RoaryV8 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I have seen a few landy's now running old disco steels backwards (i.e. turning them round) to give more off-set. is this advisable and do they literally turn round, or do they need minor work to sit properly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 You can't just fit them backwards because of the shape of the holes on the front. To fit them, the middles need chopping out and rewelding in the other way round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaryV8 Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 yeah thought there had to be something major involved like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Don't forget they wouldn't be legal for road use, that's not to say that people don't use them on the road. Getting them rewelded true and square requires great care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaryV8 Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 yeah i would imagine its near on impossible for the average person to get that perfectly square and useable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco-Ron Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 wouldn;t be that hard if you had an axle laying around to then be able to set something up and spin the wheels before you re-weld the centres in..... to get them true and all the same offset i mean..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nino Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 i saw either mods or wellers the wrong way round on a 90 once on a laning trip i never did get to ask him if it was straight fit on or if there was something that needed doin maybe retaper the bolt holes?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 The would need the taper adding back on the right side of the holes. with it on both sides it would weaken it or possibly leave the holes too big. Saw a 90 at billing, with normal disco steels just bolted on the wrong way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nino Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 cant you just redrill the holes in the middle of the original ones so you can have either way round lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangeyRover Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Cannot see why the taper can't be put on the rear for this mod? They are pretty thick, at this point. Don't the suzuki steel wheels have this already? RR PS this buggy runs them off road without a taper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I would have thought that if you added the taper on the other side, thwn tightening the wheel nuts you would deform the hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 People certainly are tight these days. Modifying and then using a wheel in a manner for which it was not designed isn't a good idea in my view. Just buy some wheels with the correct off-set, or have the centres flipped in the Disco steels, but have it done by a reputable company with the expertise and equipment to do it properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 For a wheel that is £40 new, is it really worth the hassle? http://www.formula4.co.uk/land_rover_defender_90_accessories_silver_modular_steel_wheel_16x7.html It also gives you better choice of rim width, for wider tyres. 6.5" or 7" (which is what I think Disco ones are) are pretty narrow for anything over 235. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaryV8 Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 I was just thinking as seen it a few times, and everyone is feeling the pinch at the moment, But you are right they are a little too narrow to run anything worth while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 You haven't said whether you want to use these on or off-road. For road use, don't even think about flipping. Your insurers would be very unhappy if you were involved in a crash with modified wheels on your truck. If you are thinking about this due to the need to change the wheel offset, there are plenty of companies supplying wheel spacers for that exact purpose. Bear in mind that 8-spoke or modular wheels already stick out further than a Disco steel. At 7" they are the same actual rim width as the Disco wheel, and so are most LR alloys that fit directly to a Defender axle. As Bowie69 has said, new wheels are around the £40 mark each. Yes, Disco wheels can be picked up for very cheap, but it'll cost you more by the time you have found someone who knows what they're doing removing the centres and flipping them round in the correct fashion, but they still won't be road legal. I have read in the past of what is called wheel 'banding'. In the custom car world this practice used to be used to widen rims (weld in a steel band) to fit extra wide tyres. There were a few companies doing this, but I think they have largely disappeared due to the legal implications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoaryV8 Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 They would be used all round, so its not an option any more. Just wondered if it was straight forward or a lot of work involved which there is. Thanks for all the replies though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zim Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I flipped some 8 spokes today in order to try and get some more steering lock. It was embarressing with 14" wide boggers But they're a bit too far out now i think.... will have a test on sunday. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco-Ron Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Just out of interest, what makes the 'flipped' wheels not road legal...??? the fact that they've been modified..??? i bet there isn;t a single land rover owner on this forum that hasn't modified something on thier truck,..... does that make them all not road legal...??? if it's a 'modified wheel' issue, what about people that fit bead lockers, are they not legal...?? i know a few trucks that have mot's with them on....... not trying to str=art an argument, just hoping for some clarification iof the actual facts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Pass me a can opener, got a can of worms to open... Its the fact that the wheel has been modified. I think that strictly speaking beadlocks aren't legal on the road. MOT does not mean the truck is fully legal...perfect example is trucks with retrofitted HID's without all the leveling etc. Not legal, but not an MOT fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco-Ron Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 So, now that the can of worms is open............ are Mach 5's road legal then..?? the early ones almost looked like they were made by a bloke in his garden shed............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I dont know... interesting one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco-Ron Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I should add, i am in no way doubting the build quality of mach 5's, i'd love a set, but my zero offset modulars are the best wheel for my use and application...... so not gonna flip disco rims either, i wonder if there is some sort of test that the wheels undergo to ensure their strength and suitability for use on a vehicle such as a land rover, and when i say that, i mean a UK test, not tuv or something like that..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I think I'd be more inclined to trust TuV than any UK testing, the tests for which would be written by vested interests. Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicks90 Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 i think there are 2 different things in this - cutting the centre out and rewelding it and the legality if doing so, and just running them reversed. rewelding the centers is extremely dodgey from a legal point of view. Plus getting it done right would be difficult and expensive. Running them backwards. I dont actually see any legal issues with this, as you are not modifying the wheel or anything like that. Couple of things to consider though, the valves may hit the calliper so you would have to fit some of those very slim short valves (or weld them up and drill new ones, but that would fall into the above legal category confusion). Also the issue of the raise bevel to seat the nuts squarely on the rim and to stop them working loose. This is an issue that some twin rear wheeled trucks overcome - such as ldv which use 2 identical wheels on each side of the back axle and just have them reversed - by using a wheel washer bevel to 'create' the bevel on either side of a flat wheel centre. A simple google search comes up with loads. I cannot see how using a wheel washer bevel is illegal and using some super tight fitting valves to negate the calliper clearance issue would probably mean you could do it cheaply and legally. You'd have a mega offset though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 i think there are 2 different things in this - cutting the centre out and rewelding it and the legality if doing so, and just running them reversed. rewelding the centers is extremely dodgey from a legal point of view. Plus getting it done right would be difficult and expensive. Running them backwards. I dont actually see any legal issues with this, as you are not modifying the wheel or anything like that. Couple of things to consider though, the valves may hit the calliper so you would have to fit some of those very slim short valves (or weld them up and drill new ones, but that would fall into the above legal category confusion). Also the issue of the raise bevel to seat the nuts squarely on the rim and to stop them working loose. This is an issue that some twin rear wheeled trucks overcome - such as ldv which use 2 identical wheels on each side of the back axle and just have them reversed - by using a wheel washer bevel to 'create' the bevel on either side of a flat wheel centre. A simple google search comes up with loads. I cannot see how using a wheel washer bevel is illegal and using some super tight fitting valves to negate the calliper clearance issue would probably mean you could do it cheaply and legally. You'd have a mega offset though! By running them backwards, are you not then into the dodgy ground of using something in a way that's not intended/rated for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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