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Old 8th January 2020, 20:12   #1
CMOORESY
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Default 16" to 18" road wheel swap?

Hello all,
Not been on for a while.
Got rid of my wife's Cimarron Green, facelift Con SE, CDTi facelift tourer in February 2019 after just over 10 years of reasonably reliable service (bar a few clutch and master cylinder issues). This was exchanged for a Jaguar 2.2 X-Type SE diesel Auto, with a reasonably low mileage of 77,000 miles. and what a lovely car it is.
I was going to try to keep my old facelift ZT going for another 4? years until I can take early retirement, but the final nail (or nails) to the coffin came in December. To add to the knackered strut top bearings and the defunct fuel gauge, It started loosing brake fluid and needed topping up once a week. On top of that the brake pad low warning light came on, then on the Saturday between Christmas and New Year, the alternator packed in. Unfortunately, Id overlooked the MOT for the Jag and the DVLA sent me a nice letter reminding me of this, stating that they were also cancelling the road tax. Great. The only car we had left roadworthy was my 50 year old Karmann Ghia and I didn't want to use that on the wet, salty roads, so the search was on for a new vehicle as there was no way I was spending the Christmas break wrestling with an alternator change as the decision was made to scrap the ZT due to the above issues.
I decided on a budget of £1000 and a radius of 20 miles or so. As I Looked in desperation at the heaps of overpriced carp for sale I started to gravitate back to MG ZT's and Rover 75's, I decided that I may as well buy a cheap 'keeper' (I did intend to go down the X-Type route for both of our cars eventually) so it would need to be another diesel auto so the choice was much reduced and the budget and radius grew...
After a few hours of searching I managed to locate a 54 plate Rover 75 Con SE Diesel Auto with 82,000 on the clock. It was 60 miles away in Long Eaton, so I jumped on the train. The car was as expected, I little unloved, a few minor dents and scrapes, but in generally good shape (bar the rust starting in the rear jacking points) It had been stood for a year as the elderly owner had given up driving so under the bonnet was full of leaves and cobwebs (as was the plenum, but it was dry) The seats however, were pretty much perfect, with no wear to the drivers bolster what-so-ever. £1300 was handed over and the car driven home (it was taxed and insured with a fresh MOT). During the drive home It struck me how different the 75 was to the ZT. A lot smoother and a fair bit bouncier than the ZT. It also felt quite sluggish. Smooth but sluggish.

On getting the car home, it had grown on me, and I decided to spruce it up and 'harvest' all the reliability modifications from the ZT, K&N filter, Silicon Inter-cooler hoses, EGR Bypass, etc. All these were swapped and the culprit for the sluggish permanence revealed. The EGR valve to the inlet manifold was 3/4 blocked. Really, that much. The inlet manifold was also cleaned out with some old petrol and a toothbrush.
Next the leather was cleaned and treated with Autoglym leather food as the seats were feeling pretty dry and tight. The headlamps were buffed to get rid of the oxidization on the polycarbonate, a brand-new pair of front indicators were fitted as I had bought these years ago as spares, The bodywork was buffed with compound and resin polished.
I have to say, I'm chuffed with the finished article. All I need now, are a couple of new Union Jack badges and a proper shaped rear plate and it will look damn good.

Which brings me to the title of the post. I have a set of 5, 18" 11 spoke straight alloys on the ZT, all with very good tyres, so much so it grieves me to let the car go for £130 scrap with them on.

Should I swap them over, or will it spoil the ride and aesthetics of the 75?

The 75 has my worst style of alloys, the 16" fork, while they don't look bad, they are a real b'stard to keep clean as you need a toothbrush to get into the forky bit. We had these on the tourer and cleaning them got on my wick.

My ZT is black and I had the wheels refurbed about 8 years ago in a dark silver colour (grey) which will not match the 75's platinum paint, they would need to be redone in silver. This isn't a bad thing as they have a few scrapes after 8 years.

Any advice or experience would be appreciated, will the ride be compromised i.e soft suspension with big wheels and lower profile tyres? What are the downsides if any?

Shame to scrap the ZT as it has some good bits on it, such as fully functioning powerfold mirrors, heated leather, Harmon Kardon speakers, message center, Hi-Line etc

Last edited by CMOORESY; 8th January 2020 at 20:42..
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Old 8th January 2020, 20:32   #2
suzublu
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Nowt wrong with 11 spokes on a 75 and it's lowered
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Old 8th January 2020, 20:37   #3
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Thanks,
Looks good, But will it look odd at the standard height as I don't intend lowering mine?

I'll swap em over at weekend and see what I think.
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Old 8th January 2020, 20:53   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CMOORESY View Post
Hello all,
Not been on for a while.
Got rid of my wife's Cimarron Green, facelift Con SE, CDTi facelift tourer in February 2019 after just over 10 years of reasonably reliable service (bar a few clutch and master cylinder issues). This was exchanged for a Jaguar 2.2 X-Type SE diesel Auto, with a reasonably low mileage of 77,000 miles. and what a lovely car it is.
I was going to try to keep my old facelift ZT going for another 4? years until I can take early retirement, but the final nail (or nails) to the coffin came in December. To add to the knackered strut top bearings and the defunct fuel gauge, It started loosing brake fluid and needed topping up once a week. On top of that the brake pad low warning light came on, then on the Saturday between Christmas and New Year, the alternator packed in. Unfortunately, Id overlooked the MOT for the Jag and the DVLA sent me a nice letter reminding me of this, stating that they were also cancelling the road tax. Great. The only car we had left roadworthy was my 50 year old Karmann Ghia and I didn't want to use that on the wet, salty roads, so the search was on for a new vehicle as there was no way I was spending the Christmas break wrestling with an alternator change as the decision was made to scrap the ZT due to the above issues.
I decided on a budget of £1000 and a radius of 20 miles or so. As I Looked in desperation at the heaps of overpriced carp for sale I started to gravitate back to MG ZT's and Rover 75's, I decided that I may as well buy a cheap 'keeper' (I did intend to go down the X-Type route for both of our cars eventually) so it would need to be another diesel auto so the choice was much reduced and the budget and radius grew...
After a few hours of searching I managed to locate a 54 plate Rover 75 Con SE Diesel Auto with 82,000 on the clock. It was 60 miles away in Long Eaton, so I jumped on the train. The car was as expected, I little unloved, a few minor dents and scrapes, but in generally good shape (bar the rust starting in the rear jacking points) It had been stood for a year as the elderly owner had given up driving so under the bonnet was full of leaves and cobwebs (as was the plenum, but it was dry) The seats however, were pretty much perfect, with no wear to the drivers bolster what-so-ever. £1300 was handed over and the car driven home (it was taxed and insured with a fresh MOT). During the drive home It struck me how different the 75 was to the ZT. A lot smoother and a fair bit bouncier than the ZT. It also felt quite sluggish. Smooth but sluggish.

On getting the car home, it had grown on me, and I decided to spruce it up and 'harvest' all the reliability modifications from the ZT, K&N filter, Silicon Inter-cooler hoses, EGR Bypass, etc. All these were swapped and the culprit for the sluggish permanence revealed. The EGR valve to the inlet manifold was 3/4 blocked. Really, that much. The inlet manifold was also cleaned out with some old petrol and a toothbrush.
Next the leather was cleaned and treated with Autoglym leather food as the seats were feeling pretty dry and tight. The headlamps were buffed to get rid of the oxidization on the polycarbonate, a brand-new pair of front indicators were fitted as I had bought these years ago as spares, The bodywork was buffed with compound and resin polished.
I have to say, I'm chuffed with the finished article. All I need now, are a couple of new Union Jack badges and a proper shaped rear plate and it will look damn good.

Which brings me to the title of the post. I have a set of 5, 18" 11 spoke straight alloys on the ZT, all with very good tyres, so much so it grieves me to let the car go for £130 scrap with them on.

Should I swap them over, or will it spoil the ride and aesthetics of the 75?

The 75 has my worst style of alloys, the 16" fork, while they don't look bad, they are a real b'stard to keep clean as you need a toothbrush to get into the forky bit. We had these on the tourer and cleaning them got on my wick.

My ZT is black and I had the wheels refurbed about 8 years ago in a dark silver colour (grey) which will not match the 75's platinum paint, they would need to be redone in silver. This isn't a bad thing as they have a few scrapes after 8 years.

Any advice or experience would be appreciated, will the ride be compromised i.e soft suspension with big wheels and lower profile tyres? What are the downsides if any?

Shame to scrap the ZT as it has some good bits on it, such as fully functioning powerfold mirrors, heated leather, Harmon Kardon speakers, message center, Hi-Line etc
Fit the 18" and they will look smart! Ride will be noticeably harsher. If you're ever near Cannock way give me a shout and I will alter the ZCS coding on the car for you so the car knows it has 18" alloys.
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Old 8th January 2020, 21:14   #5
CMOORESY
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Thanks Jamiewelch,
You see, I hadn't considered that.
I assume its something to do with the speedometer calibration?
I'd have thought the overall diameter was the same but perhaps not?
what does ZCS stand for and am I going to seen any warning lights etc?

Like I said, I'll swap em over at weekend and see what I think of the ride. Been driving a ZT for 9 years so sort or accustomed to the harsher ride, so much so the 75 feels too squashy.

Cheers.
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Old 8th January 2020, 22:29   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CMOORESY View Post
Thanks Jamiewelch,
You see, I hadn't considered that.
I assume its something to do with the speedometer calibration?
I'd have thought the overall diameter was the same but perhaps not?
what does ZCS stand for and am I going to seen any warning lights etc?

Like I said, I'll swap em over at weekend and see what I think of the ride. Been driving a ZT for 9 years so sort or accustomed to the harsher ride, so much so the 75 feels too squashy.

Cheers.
Swap them over is the best idea.---Suck it and see as the saying goes.----
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Old 8th January 2020, 23:44   #7
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I have never been a big fan of low profiles, although there are plenty lower profile, - stupid low in my opinion, if you value comfort (which I do, and why I have a 75 and not a ZT.) The other possible downside is that far more road imperfections are transmitted to the suspension components, which wear fast enough at the best of times.
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Old 9th January 2020, 13:42   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CMOORESY View Post
Hello all,
Not been on for a while.
Got rid of my wife's Cimarron Green, facelift Con SE, CDTi facelift tourer in February 2019 after just over 10 years of reasonably reliable service (bar a few clutch and master cylinder issues). This was exchanged for a Jaguar 2.2 X-Type SE diesel Auto, with a reasonably low mileage of 77,000 miles. and what a lovely car it is.
I was going to try to keep my old facelift ZT going for another 4? years until I can take early retirement, but the final nail (or nails) to the coffin came in December. To add to the knackered strut top bearings and the defunct fuel gauge, It started loosing brake fluid and needed topping up once a week. On top of that the brake pad low warning light came on, then on the Saturday between Christmas and New Year, the alternator packed in. Unfortunately, Id overlooked the MOT for the Jag and the DVLA sent me a nice letter reminding me of this, stating that they were also cancelling the road tax. Great. The only car we had left roadworthy was my 50 year old Karmann Ghia and I didn't want to use that on the wet, salty roads, so the search was on for a new vehicle as there was no way I was spending the Christmas break wrestling with an alternator change as the decision was made to scrap the ZT due to the above issues.
I decided on a budget of £1000 and a radius of 20 miles or so. As I Looked in desperation at the heaps of overpriced carp for sale I started to gravitate back to MG ZT's and Rover 75's, I decided that I may as well buy a cheap 'keeper' (I did intend to go down the X-Type route for both of our cars eventually) so it would need to be another diesel auto so the choice was much reduced and the budget and radius grew...
After a few hours of searching I managed to locate a 54 plate Rover 75 Con SE Diesel Auto with 82,000 on the clock. It was 60 miles away in Long Eaton, so I jumped on the train. The car was as expected, I little unloved, a few minor dents and scrapes, but in generally good shape (bar the rust starting in the rear jacking points) It had been stood for a year as the elderly owner had given up driving so under the bonnet was full of leaves and cobwebs (as was the plenum, but it was dry) The seats however, were pretty much perfect, with no wear to the drivers bolster what-so-ever. £1300 was handed over and the car driven home (it was taxed and insured with a fresh MOT). During the drive home It struck me how different the 75 was to the ZT. A lot smoother and a fair bit bouncier than the ZT. It also felt quite sluggish. Smooth but sluggish.

On getting the car home, it had grown on me, and I decided to spruce it up and 'harvest' all the reliability modifications from the ZT, K&N filter, Silicon Inter-cooler hoses, EGR Bypass, etc. All these were swapped and the culprit for the sluggish permanence revealed. The EGR valve to the inlet manifold was 3/4 blocked. Really, that much. The inlet manifold was also cleaned out with some old petrol and a toothbrush.
Next the leather was cleaned and treated with Autoglym leather food as the seats were feeling pretty dry and tight. The headlamps were buffed to get rid of the oxidization on the polycarbonate, a brand-new pair of front indicators were fitted as I had bought these years ago as spares, The bodywork was buffed with compound and resin polished.
I have to say, I'm chuffed with the finished article. All I need now, are a couple of new Union Jack badges and a proper shaped rear plate and it will look damn good.

Which brings me to the title of the post. I have a set of 5, 18" 11 spoke straight alloys on the ZT, all with very good tyres, so much so it grieves me to let the car go for £130 scrap with them on.

Should I swap them over, or will it spoil the ride and aesthetics of the 75?

The 75 has my worst style of alloys, the 16" fork, while they don't look bad, they are a real b'stard to keep clean as you need a toothbrush to get into the forky bit. We had these on the tourer and cleaning them got on my wick.

My ZT is black and I had the wheels refurbed about 8 years ago in a dark silver colour (grey) which will not match the 75's platinum paint, they would need to be redone in silver. This isn't a bad thing as they have a few scrapes after 8 years.

Any advice or experience would be appreciated, will the ride be compromised i.e soft suspension with big wheels and lower profile tyres? What are the downsides if any?

Shame to scrap the ZT as it has some good bits on it, such as fully functioning powerfold mirrors, heated leather, Harmon Kardon speakers, message center, Hi-Line etc
Very cheeky post, but if you are scrapping the ZT is there a chance I could have the wiring loom for the hi line/Harmon kardon system please?

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Old 9th January 2020, 20:19   #9
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Fit the 11 spokes, they will look ace on a 75, my favourite wheel in fact

The ride will be fine on a 75, and they fill out the arches nicely........not so good in the snow however


Brian
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Old 9th January 2020, 20:48   #10
The Mighty Quinn
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I will hopefully be fitting a set of 18's to my 75 whenever I get it put back together

I have a set of 11 Spokes and a set of Straights - and I'm a little torn as to which will suit my MK1 best.. I always thought the Straights (to which you can fit Serpent centre caps - with Rover badges) always looked nice on a MK1 75.

I've added a couple of images, originally posted by other members on here, to illustrate the look.. The 2nd image shows a set with Serpent centre caps on.

(p.s. Sorry, I've forgotten the names of the members that had added these images originally..).


Cheers,
Karl.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Rover 75 on Straights 1.jpg (19.9 KB, 57 views)
File Type: jpg Pewter grey mk1.jpg (124.6 KB, 57 views)
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