Kia 13" rims for the Aspire brake swap?

[bobstad]

Hi folks, long time away.

I was at a wrecking yard in Kent, WA looking for Aspire rims, and saw some much nicer looking ones for a KIA that seemed identical. I wonder if anyone has experience and would know for sure if these will work, as someone in another wrecking yard told me that there are many rims with exactly the same bolt patterns, but that the angle of the chamfer of the bolt holes are different enough to cause the bolts or nuts to work loose over time.

I bought four of the KIA rims for $60 since the place is about a hundred miles or more from where I live.

Tanx for the help if anyone is able to clarify this solidly. If not I have a pair of Aspire rims on the rear axle I could compare to the KIA rims, but figured people here could benefit from the advice of someone as much or more than me. I'm really not sure if a simple visual examination would tell me enough, either?

[fattie]

if u bought em , and got them at home. take your festiva wheel off and try out the kia wheel.

[TominMO]

I was at a wrecking yard in Kent, WA looking for Aspire rims, and saw some much nicer looking ones for a KIA that seemed identical. I wonder if anyone has experience and would know for sure if these will work, as someone in another wrecking yard told me that there are many rims with exactly the same bolt patterns, but that the angle of the chamfer of the bolt holes are different enough to cause the bolts or nuts to work loose over time.

I bought four of the KIA rims for $60 since the place is about a hundred miles or more from where I live.

Tanx for the help if anyone is able to clarify this solidly. If not I have a pair of Aspire rims on the rear axle I could compare to the KIA rims, but figured people here could benefit from the advice of someone as much or more than me. I'm really not sure if a simple visual examination would tell me enough, either?

I've experienced the angle of chamfer issue you mention. Basically I had to buy aftermarket lug bolts (at Advance Auto) to put on my Estrella aftermarket 14" rims. The stock lug bolts have too shallow an angle, and are not deep enough on the chamfered area; therefore they will not center the wheel on the hub; you will get vibration, as if the wheel is out of balance. Also, as the guy at the yard says, the bolts may work loose over time; but in my experience, the vibration is so bad at hwy speeds that you can't drive it anyway.

Alternatively, you could buy lug studs and nuts to convert to the way most tires are put on, and ditch the whole lug-bolt issue.

[perucho]

I've experienced the angle of chamfer issue you mention. Basically I had to buy aftermarket lug bolts (at Advance Auto) to put on my Estrella aftermarket 14" rims. The stock lug bolts have too shallow an angle, and are not deep enough on the chamfered area; therefore they will not center the wheel on the hub; you will get vibration, as if the wheel is out of balance. Also, as the guy at the yard says, the bolts may work loose over time; but in my experience, the vibration is so bad at hwy speeds that you can't drive it anyway.

Alternatively, you could buy lug studs and nuts to convert to the way most tires are put on, and ditch the whole lug-bolt issue.

You can also get a hub-centric ring which will center the wheel on the hub and not rely on the bolts to do that. No more vibration. I think a combination of aftermarket stud/lugnuts or lug bolts and a hub centric ring is a must for aftermarket wheels.

[bobstad]

I'm on a very limited budget and am doing the Aspire up-grade because I couldn't find anyone I'd trust to lube the front wheel bearings. Which don't seem very user friendly. A job I'm used to doing on other vehicles myself.

I've already gotten the Aspire rear axle on and all the necessary Aspire parts for the front end.

Reading these posts and thinking a little, I keep a couple extra bolts in the glove compartment, and will get those out and see what the fit is like in the KIA rims.

I'm surprised no one here has tried the KIA rims since they look identical to Aspire ones.

Those from Aspires in the particular wrecking yard I was at were pretty rusted out.

I've gone through having wheels with rusty rims, where they never hold the air very well and I'm always having to carry a tire pump in the car. Yuck!

[TominMO]

You can also get a hub-centric ring which will center the wheel on the hub and not rely on the bolts to do that. No more vibration. I think a combination of aftermarket stud/lugnuts or lug bolts and a hub centric ring is a must for aftermarket wheels.

No need for the rings. In fact there is no way to use them on my Estrellas. The proper lug bolts, or converting to studs and nuts, works fine.

[bobstad]

Well, I'm certainly going to be cautious: Since no one has responded with experience using the KIA rims, that suggests there could be problems.

A good used tire and wheel place in Arcata, CA had a book which showed all the reliable interchanges between various rims which would work well, like the 13" '87 Mazda 323 rims I have on the front of my Festiva now.

Someone the owner of John's Wrecking in Eureka, CA also told me I could use any of the Honda Civic rims ever made in place of the Aspires, so I'm getting imaginative about that, and particularly since seeing some light-weight, very good looking aluminum rims for a certain year of Civic at ecomoder.com. Those would likely be too pricey, but probably there are many others which would look decent and be affordable too.

I'll bet I'll learn all I need to know once I get around to getting the spare bolts out of my car's glove-box to try them on the KIA rims. I've been fasting and am supposed to hit the road for northern California this afternoon, so will try to get to that in the midst of a lot of other tasks today which need my attention. I'll let you all here know the result in a few hours.

[bobstad]

Looked and couldn't find the spare lug bolts, so will have to shelve this, perhaps until I return to B'ham from northern California; as late as the beginning of May sometime. Sorry, but too weak fasting to use my energy pulling a bolt out of the car right now.

[anomoly40]

I'm thinking the Rio rims will bolt right up since the hubs are identical to aspire. 4x100mm.

[bobstad]

I got back from California a few days ago; and taking out a lug bolt experimented with that in the KIA rim as well as a 12" Festiva rim, and they seem identical.

So, I'm going to carry on with using the KIA 13" rims which are in really nice condition and painted a silver color.

Nice buy for $60 for four, but wish I'd of gotten hub caps for each now as there were many available at no extra cost. Those can get pricey when bought separately.

Anyone into the Aspire brake swap might consider these KIA rims as apparently they are from a much later model vehicle; considering how much nicer condition they were in compared to the Aspire rims sitting right next to them in the wrecking yard.

[getnpsi]

Nerd racing is the pro with aspires since he swaps items onto aspires, he doesn't see them as rolling donors. I think i recall a thread about him scoring and comparing kia items, like brakes and even struts that go right on. Off a 2000 kia rio i believe.

[Britstiva]

Yeap! I've got rims from a 2000 Kia Rio too. The aluminum rims.

I've never put them on, but I know they didn't work on the Festiva (w/out an aspire swap).

I'd like to find out if they'll work for me too...

It seems like I tried to put one on my back tire of the Aspire and it wouldn't go over the middle section. (Center opening wouldn't go over dust cap to bearings)... but I can't remember to be honest.

If I have the time this weekend, I'll look into it again and post a reply.

[drddan]

Yes, the Kia rims work. I also am a believer in hub-centric rings. I dont trust the lugs to hold the wheels in center, as they are made to hold the wheels against the spindle/hub, and not to keep the wheel center. There are a few places that sell almost any combination id/od rings to fit any wheel to hub that can be thought of.
Took me some looking but I found some for the festiva to fit the Enkei 92's I have.
I am also sure, that with a little searching, Tom would have found a match for the Estrella's too.
Hub rings do not protude into the mounting area of the hub. In effect, they make the center hole fit the size of the hub. There is a small raised area to keep them in the right place on the rim, and fits into the chamfer on the backside of the rim that is on every wheel i've ever seen.
I will try to find the links to the hub ring places and post it.