Widening Wheels, Tyre Profiles and Gearing

[kja.busa]

So a few weeks ago on Faceache a guy (in South Africa) was offering a pair of efe standard wheels, and the rear wheel had been widened to 5.5" to accomodate a 180 section tyre. So, I know theres a few companies in the UK who widen standard wheels and it got me wondering about having a standard efe rear wheel done. I'm not bothered about a 5.5" rim, a 4.5" rim with a 160 would be my choice.  But then tyre profiles comes into play, as standard its a 130/90-17, but you can fit a 140/80-17 on the standard rim, going to a 160 on a 4.5" would be either a 70 profile or a 60 section, obviously as you go to a lower profile it alters the gearing. I'm just pondering on this, any thoughts, or if someone has already done this, any info would be appreciated.

Edited March 19, 2023 by kja.busa
Fat fingers

[Gixer1460]

I'll state the obvious - a 140/80 X 18 won't work where once a 130/90 X 17 was fitted !

[TonyGee]

19 minutes ago, Gixer1460 said:

I'll state the obvious - a 140/80 X 18 won't work where once a 130/90 X 17 was fitted !

im hoping that was a misprint ???????  

[eddiegsx]

9 minutes ago, TonyGee said:

im hoping that was a misprint ???????  

If it's not, I'd be interested to see the outcome

[bluedog59]

It would make tyre fitting a lot easier.

[TonyGee]

1 hour ago, bluedog59 said:

It would make tyre fitting a lot easier.

it would, and you can do a burn out without trashing the tyre 

[kja.busa]

21 hours ago, TonyGee said:

im hoping that was a misprint ???????  

It is, my mistake, now corrected

Edited March 19, 2023 by kja.busa

[DAZ]

Maybe you really want to keep the original style wheel , but surely it would be better to use say b6 wheels and get a better size for the front as well ? 

[kja.busa]

1 hour ago, DAZ said:

Maybe you really want to keep the original style wheel , but surely it would be better to use say b6 wheels and get a better size for the front as well ? 

I prefer the look of the standard wheels, i have a pair of J/K Slingshot wheels spare but i like the older style wheel, and they are fairly light too. One converted to a 4.5" rim is the plan its just what effect it has on gearing and ride geight with the lower profile 160 tyre

[TonyGee]

I think widening the original wheels is a good idea (if its possible) as it makes the bike more OEM but with the benefit of better tyres.  but far easier to fit modern wheels.  

[kja.busa]

2 hours ago, TonyGee said:

I think widening the original wheels is a good idea (if its possible) as it makes the bike more OEM but with the benefit of better tyres.  but far easier to fit modern wheels.  

Agreed it is easier to fit a Slingshot wheel, but I think it woild be better modding the standard wheel

[eddiegsx]

3 hours ago, kja.busa said:

I prefer the look of the standard wheels, i have a pair of J/K Slingshot wheels spare but i like the older style wheel, and they are fairly light too. One converted to a 4.5" rim is the plan its just what effect it has on gearing and ride geight with the lower profile 160 tyre

I too am a fan of keeping the look of the standard EFE wheels with a wider rim.

I've mentioned on this site previously that I'd seen some at Stafford a few years back on a couple of z1300's and they looked like they'd left the factory like that, whoever did the mod it was very neat job.

[eddiegsx]

Been having a trawl and came across this from stateside, not a great angle but this has clearly got a wider than standard wheel fitted.

[TLRS]

In Japan they make these:

[Captain Chaos]

early '90s Triumphs have same style wheels, but wider. And 17" front.

 

[kja.busa]

1 hour ago, Captain Chaos said:

early '90s Triumphs have same style wheels, but wider. And 17" front.

 

18" rear though

[slayer61]

Sandy Kosman (RIP) over here did wheel widening. Years back he turned a 16X3 to a 17X6 for me.  A long gone project. 

[coombehouse]

On 3/19/2023 at 2:04 PM, kja.busa said:

I prefer the look of the standard wheels, i have a pair of J/K Slingshot wheels spare but i like the older style wheel, and they are fairly light too. One converted to a 4.5" rim is the plan its just what effect it has on gearing and ride geight with the lower profile 160 tyre

If you Google gearing commander, it provides all you need to know. As well as changing sprocket sizes, it also allows the input of different wheel & tyre combinations & shows the difference to standard.