12" 5J Width & 37 Off-Set Alloys: OK To Fit in 800?


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Hello All,
This is my first post here. I have bought a second-hand set of 4 “Minilite-style” alloy wheels which have come off a Maruti Omni van. The wheels have the following specs:

Diameter: 12 inch
Width: 5J
Offset: 37

I bought them to fit on my Maruti 800 DX (1993 model). These wheels came fitted with 165/70 R12 and I could only try them on the car without driving on them as the tyres were all punctured and so I could not ensure 100% that I wouldn't have tyre-scraping issues with them . Therefore, I have the following questions for you about these alloys in the hope that you will give me some sound advice:

1) Will I have tyre-scraping problems at the front or rear ? (There seems to be a bigger chance of issues with the rear due to the shape of the rear mudguard - i.e. lower clearance from the top of the tyre to the mudguard’s bottom outer edge than the front one)

2) What tyre size would you recommend I use on them to avoid tyre-scraping issues as I believe that the 165/70 R12 which were on them would definitely scrape as they looked so large even when deflated?

3) Has any member had wheels with the above same specs (especially the 5J width !!) on their Maruti 800 and if “yes”, have they had any issues with them and what tyre size did they use to avoid tyre-scraping issues ?

My current tyres are 155/70 R12 and they are fitted to the standard 12 inch 4J steel rims. I have had no tyre-scraping issues with them either at the back or the front. I was thinking of fitting 155/65 R12 or 165/60 R12 to these alloys that I bought based on what I read in the forums on this site but none of them make mention of them ever using 12 inch alloys of 5J width and an offset of 37 but I would rather wait until I hear from you.

I hope to hear from you soon. Thanks in advance.[;)]
 
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I am running on 165/60 R12 on 4.5 J alloys. I had wheel scrapping issues when I was running on 155/70. I dont have any issues now.

I have never come across 5J rims in 12 inches.

As yours is a type 1 800, you can add a extra leaf to make the suspension harder so that it would not touch the rear wheel arches when fully loaded. For the front you can add aluminium spacers to increase the height.
Do post some pic's.
 
Thread Starter #3
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I am running on 165/60 R12 on 4.5 J alloys. I had wheel scrapping issues when I was running on 155/70. I dont have any issues now.

I have never come across 5J rims in 12 inches.

As yours is a type 1 800, you can add a extra leaf to make the suspension harder so that it would not touch the rear wheel arches when fully loaded. For the front you can add aluminium spacers to increase the height.
Do post some pic's.
Many thanks for being the first to reply to my first post here, Varun !

Re the tyre sizes you have quoted, it is comforting to hear that the 165/60 R12 did not scrape the rear suspension as it would be my preferred size but my only concern is that the rim is 5J and so the tyre would fit a bit too "fat" laterally on the rim and that the sidewalls might rub with the inside of the wheel wells instead of the top of them and so I tend to lean more on the side of choosing the 155/65 R12 which is narrower. What are your thoughts on this ? Both tyres are in the 99mm to 100.8mm sidewall height range based on their aspect ratios and hopefully I won't have scraping issues (height-wise) on the rear mudguards with either of those sidewall heights. I have read of suggestions to "roll"(bend?) or cut the edges of the rear mudguard so that the top of the tyre doesn't scrape but I haven't come across a thread and some photos of how it's done (I am not very keen on doing this modification due to probable high costs involved).

Attached is a photo of the wheel and you will see it has 5-JJx12 emossed in it on the left-hand side. Once I refurbish the wheels and have them fitted on the car (hopefully without issues) I will post photos.

I would like to see photos of your wheel tyre set-up with the 165/60's please, especially on the rear suspension.

IMG_6359.jpg
 
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Those are some really sweet rims.

Just remember the spacers come with an understood warning, that they can be unsafe at high speeds.Make sure you get good quality spacers.

Those rims look like they are off a Mini.

Welcome to TAI.I believe you are from MALTA right.

Do check your local regulations, some countries wheel sticking out of the fender can be illegal.
 
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Thread Starter #5
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Those are some really sweet rims.

Just remember the spacers come with an understood warning, that they can be unsafe at high speeds.Make sure you get good quality spacers.

Those rims look like they are off a Mini.

Welcome to TAI.I believe you are from MALTA right.

Do check your local regulations, some countries wheel sticking out of the fender can be illegal.
Thanks for the welcome to the site, the compliments for the wheels and your advice.

Yes, I am from Malta (Europe).

Those are "Minilite-Style" wheels usually found on Minis but they are so popular that they make them/use them on other cars. As I said, the wheels came off a scrapped Maruti Omni van but I never saw them on the van as the scrap dealer just delivered them to my garage to see and try them on my Maruti 800. That means I have no idea if they stuck out of the fenders on the van or not. This is the reason I sought advice on this site so that I know if anyone has used 5J wheels as opposed to the standard 4J ones on a Maruti 800 and to see what tyre sizes they used to avoid tyre-scraping issues without having to resort to suspension modifications. [;)]
 
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Wide rims are very rare in our part of the world.

As Varun already pointed out the max available ones are 4.5J.

Although your offset is a negative one, you have to check for brake caliper clearance.After that, you can turn the steering to full lock and check the clearance.On the rear, you will have to check for scraping on full load.Does your car have leaf spring rear or coil spring rear.If its coil you will have to find harder springs.If its leaf, you can add an extra leaf.The parts can be got from the local scrap yard.You will have to experiment.This car is not an expensive car to experiment on and modify.

I hope this helps.Sorry we could not offer you more help.
 
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I have a friend of mine running 5 j rims with 165/60 R13. These tires rub the wheel arches at the rear when fully loaded.

The alloys you have got looks great, I wish see after its refurbished.

Here are pic's of my car(silver) & his car (red).
 

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Thread Starter #8
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I have a friend of mine running 5 j rims with 165/60 R13. These tires rub the wheel arches at the rear when fully loaded.

The alloys you have got looks great, I wish see after its refurbished.

Here are pic's of my car(silver) & his car (red).
Great ! Tx Varun, I was hoping you would reply as I have seen and read quite a few of your posts here and it seems that you are quite an expert on the Maruti 800. I loved the header modification on your Maruti 800 and the awesome sound you got because of it after seeing your Youtube video of it ! [clap]

I like the wheels on your friend's car. BTW what size are your tyre? they look pretty wide in your photos

So, your friend has rubbing issues at the back with his 165/60 R13 wheel/tyre set-up. what about the front ? Do his tyres rub at the front when on full lock ? My rims are also 5J but mine are 12-inch not 13-inch, so maybe I should not have rubbing issues at either the back or front whether I use 155/65 R12 or the 165/60 R12. What do you think, Varun ? Moreover, I very rarely have the car fully loaded.

Wide rims are very rare in our part of the world.

As Varun already pointed out the max available ones are 4.5J.

Although your offset is a negative one, you have to check for brake caliper clearance.After that, you can turn the steering to full lock and check the clearance.On the rear, you will have to check for scraping on full load.Does your car have leaf spring rear or coil spring rear.If its coil you will have to find harder springs.If its leaf, you can add an extra leaf.The parts can be got from the local scrap yard.You will have to experiment.This car is not an expensive car to experiment on and modify.

I hope this helps.Sorry we could not offer you more help.
I have checked for clearances and they seem ok. Mine has leaf springs...don't worry, your advice is most welcome and you all are being very, very helpful...now I am off for more paint stripping and sanding/cleaning on the alloys ! [:)]
 
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Thread Starter #9
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Hi Varun,

Your 165/60 R12 on 4.5 J alloys look pretty beefy (and nice too !). Do you have any tyre rubbing issues at the front wheel wells when on full lock, especially on hard cornering, as the tyres look pretty close to the front wheel well in photo of your car ? You have already told me that you do not have any tyre rubbing issues at the back with that size of tyre, correct ? I ask because I am interested in fitting that size of tyre to my alloys when I finish refurbishing them.

Thanks in advance,

Pierre.
 
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I have no issues at front, even if I steer fully with load in car there are no issues. There is enough gap between the tire and chassis. If you need I can get you more pic's.
 
Thread Starter #11
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Re: 12" 5J Width & 37 Off-Set Alloys: OK for Maruti 800 ?

I have no issues at front, even if I steer fully with load in car there are no issues. There is enough gap between the tire and chassis. If you need I can get you more pic's.
Thanks for this reassuring feedback, Varun, as I would really like to go for the same size of tyres as yours ! Yes please, if it is not too much of a hassle, could you please post some photos of the front wheels at full lock so I see how close the wheel come to either side of the front wheel well.

Today I noticed that two of the alloys I bought have an offset of 37 while the other two have an offset of 38. Why this is so as I have no idea ? Can you please tell me which two I should put at the back and which two should I put on the front ? Personally, I think the 37's should go at the back (more negative offest than the 38's so that the rear wheels stick out more than the front. We are not talking much difference here, just 1 mm) [;)]

Thanks in advance,

Pierre.
 
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I think the 38 could be for the front and the 37 for the the rear.This is to get the deep dish look in the rear.

Do post some pics of both the sets so we can take a look.
 
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Thread Starter #13
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Yes, Jarpickle, I agree. Thank you for your reply. I will eventually post photos when ready because there is no immediate visual difference between the two sets which would be picked up in a photo since the difference in the offset is minimal. In fact I came across it by chance as I was stripping/sanding down the wheels and saw the info stamped on the back of the alloys' hubs.
 
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I had a word with Varun regarding the scraping issue, but he was using 155/70R12 which caused scraping and to solve this he used suspension spacers on top of the struts.He left the spacers on when he went on to the 165/60R12.

He is tied down with work and also his car is in the workshop due to loss of compression so he won't be able to post the pictures any time soon.
 
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