all the same size stud pattern.
There may be other reasons why you are finding it hard to turn the wheel, tyre pressure, tyre size, suspension, ball joints, bushes, lubrication. r
'If I register my car in France, and then take it to England, do I have to Change the steering wheel to the other side of the car?'
You are correct - it's the non-standard overwide tyre size. It's fine driving, but parking's no fun.
What size was the original steering wheel?
Difficult to say. It's a Mini based kit car - but with many Metro parts too. (It has a rack and pinion, did Mini have that?). The front tyres tyres are
215/50/13. The kit manufacturer (1971 Siva Moonbug) recommended "max width 12 inches" for the tyres, so it's well within that.
Yes the mini has a rack and pinion steering. Not sure if they mean 12" rims or tyre width but its strange they quote the width in inches.
On racing mini's they use wide tyres and there a handful in the steering weight.
When you put wide tyres on anything you should have a look at the steering geometry. Not sure how thats compensated for on the Siva-buggies.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "nona" saying something like:
I recall the ads for the various Sivas - pity most of them didn't sell very well.
The front on mine has adjustable rods so you can adjust both ways. I think the original kit would just have used the regular mini doner parts.
What the Siva kit did have though was extended radius arms on the rear. I just finished slotting out the inner mounting on the subframe - because there was 1/2" toe out! I only checked because I was fitting new tyres (205/60/13). I assumed because someone had fitted a new subframe that all would be well - I suppose the extending of the radius arms wasn't all that accurate. I can't believe the difference in handling. Previously it would "dive" into corners. Now it's a delight to drive.
I got a 13" Astrali wheel with an unusual 4 spoke design which looks a bit like a go-kart wheel. Again it made a big difference. I can't imagine that an 11" steering wheel is good for any car? Due to my heavy Ebay bidding finger I have a Mountney on the way too. I'll confirm the compatability (see original post) when it arrives.
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