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A set of alloys is often one of the first modifications that Ka Klubbers do as they make such a big difference to look and stance of the KA. You may have noticed that on all KA’s the wheels sit well inside the edge of the arches and there is a big gap between the top of the tyre and the bottom of the arch.
The basic Ka comes with 13 inch wheels and moves up to 16 inch wheels on the Sport KA and MK2. The problem with fitting bigger than standard wheels to a KA is that the bigger wheel will add to the unsprung weight, increase transmission losses and reduce performance. However they can also increase the size of the contact patch of the tyre and increase grip. They also improve the look of the KA and fill the big arches well.
When fitting new alloys to a MK1, 15’s tended to be the best choice between look, handling and cost with 195/45 profile tyres fitted. However Klubbers have chosen anything from 13’s to 18’s! You can spend anything from £60 per corner to £300+ depending on the size, type of tyre, brand and finish you go for. Make sure you don’t curb them! It is worth not skimping on your tyres; they are the only part of the KA that touches the road and are responsible for the grip of your KA.
On bigger wheels you will need to run a lower profile tyre to make sure that the rolling radius of the wheel (the diameter) stays as close as possible to the original. Make it too big and your speedometer will read way out, also you will get rubbing of the tyre against the bodywork, suspension, brake lines etc. Even with low profile tyres on bigger wheels, it is likely that you will get rubbing somewhere (especially if you lower the KA by fitting aftermarket springs and dampers or coilovers. You can get rack limiter kits which stops your front wheels from achieving full lock and therefore the worst of the rubbing. This is quite effective, although they can be a bit of a nightmare to fit and do make parking more difficult. It is quite amusing to watch a Ka Klubber with a rack limiter, kit reverse park a KA at Southend, in the dark, when they also had tints..... Be aware that lower profile tyres can compromise the ride, as stiffer tyres won’t be able to dampen minor surface imperfections which are too small for the suspension to handle. This can lead to tramlining and skipping on any surface which is less than smooth.
Alloy finish is now very popular with different colours and polishing from the manufacturer and lots you can do to paint or powder coat a silver wheel. It costs from about £50 per wheel (varies around the country) to £100 to paint or powder coat each wheel.
Remember to get a set of locking wheel nuts and to tell your insurance company when you fit a set of alloys on. Even if you had alloys to start with, you should tell them if you change them to a different set.
If you do fit bigger alloys and allots with wide gaps between the spokes, be aware that the small brakes of KA’s can look a little lonely behind them. Many people use this as perfectly good reason to fit bigger brakes or colour code the callipers.
Glossary:
PCD
A PCD is pitch diameter circle. On a KA this is 4x108. The 4 refers to the number of bolts and the 108 is the distance between the centre of two diametrically opposite bolts.
OFFSET
A wheel’s offset or ET number. Refers to the angle of its centre section. If you get the wrong offset your wheels will sit too far out which could be illegal, or too far in and it could foul the suspension mounts, brake lines or bodywork.
A positive offset means the mounting point is closer to the outer lip of the wheel than it is to the inner.
An offset of ET0 would mean the mounting point of the wheel is equidistant from the two edges of the wheel.
A negative offset means that the mounting point is closer to the inner edge.
BORE
Bore is the size of the centre hole and if this hole is bigger than the mounting hub, the wheel will float around, unsecured. You can fit spigot rings which are plastic or poly inserts which look like rubber rings that sit in the hub and fill any gaps between the two. If the hole is smaller than the hub, you will need a wheel specialist to bore out the hole, or look at fitting different hubs. Really given the choice of wheels that fit a KA anyway, this is a bit extreme (which means someone out there will do it).
SPACERS
Spacersd give you extra track by pushing the rim away from the car. They are sections of metal ranging from 3mm up to 50mm, that fit over your hubs, or behind the drum on the rear beam. Fitting spacers on the front will apply more stress, the 20mm rear track spacers do not do this as they sit behind the drum. On the front best to get the offset of the wheel sorted to give you the fit / look you want.
ADAPTORS
These are not the same as spacers. Adaptors are used to convert your existing stud pattern to a different fitment. Eibach do these, but you could always get some custom ones made to be really wild.
CAMBER
When viewing the Ka from the front, if the wheel is upright, it’s camber is neutral. If the top of the wheel leans in towards the Ka, it has negative camber. If it leans away from the Ka it has positive camber. Camber is most often measured in mm, so take the Ka to a specialist to get this done and get the tracking sorted at the same time.
POKE
Poke is when your wheel protrudes out of the arch. Tuck is when it is tucked inside the arch. We have examples of both in the Ka Klub.
STRETCHING
Stretching is when you stretch your tyres across the rim so that the treads tuck under the arches. It is often done to gain space due to extreme lowering of a KA, which has wider wheels. There is a debate over whether this is a safe thing to do – so proceed at your own risk.
Most of all choose the wheel, steelie or alloy that you are happy with and is in your budget. Remember it is your KA and whatever you to it should make you happy. | 
