131mirafiori forum

Hello Theo have you got new wheels?  :)

Well spotted Heini  ;)  8)

Cromodora CD51s which I've had for over 3 years and I've been saying "I'll fit them one day". Well, I did fit them on Saturday afternoon, just hours before setting off on Sunday morning. In fact they were the topic of discussion for about 5 seconds on Sunday  ;D Two people hated them, one person liked them and the rest were too polite to express an opinion  ;D I like them but the car still looks strange to me as I haven't got used to it. I'm also not sure about the colour as I thought grey would look better than silver (http://www.131mirafiori.com/smf/index.php?topic=1048.msg6246#msg6246 (http://www.131mirafiori.com/smf/index.php?topic=1048.msg6246#msg6246)) but they are too close to the colour of the car. Maybe they'll look better in silver. As they have brand new Pirelli P6 tyres on them (fitted Saturday morning) they'll be staying on the car for a while  :) Photo below was taken at work's car park yesterday.  :D I'll take some better photos at the weekend and post them here  ;)

Yes, I am afraid you have to do a new paint job ;)

Sorry Theo but I don't think that they look good on the car... Maybe it's the color I don't know. BTW which car these come from?

So do you join the "hate them" or the "not sure" brigade?  ;D

The CD51 wheels were made for the early Series 1 Lancia Beta Berlinas. I've used 8mm spacers (with long 50mm bolts) on the 131.

(http://www.classic-autoglas.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/lancia_beta-e1312048866726.jpg)

(http://www.classic-autoglas.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/lancia_beta_berlina.jpg)

So if/when I decide I don't like them on the 131 I can always fit them to the Trevi  ;) ;D

Maybe the not sure one (I'm lybra and it's my prerogative after all!  :D :D :D )
I think you should try the on your Trevi...  ;)
Again I hope I didn't offend you!  :)

Of course not! I don't offend easily  ;) You are entitled to your opinion.
As I've already said, I like the wheels but the car looks odd to me. Maybe it is the colour so I might try changing them to silver but I'll wait a while to see if I get used to them.

You might get used to them Theo, but the rest of us won't! :D :D :D ;)

Agree with Simon; sorry Theo, on a 131 these wheels look IMHO like

(http://www.bruhaha.de/detebe/pix/werner_hualp_01.jpg)

no matter which color you have them painted in  :o

The Trevi, however, will not lose any of its beauty when fitted with these wheels  ;D

Unusual to see a 131 with those wheels. I like them ;)

I do however also like the standard look, although your car isn't exactly standard is it? ;D

Theo, i think we all got used to the car with the orignal whhels.
If you had just joined the forum and the car was being seen for the first time im sure more would rave over them.
For me 'They look good'
Ive voted!
Steve

I think you are offending my Trevi Robert, but I'll let that one go  ;D ;D ;D
By the way, I've seen many 131s in the past with the Beta wheels as fitted to my Trevi. Maybe my 131 and my Trevi could have a wheel swap  ???

Theo, no offence meant  ;D - how could I, seeing this picture  ;)

Beauty always is in the eye of the beholder, nay? And, maniacs fancying 131s are capable of loving everything  :o

And, there's always the story of the "Bimotore" in my head, as told by Albert. The accolade for the Trevi  8)

Sorry theo  :D

next time we get together we could all do a wheel swop between the 5 of us  ;D ;D

Ah the Bimotore, that crazy machine Lancia built to test 4 wheel-drive. Only Lancia could create a 4-wheel drive car by having two engines, one driving the front wheels and one driving the rear wheels.

I had a good close-up look at the Bimotore when the Lancia Motor Club arranged to ship it to the UK for their National Weekend and AGM in 2005. I also met Georgio Pianta who drove the car and helped develop it.

(http://www.thotos.vacau.com/LMC-AGM-2005/images/DSCF0206.jpg)

As he said there was nothing at the time that was faster or better handling than the Bimotore but they could still not win many stages as it kept running out of fuel. Apparently fuel consumption was appalling.

(http://www.thotos.vacau.com/LMC-AGM-2005/images/DSCF0203.jpg)

(http://www.thotos.vacau.com/LMC-AGM-2005/images/DSCF0197.jpg)

(http://www.thotos.vacau.com/LMC-AGM-2005/images/DSCF0200.jpg)

(http://www.thotos.vacau.com/LMC-AGM-2005/images/DSCF0202.jpg)

But you are very right Robert; beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I very much see the beauty in the Trevi  ;) ;D

I totaly agree with Robert...
Here they are telling me that I'm nuts  to keep a car like this (my beloved 131...)

Excuse me for putting this straight, Theo: Lancia were not the first to do this. There's a French motor company who used to make very strange cars in former days (now very boring cars, unfortunately), and in 1960 (!) they invented this:

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Citroen_2CV_4x4_2.jpg/800px-Citroen_2CV_4x4_2.jpg)

The 2CV Sahara (or 2CV Bimoteur), built from 1960 to 1971; around 700 cars were built.

The Trevi Bimotore, however, is a little faster and more shiny  ;)

And this is the sort of money these cars demand!

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C202275

I stand corrected  ;)  :D  I didn't know about that one. In fact I am ashamed to admit that I know very little about Citro?n other than they were a very innovative car maker. Unfortunately they no longer are and they simply make mundane Euro-boxes not unlike Lancia of today! Although I do like some of the current Citro?n offerings  :)  And I also know why they have the double-chevron as their emblem and I really liked the Citro?n GS with it's air-cooled flat four engine.

Ouch!  :o I'm glad I didn't know about that one then.  :o

Here they are:

(http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy292/Thotos/131%20CD51%20Wheels/P1100336s.jpg)

(http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy292/Thotos/131%20CD51%20Wheels/P1100337s.jpg)

(http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy292/Thotos/131%20CD51%20Wheels/P1100338s.jpg)

(http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy292/Thotos/131%20CD51%20Wheels/P1100339s.jpg)

Nice photos ;)

Yes, nice photos, lovely car, shame about the wheels. ;)

Lancia wheels are designed for Lancia cars - Fiat wheels are designed for Fiat cars - or am I being too simplistic! ;D :D ;) :D ;D

Yes but i've got Alfa wheels on my Fiat  :D :D :D :D :D

I rest my case!  ;) :D ;D :D ;)

First impressions were, put the old wheels back on Theo.

They sort of grow on you looking back at the pictures, but i think you should put the standard 14's back on sprayed in grey with loads of laquer.

I bet it drives and handles a bit different on the road with a bit less weight.

Bob

No, you are not being too simplistic but then again Lancia cars have Fiat engines, Fiat cars have Lancia suspension (in fact Nissan cars have Lancia rear suspension and still pay royalties for it  ;) ) and I'm sure some wheels were common between Lancia and Fiat so why not Lancia Beta wheels on a 131?  ;D


They've certainly grown on me and the car no longer looks strange to me. I always liked the look of these wheels and now that I've got used to them on the 131 I also like the fact that the car looks different (although I've seen these wheels on a 131 sport before (http://www.131mirafiori.com/smf/index.php?topic=2351.msg15610#msg15610 (http://www.131mirafiori.com/smf/index.php?topic=2351.msg15610#msg15610)). The old 14 inch steel wheels will most probably go back on the car at some point but after they've been refurbished to the same silver/black pattern as before. I found a company in North London who can powder coat them and make them look like new so I'll probably be using their services at some point.

The Beta alloys have a lot of metal on them so they are not really that light. Plus the balancing is off so there was a terrible vibration during the East Sussex run so I can certainly say the car handles a bit different but not in a good way.  :-[ :-\

Yes but i've got Alfa wheels on my Fiat  Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy

oh!!!!!
 And lancia wheel s
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6195/6041070336_8e719c4bb8_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/12812670@N07/6041070336/)
131 sport aty  (http://www.flickr.com/photos/12812670@N07/6041070336/) by jasonhodgkinson2 (http://www.flickr.com/people/12812670@N07/), on Flickr

I dont know if I have been a member long enough to comment, but personally I think you would struggle to beat the original 14" steels in silver with graphite sections and chrome rings, or am I just showing my age?!

Jason,

that's looks mint. Loving them Lancia wheels.

I'm a bit late coming into this debate but I did watch it develop while away on hols. If there is any subject guaranteed to generate debate and comment it's wheels. I think men are as obsessed with wheels as women are with jewellery. Which while I'm at it ...does anyone else think that the current fad of daytime driving lights is anything other than car jewellery for men...? :D

Anyway these wheels - My opinion for what it is worth has been stated here before. Your original wheels suited the looks of your car exceedingly well so much so that I tried to help you source a new set from Italy. But I think I know you well enough by now to know that you will always to listen to the opinions of others, will not be in the least bit offended by them...and then do what you damn well please!! ;)

I don't hate or dislike these wheels - In fact they look well on the Beta Berlina and I guess on other Lancia saloons. However they are wheels designed to complement the lines of an elegant carriage rather than a fast road saloon and I feel that the aggressive look has been sort of emasculated by these wheels.

It is of course your car and if you are in any doubt why don't you photoshop the wheels to silver and see what they look like then? Ultimately, I think you will go back to the steelies eventually.... :)

Kev

Like the comments about car jewellery and day time driving lights  :D :D

I have just spent 3 weeks in France with a hired Citroen C5 Exlusive Estate (not sure what was exclusive about it except the price Euro 34k New in France; they had one in the showroom when I went to have it fixed  ??? ???) and this had LED Day Time Lights that you could not turn off  ::)

The car drew so many admiring glances and people loved to talk about it (mainly Brits and the Irish) ;D. Why  :-\ :-\ Am I missing something with these cars ::)

I drove behind a new de-badged one of these in black on the Autoroute recently and not having seen one before I was puzzled as to what it was (I had to overtake it eventually to find out). I did really admire the looks of it though - A bit like the Insignia estate and very much in the ilk of German estates...which of course is what Citroen said they were modelling the car on.  :)

I am a great advocate of daytime running lights and always drive with lights on, even in the Fiat 131. But I hate the latest fad of rows of bright-white LEDs especially when they have vertical rows either side of the bumper which I think make the cars look too narrow and too tall. Your description of 'jewellery' is spot-on Kevin but I'd like to add the adjective of 'useless' or 'superfluous' in front of it  ;D 

And yes Kevin, it seems you do know me well enough  ;)  :)  I saw a new Mercedes C-Class  Coup? yesterday and it was in dark grey with dark grey alloy wheels. So it seems that Mercedes are already copying my wheel colour scheme  ;D

The 131 has been living in its garage for the last two weeks as I was in 'Gamma-mode' so I haven't seen it. I'll be getting it out of the garage at the weekend for the Fiat Motor Club's birthday lunch on Sunday so it'll be interesting to see if the car looks odd to me again.  8)

Talking of wheels (and tyres?) here's a website some of you might find useful:

http://www.willtheyfit.com/ (http://www.willtheyfit.com/)

I had the wheels balanced again today. I asked the tyre place to check the balance first before taking off the balance weights and all four wheels were way out! I don't know what they were doing when they fitted the new tyres three weeks ago. I suspect they didn't bother fitting the outer weights probably because they were out of stick-on weights  ???  I took the car for a short drive on the M25 after the wheels were rebalanced and it seems fine even though the M25 was too busy to get up to proper test-speed. But I'd say the car now seems to drive as well as it looks ;D  I'll be going on a long 150+ mile round trip drive tomorrow with motorway, major A-roads and twisty country lanes so I'll find out for sure if the wheels are now balanced properly. 

My opinion is that the car drives better than it looks...  :D :D :D
But then again I'm the guy with the BWA's on his 131  :D :D :D

It seems the Italians agree with me as they are advertising used Cromodora CD51s (very expensive as well  :o) and suggest they'll fit a 131  ;D

These Cromodora CD51 wheels are getting a bit too common!  ;D

Ya go back to the standard cloverleafs... :)

Even with repeated promotion they are not getting more desirable  ;D ;D ;D

Might do that but they are getting too common in black and silver too  :-\ ;D ;D

Ya...? And there's probably a good reason for that...!! ;)

Swop with the trevi for a month or two see how u go

I think they look sweet! I'd keep them.

Theo,  What's not to like about your car.  The monochromatic look is great, Drive 'em!