Freelander 1 Freelander 1 - Dacia Steel Wheels

Hi all,

Got a bit of a project going with my FL1, I have found some Dacia Duster steel wheels that I like. The bolt pattern matches and I can get some spigot rings that will help with the fitment. I am wondering whether they will fit as they have ET50 offset? Would this require a spacer? Max load weight per wheel is 513kg so that shouldn’t be an issue either.

Cheers! Jono

Hi,

Steel wheels are car specific, only allow wheels can be used with plastic adaptators …

just buy a Dacia Duster if you like the look ( I doubt it will survive as long as the Freelander)

A wheel with an ET50 offset will likely drag on the struts, requiring spacers to make them fit with standard sized tyres, which is kinda pointless, and potentially dangerous.

Nodge68 said:

A wheel with an ET50 offset will likely drag on the struts, requiring spacers to make them fit with standard sized tyres, which is kinda pointless, and potentially dangerous.

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why would it be dangerous?

Jono101 said:

Hi all,

Got a bit of a project going with my FL1, I have found some Dacia Duster steel wheels that I like. The bolt pattern matches and I can get some spigot rings that will help with the fitment. I am wondering whether they will fit as they have ET50 offset? Would this require a spacer? Max load weight per wheel is 513kg so that shouldn’t be an issue either.

Cheers! Jono

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Are the rims hub or wheel centric? I.e. how do they centre on the hub? Most alloy wheels are hub centric, hence the need for a matching centre bore. As in an alloy is centred and located on the hub and wheel nuts simply hold the wheel in place.

Many steel rims have a larger centre bore, at least on something like a proper Defender and they centre on the wheel nuts.

I honestly don't know about the Freelander steel rims as I've never had them. As for using a spigot ring on a steel wheel, also not sure. But the flange area around the hole is usually a lot thinner on a steel rim, so I'm not sure they would work.

In theory if the rims centre on the nuts and the centre bore is big enough to clear the hub, then they should fit. As for ET, you need to know the rim width too. Looks like the FL1 used ET46 on most of the rims 5.5 to 7" and ET42 on a 7.5" rim. So a spacer would likely be required, although you are in that difficult range that most spacers are round 25mm as they need to be deep enough for the nuts to fit flush into. You'd probably need something like an 8-10mm shim. But the wheel studs may not be long enough to safely to the wheel nuts up.

Ultimately it would probably be a difficult way to get some wheels onto a Freelander. There is a good choice of some nice alloys which would just "work" with no effort.

A quick Google brings these up: https://www.johncraddockltd.co.uk/j...-1-5114-3-et35-requires-wheel-nuts-jc221.html

Which might be a better bet. They are ET35 and require different wheel nuts, suggesting they are nut centric.

mystery said:

just buy a Dacia Duster if you like the look ( I doubt it will survive as long as the Freelander)

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It will return to dust ( sold with almost no rust protection )

300bhp/ton said:

why would it be dangerous?

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Stud length may not be long enough. Availability of the correct nuts to the op

bit like the Talbot horizon leaving the factory with rust ,not many of them around these days

300bhp/ton said:

why would it be dangerous?

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I said potentially dangerous, not would be dangerous, there is a difference.

If the chosen spacers are well designed and engineered by a reputable manufacturer, and the spigots are correct for the application, then they are probably fine. However the market is full of no name aftermarket rubbish, which could be dangerous to use.

Shims are generally safe, providing the nuts have the correct engagement of the threads.

Cheers for all the replies! Seems like it would be a lot of hassle… the reason I was asking is they’re similar to the new defender steel wheels, which I think look pretty cool but as a 25yo with a limited budget, it’s a little bit out of my price range

Jono101 said:

Cheers for all the replies! Seems like it would be a lot of hassle… the reason I was asking is they’re similar to the new defender steel wheels, which I think look pretty cool but as a 25yo with a limited budget, it’s a little bit out of my price range

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I was at my wealthiest at 25.

Had my own flat, no wife, no kids, loaded. Its the next 30 years where you struggle!

Then there's a brief period of wealth, before, presumably, you struggle again.