I'm having a hard time finding Liege information on the web; perhaps someone can help me with these questions about the cool Liege alloy wheels.
- What size are they? 16x3.5" is what I remember.
- Will they fit on an axle with Honda bolt circle dimensions? I'm guessing that the Suzuki and Honda wheels are interchangeable, but can't verify it.
- How much do they weigh?
- How much do they cost?
- What kind of tires--oops, tyres--can you put on them? I'm particularly interested in low rolling resistance tires.
I want to put them on a Honda Insight, which uses the same wheel dimensions as the Honda Civic. The Insight (in America, at least) comes with a 165/65R14 Bridgestone RE-92 tire which is particularly good for fuel economy, but dodgy in all other ways. Perhaps a 135/60R16 is available?
Doug - I think Simon Robson will help you but he only logs on a couple of times a week so can you be patient - Michael
ReplyDeleteHi Doug, I built and own Liege number 16. The wheels don't have the Suzuki PCD. The cars originally used the Reliant Robin / Rialto / Kitten 850 axle and the wheels were specially made to fit that hub. When the cars started breaking their Reliant axle cases, Peter Davis, the car's designer, came up with a modification to graft the original Reliant hubs onto the much stronger Bedford Rascal / Suzuki Carry van axle. The Reliant PCD is 4 inches so that's what the wheels are. The standard tyres we use are Avon Speedmaster Mk 2 motorcycle tyres, size is 16" x 5.00". As we are all now discovering, these round profile crossply tyres are next to useless off-road if there is a mere suggestion of mud. Because they are so stiff-walled they don't self clean. Simon Robson proposes to use Blockley tyres but it seems these are horrendously expensive, currently 짙170 per tyre, about three times the price of the originals. If you know of an alternative 5 or 5.5 inch width tyre in your part of the world, we would all be very grateful to hear about it. The Liege community website is here: liegecars@groups.msn.com Paul Wheatley
ReplyDeleteHi Doug, Paul has covered just about everything in his reply, I guess the only remaining item is that I'm not sure, (even if the PCD is correct for your fittment), that Peter Davis would sell you a set if they are not going to be used on a Liege. He has them cast specifically for the car, (they include the Liege badge cast-in), and I am aware of someone else in the past asking to buy a set to use on a different car and being refused ! You will find his contact details, and all the Liege information, on the site that Paul gave you the URL for. Good luck, SimonR
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on the wheels. I believe the Honda bolt circle diameter is 100 mm, so the Liege wheel probably won't fit, and now that I've looked into tires a bit more it seems like a pretty dumb idea to start with. Re tire sources here in the US, I'm sure you have looked at Coker (www.coker.com)? Here are some links to tires in the size range of interest. This one has way aggressive lugs, probably not allowed: http://www.coker.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=16267&cat=&page=1 Racing tire, bug bucks: http://www.coker.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=18297&cat=&page=1 Another great knobbly tire, looks like the ones that started the trials tire classification argument, just before the war. Maybe you could argue that if they were legal in 1938, they should be legal now? http://www.coker.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=17461&cat=&page=1 This one is only $69 (what, 50 pounds?), it's a regular thirties-style highway tire. Looks like the mud traction might be somewhat lacking... http://www.coker.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=18144&cat=&page=1 All of these seem to be listed at 31 pounds (weight). Seems pretty high--and suspicious since they're all the same. There are also bike tires listed which fall into the size range and have more sensible tread patterns. They say (in the FAQ) that they have an export department. I've never bought anything from this company and have no relationship with it... Also there are some classic Dunlop tires in the right size at http://www.dunloptyres.co.uk/site/tyres/classic/40s/index.shtml Good luck! Doug.
ReplyDelete"big bucks," not "bug bucks." Not wanting you to think that you're missing on some cool new 'merican slang...
ReplyDelete