Re: GTV wheel size?

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>]

In AD8-0018 Robert Watson, who has a 1967 GT Veloce, is wondering whether to
replace his stock 15" wheels with 14x6 or with 15x7. He says the car is stock
and sees only freeway use.

 One element which he may or may not have allowed for is tire clearance at the
rear wheels. When Alfa switched from the 155-15 of the 1600 Sprints to the
165-14 of the 1750 in 1968 they used a different rear quarter panel and outer
wheelhouse to allow a larger wheel opening for tire clearance. It may not look
different at a casual glance, but it is. Spider bodies are appreciably wider
than the GT Veloces, Supers, and Berlinas, and can get by with wider tires
without rubbing, but none of the tintops have that latitude; one should not
assume that widths which will work on a Spider will work on a 1750/2000 GT
Veloce, let alone on a 1600 Sprint GT.

 I have used 165-14s on stock 1750 wheels on a Giulia Super, and on Berlinas
and GT Veloces for which they are the stock size. Unless I had advice from
people I trusted I would be cautious in trying a 185/70-14 on the 1750s and
extremely cautious in trying them on a 1600 hull. I certainly would not want
to invest serious money in a set of 15 x 7 alloys and 205/60-15 tires unless I
had very reliable advice and/or unless I was ready to pay for some serious
bodywork.

 Alfettas, Milanos, 164s, and 105/115 Spiders have more latitude, but the
750/101 cars and 105 coupes and sedans were all relatively tight designs. And
they were all delightful cars to drive on the tires they were designed to use;
not all changes are necessarily great improvements.

 Cheers

John H.

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