spacesaver steel wheels

[Frank Lee]

I measured the space-saver in the Tempo, an early '80's Escort rim that's on the Tempo, and a Tempo rim.

Had to measure at the bead and at the hub- other places unreliable:
Space-saver: .103" @ bead; .1125" @ hub
Escort: .104" @ bead; .1116" @ hub
Tempo: .135" @ bead; .150" @ hub.... BUT the Tempo rim I had powdercoated- the paint is noticeably thicker than the others...

I'd say the Escort and Space-saver rims were made from the same gauge steel.

I do know that Escort and Tempo share a 14" aluminum rim design with one difference: the Escort version is thinner, all because the Tempo weighs a few hundred pounds more.

[gone-ot]

...analogy: "steel wheels" = locomotives and trains.

[gocamgo1]

Frank Lee, are those cast wheels or regular rims that are made of aluminum? What size and bolt pattern are they?

[Frank Lee]

The measurements are from steel rims.

I presume the aluminum rims are cast; 4 x 100- 14". The Escort casting uses the same outer (the part you see when mounted) cavity on the mold while the inner is different for making the Escort version have thinner spokes.

I would rather have a set of Escort rims on the Tempo cuz they're lighter and no doubt strong enough.

[dennyt]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

...analogy: "steel wheels" = locomotives and trains.

Yup. Rolling resistance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brian,
Your GL has a 4x140 bolt pattern. There are no aftermarket wheels in 14" or 15" (I've looked), but you can get steel & alloy wheels in 14" and 15" from a Peugeot 505. Watch out for 390's, those require expensive metric tires. If you get the alloy ones, get the lug nuts too, you will need them. You can also get some 6x140 wheels from a Mighty Max or Dodge D-50 and drill them out to 4-lugs, if they are flat between the lugs.

[diesel_john]

Wheel Bolt Pattern Cross Reference Database and Conversion Guide

http://www.discountedwheelwarehouse...._Reference.cfm

[CapriRacer]

Thanks Frank,

If we go with the idea that the Tempo wheels are comparable, then it looks like I was right - the spare wheels are thinner.

It would also appear the wheels designed for lighter vehicles (the Escort) would also be thinner - and that makes sense as well.

Taking this a step further - if we were to measure steel wheels off a larger vehicle - a pickup comes to mind - then they ought to be thicker still (assumming they are using the same type of steel). I can see it might be pretty easy to introduce all kinds of variables that might throw this whole thing off.

It would be very helpful if someone else would confirm this. I'll state it as a hypothesis:

- The steel spare wheels supplied to passenger car vehicles are made of thinner gauge steel than the street steel wheels supplied to the same vehicle as measured in the "spider".

I stated it that way for a couple of reasons:

1) We know that the weight of the vehicle would affect how strong components - and in this case, wheels - would need to be. So we need to find vehicles where the wheels are comparable. As in Frank's example, the Escort wheels vs the Tempo wheels. It would be best to use a vehicle where the street wheels are steel and not try to compare spare wheels of one vehicle with the street wheels of another.

2) The spider is the center section of the wheels and on steel wheels it will be stamped from a flat piece of steel. That would be a good measuring point because the thickness of the steel is unlikely to have been distorted much by the manufacturing process. By contrast the "rim" portion is typically, I think the term is, "roll forged" where a flat hoop of steel is rolled against a mandrill to produce the shape.

Please guys, a little help here!

[Frank Lee]

I don't draw that conclusion.

As noted, the Tempo wheel has been powdercoated. I don't know how thick, but the paint is definitely much thicker than the other two. Google says typical powdercoat thicknesses range from .005-.030", which:
Bead @ .135" - .01 to .06 (paint both sides) = .129"-.134"
Hub @ .150" - .01 to .06 = .144"-.149"

-vs-

Bead @ .103" thin paint Escort and mini
Hub @ .112" "

OK... still thicker.

Secondly, I don't know if the spacesaver in the Tempo is stock to the Tempo. It probably is but I can't guarantee it.

I've been running Escort rims on the Tempo for many years. If the Escort rim works well, then the spacesaver should too, as far as the gauge of metal used.

Of course the lighter the vehicle the lighter the wheel, generally. I was looking at putting some old-school VW 15" wheels on the Tempo once upon a time and I didn't even have to measure them to know they had quite a bit thinner gauge steel.

I've never seen a pickup with a spacesaver... although it is entirely possible.

I've seen bicycle wheels manufactured... they start with a sheet stock, make a hoop, then spin the hoop through mandrels to make the profile. Because of the geometries of spiders and rims, I think it's likely that they started out as the same gauge material; the rims get worked and stretched more especially at the very edges (where I measured).