13" R10 Rims

L

Leigh Wilson

Member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
Aug 11, 2002
Messages
80
Location
Tamworth
Patience is the word of the week!

I have been after a set of wide rims for my R10 for about 2 years. No luck!

I was standing in the checkout queue at the local supermarket, when a fellow I did not know and who was just behind me said,"Hi, you drive the Renault 10 parked outside in the street, don't you?"

Of course I said,"Yes."

He then said,"I have a set of 13", wide R10 rims I am about the get rid of as they have been in my shed for years, are you interested? They were made by Colliers in Sydney. I used to drive R10s many years ago.

Again, I said,"Yes."

I now have them in my shed!

However, there is catch that I need advice on. A meaty portion of the outside edge of the brake callipers need to be ground off to give the rims clearance. I gather this was routinely done.

How much off? Does anyone know? Does the calliper lose strength when metal is removed? What about a spacer in behind the rim to move the rims out a little farther, or does that ruin the bearings?

There must be someone out there from that era that has done this conversion.
 
As far as I know spacers arent allowed in Australia.. correct me if I'm wrong. Of course.. who would know. As for any damage they would cause.. not sure.

If modifying your calipers is not a problem for you... ie whether the car would go well in a concours or not.. and originality etc.. just grind away *within reason*. I did that on one of my 10s. Basically just until the wheels didnt touch the calipers anymore. Be careful though, front distances/offsets are usually different but you might want to check the rear wheels fit on both sides after you've done the grinding so as to make sure if they get swapped one day you wont find that you cant put one wheel on if you have been conservative due to one wheels offset.
 
Spacers are a no no, Only take the bare minimum off the COOLING Fins because if used energetically they will overheat & boil the oil in the calipers & you guessed it no brakes at all,this was a frequent occurance in my R8 back in the 70's another important thing to look for is cracking of the rims at the stud holes R8 & R10 rims ar prone to it, the R10s rims were of heavier gauge metal perhaps your rims are R10s centres.
renault_ renault_ renault_ renault_
 
Very interesting that spacers are not allowed.
They came as "standard" on Austin 1800's to allow the wheels to not foul on the rims. The brakes were "aussie" so they were fitted here.
Perhaps they were legal as they had a "set screw" to hold them to the hub, which was usually missing.
Cheers
 
The wheels I had done in Melbourne back in '69 did not need the calipers ground. The rears made the car "squat" so I added a spacer on top of the spring to trim up the ride height. The "original" front geometry no longer "worked" so I had to experiment with a portapower. The final settings worked fine but I can't remember the figures it is just too long ago. I would suggest you find out to save a lot of time.
 
I had 13" rims on my R10S. The front and rears were different. The rears fittied straight on, but it needed a bit of grinder work on the front calipers to let them clear. Take only the bare minimum off (mine had about 1 mm running clearance). Bear in mind that under heavy braking, the claiper moves about a bit, so when you have the wheel turning (use a heavy texta to marl the caliper so you can see where it is toching), do a test brake on the road, listening carefully for the noise of caliper-wheel interferance.
Also bear in mind that the fins are for structural strength as well as cooling.
 
Hi Leigh,
All of the above replies are correct and sound advice. The R10's that I have run with both mag wheels and steel have been 13".

Later steel wheels made by Colliers used R16 14" centres to overcome the caliper clearance problem, as well as to improve cooling airflow around the brakes.

However, after the grind of the calipers for running clearance, I had no brake cooling problems, or structural failure of a caliper.

A further word of caution re tyre balancing and wheel weights. Obviously, the placement of outer rim weights will not interfere with the brake caliper. However, ensure that any inner weights (especially stick on types) do not interfere with with the caliper.

Also, re tyre sizes, you will find that the tyre size to maintain the correct gearing (rolling diameter) will cause inner arch / guard fouling on the front wheels. Thus, I was running 155 x 13 (or equivalent) for the front, and 165 x 13 or even larger in a low profile tyre for the rear. Given that you have a 1.4 engine fitted, you need to ensure that the gearing is at least as per the original specs (if not slightly taller).

Cheers,
Kim.
 
Thanks Kim,

Great to hear from you.

These rims have 16TS centres, but are definitely 13". they were made by Colliers in Sydney.

Good point about the inner balancing weights! Thanks.

Warmest regards,

Leigh
 
I ran 175/75 13 on the back, and 175/70 13 on the front. 185/70 13 on the back would look pretty cool. but a bit of guard flaring will be in order.
 
Just a word on the guard flaring, the guards will "stretch" out just right if you make up a hard wood "profile" and just jack them out. They will look almost "normal". My experience was that 175's were as big as you would want to go. The propensity to aquaplane goes through the roof with "fattees", so be warned.
peabody
 
peabody
[ The propensity to aquaplane goes through the roof with "fattees", so be warned.
peabody[/QB]
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shit yeah, as I found out one wet evening on the black forest road near Woodend in Victoria - lost all steering at 100 kph on a sweeper - weeeeeeeee!
 
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