Anyone see this 3 wheeled Metro?

[Christ]

Cool part of a bike's rim and swing-arm.. you just take the axle bolt out, and drop the rim/tire.

Bike rims will accept car tires.

the only thing that really needs to be adressed is whether the bike's swing arm will handle the torsional/lateral loads of a small <1 ton car, even with the worst drivers in terms of cornering.

I'm sure you could use a cheap LP tire, since I can get Wanli 18" tires for less than most standard passenger sizes.. and they still last for up to 30,000 miles.

Tire prices for 16/17/18" semi-performance (street) tires

[Frank Lee]

Are bike RIMS comparable to auto rims re: lateral strength? I'm thinking, probably not.

Plus, that's bike stuff I'd have to go out and buy. The car already has a nice wheel/tire/brake/parking brake/bearing/spindle/hub/strut/spring assy already nicely made up.

I planned on converting a Tempo- 2500 lbs empty weight, and I wanted to keep the back seat so had to figure that weight and balance at capacity as well. It is conceivable to have 500-600 lbs. in the back of the car, and even more if there's any trunk space left to use.

[Christ]

The aluminum alloy (mag) bike wheels are manufactured using the same processes as car rims are, so I'd assume they're straight.

Your second point here is the "thorn in the side" of the whole plan... purchase price. But, lucky enough, you can usually find a bike sitting in a junkyard somewhere.

I'm sure this would be a great project for a modder to take on with a rear-ended car and junkyard access.

Come to think about it, I have a rear-ended CR-X Hf sitting in my dad's barn.. too bad its getting cut up come spring, and most of the rest of the car is garbage.

[tjts1]

Must have been designed by the same guy.

[Christ]

^^^?

[bikin' Ed]

I've been in the planning stages of something like this for a while. My ideas include: leave everything under the hood where it is--no hassle heat, charging system, brakes, etc; taper starting right after the B pillar--making the back seat just one place; drive the rear wheel with an electric motor.

I've got to believe 75 mpg using only the ICE and another 30-40 with the electric.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by Christ

The aluminum alloy (mag) bike wheels are manufactured using the same processes as car rims are, so I'd assume they're straight.

Aluminum Allow != Magnesium

They may be manufactured using the same/similar process - but that doesn't mean they were designed the same way.

[trebuchet03]

I particularly like the plastic drum splash shield I wonder what the total cost was...

[Christ]

Originally Posted by trebuchet03

Aluminum Allow != Magnesium

They may be manufactured using the same/similar process - but that doesn't mean they were designed the same way.

I'm well aware that aluminum alloy does not equal magnesium.. no rim is made of magnesium though, at least not entirely.

They're made of an aluminum alloy bonded with magnesium and other metals, hence the name "mag" rims.

You're right, they're probably different somehow. Except the fact that a bike rim can obviously hold the 700lbs of bike and rider while riding on the rear tire...

And the rear of a Geo Metro (especially a 3-wheeled one, even more especially if it's tapered back) DOES NOT weigh 700 lbs.

[dichotomous]

I fully agree that the forces on the rims for bikes and cars are very different, but the wheels for the weight need to be similar. there is less lateral loading on a bike tire, becuse the bike puts lateral load on a tire backwards compared to a car. at speed you push the bars opposite the way you turn, and the lateral forces are acting against the radii differences between the two tires at an angle. so you are pushing the trailing edge of the tire into the turn which is much easier than pushing the leading edge into the turn as with a car.

But if your worried about the lateral forces on the swingarm, I wouldnt be. because the rear is gonna wanna roll more than push. and if you want extra insurance on it, get either a supersport rear arm(WICKED beefy triangulated deal designed to resist twisting while "backing it in" under full power (3x what the metro has) and sliding sideways then regaining grip at 150mph.... I think it might be strong enough to resist the light end of a metro going 45mph around a turn) or get a touring/cruiser rear arm setup, those bikes weigh 700lbs pretty easily, are made entirely from steel, and all the weight is sitting on the rear wheel.