Changing Alloys To Steels For Insurance Purposes

[toyota yaris wannabe owner]

My son is buying his brothers Toyota Yaris but needs to remove the alloys and replace with steel wheels to keep the insurance down. Finding some is proving difficult. Size 14 in as standard but I need to find out the tyre size. Can anyone help with this.

The car currently has 15 in alloys which came with the car when his brother bought it, but can't order any until we know what the car came with originally.

Thanks for reading.

[FROSTYBALLS]

The second generation with 14 inch wheels came with 165/70R14T's - would probably suggest something around this size.

[toyota yaris wannabe owner]

Cheers again FB

[Cyker]

Mk1's used 175/65R14

Does it actually make any difference?

My car also came with alloys as standard, and changing to steel wheels counted as a deviation in spec and actually RAISED my premium!

[toyota yaris wannabe owner]

Truth be told my son who is 17 would love to keep the alloys on and he is spitting nails at the thought of putting steels on but he will be keeping the alloys for when the black box is don with. He is annoyed as it does not effect the performance and alloys with a security bolt key makes them safer from theft but hey ho that is a gripe we have done once too often with him lol. Given the price of steels and then tyres makes them just as attractive to the criminals, well if only they knew it would.

Need a bit of time out after that gripe. Thank you all so much.

[Cyker]

Oooh, that reminds me; It's a small thing, and from what you say you have probably already realised this, but you have to get a set of nuts for the steelies too as the alloy wheel nuts won't be compatible!

Also, if you do take the alloys off, inspect them for corrosion, as the Yaris alloys are not sealed at the back and are extremely prone to bubbling.

The ones that were on mine were pretty shocking (a 2-inch chunk on one of the 'spokes' flaked off when I poked it! ). Luckily there is a professional powder-coaters near me that don't mind doing odd-jobs and I had all of them shot-blasted, acid-dipped, powdercoated and lacquered for something like £140 (IIRC)

(To be fair, it probably would have been cheaper to buy some Wolfraces from eBay but my insurance company would have screwed me over for them being non-original alloys ¬.¬)

Out of curiosity, how much is the difference in his insurance with alloys vs with steelies??

(Given he's 17, I'm guessing the baseline quote is pretty f'ing ridiculous to begin with...!)

[MEP's Yaris GS]

Are they genuine OEM Toyota alloys? If so then you should be fine if they were a factory fit option and most insurers won't class them as modifications.

[Catlover]

Have you actually approached an insurance company and they told you the premium is higher because of alloy wheels, or are surmising there will be a premium or maybe someone is scare mongering.

[toyota yaris wannabe owner]

Hi all thanks for getting back to me, thanks for the tip on the nuts, not something I had thought about and will save me a shed load of a headache if w bought steels without combat able nuts.

The quote for insurance wasn't too unreasonable considering it is a 5 group with group 1 cars only being a couple of hundred cheaper, we re getting a great deal from his brother is matching we want any car quotes so it balances out the increase in ins premium and we know this car and it is well looked after etc

The quotes are all on line so will check direct, thank you for that tip, this may be more useful than I had thought. Will get on to it straight away.

Much obliged peeps, sincerely.

[toyota yaris wannabe owner]

Car originally came with steel so will definitely need to take the alloys off as with steels the ins is 1250 annual payment or 1400 paid monthly!

Quotes with alloys 3498 paid as an annual 1 off payment only!!!

If we don't revert back anfpd he needed to claim the insurance will be null and void.

Screwed over by insurance or what, mind you one quoted 5400 with steels. Incredible isn't it.

[jstallan]

Have you got to buy a set of steel wheels ? I've got a brand new pair of 14" steels that I purchased for my wife's Yaris that I need to sell on. Couldn't use them as I needed 15" ones (mk3 yaris).. The mistake was mine or rather the bottle of wine I'd consumed that night!!!

I did have a for sale item in the appropriate forum a while back. http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/163849-2-new-yaris-steel-wheels-5jx14-4-stud/

As for wheel nuts, I got mine off eBay from some company in Germany...

[jstallan]

An I used this supplier for the nuts... http://stores.ebay.co.uk/ronnexonde/ I think it was around £11 delivered for a set.

[toyota yaris wannabe owner]

Thanks John, will bare this in mind.

What a great lot Toyota Owners are.

Really appreciate all the help.

[Cyker]

Great Flying Giraffes, that much difference for steelies vs alloys?!

I thought it'd be a couple hundred quid at most!!

They really know how to gouge a young driver don't they...!

[toyota yaris wannabe owner]

Hollow statement but thank heavens for the black box! As much as they have bad points they are the only way to get young drivers on the road.

How the hell they can justify charging so much in difference is mind boggling.

The things for young drivers to avoid are alloys, stripes and metallic paint unless they come as standard, begs the question why one vehicle manufactured with alloys v one that doesn't does not create a high insurance but change to non standard and the price rockets!

Some pitfalls learnt which hopefully can be passed on to others who may come asp cross this forum or can be passed on by those reading the whole saga of young drivers getting a used vehicle.

Thanks you guys for listening and helping.

We have found some wheels with tyres and fixings which will at least allow the lad to get mobile.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

How the hell they can justify charging so much in difference is mind boggling.

It'll be down to statistics and data held behind the scenes ;)

It'll also vary depending upon the insurer your with, a lot of the budget insurers (mainly what will quote youngsters) will increase premiums left right and centre for various different rating factor reasons. In addition to this these budget insurers can have some of the highest admin / cancellation charges, and some of the most basic cover - not all fully comp policies are the same.

Always worth a look at defaqto.com/stars

[MikeSh]

The things for young drivers to avoid are alloys, stripes and metallic paint unless they come as standard, begs the question why one vehicle manufactured with alloys v one that doesn't does not create a high insurance but change to non standard and the price rockets!

It's not just young drivers, just that older drivers generally have a lower premium/risk profile to start with.

The reason stock vs modified makes a difference is simple, and very little to do with the value of the car or added parts. The owner who modifies his car, either by improving performance or by making it look 'different' (faster) is likely to be someone who, for want of a better description, is more of a show off. A quick trawl of YouTube will illustrate what can happen when people show off. From the insurers' point of view this significantly increases the risk of having to pick up the tab for a 6 or 7 figure third party claim, and premiums rise accordingly

[toyota yaris wannabe owner]

Have spent the morning comparing insurance via defaqto and although the lower stars are not offering the same as high star comparison but sadly the cost of the higher star ones is out of reach, ranging from 4k to 5+k. The lower stars at least allow him to drive, which enables him to build up no claims for future use of 5 star insurers.

Thanks again you guys, all of this wading through the pitfalls had me feeling out of my depth but I no longer feel alone.

[Cyker]

Was talking about insurancy stuff at work today and one of the office apprentices says he's paying £500/month to insure his mk2 Focus atm

[toyota yaris wannabe owner]

We've managed to get our sons quote down to 1173 for the year, unfortunately paying by installments bumps it to 1400 ish, which after deposit works out at 102 a month for his Yaris vvt-i gs 2001 reg.

He will be parking it on the street as this lowers the quote from parking on the drive, and having us parents as named drivers brought it down, but we will need to run him to parties and for is MOT if he is at work. This is fully comp mind and social use only.

Now he has passed his test he is being allocated a works van, which I find alarming as it is relatively big in comparison to a car and will be waited down with lots of tools, ladders etc. Thankfully works ins is paying for that.

I would love to know the cost of that to the company! Wonder if it is as high as his car ins. Driving it after a cbt type one day assessment seems sufficient to be let lose in a big Bedford type van.

The world has gone mad lol

[MEP's Yaris GS]

Now he has passed his test he is being allocated a works van, which I find alarming as it is relatively big in comparison to a car and will be waited down with lots of tools, ladders etc. Thankfully works ins is paying for that.

I would love to know the cost of that to the company! Wonder if it is as high as his car ins.

Probably not as one is a domestic motor policy and the other commercial.

[dcweather]

It's hard to see that someone wanting to put steel wheels instead of alloys is a staistically proven higher risk. The other way round I can see. (I guess this is not a good time to say my fully com insurance is £200 p.a !)

[FROSTYBALLS]

(I guess this is not a good time to say my fully com insurance is £200 p.a !)

It isn't that it isn't a good time, it is just unnecessarily rubbing it in.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

It's hard to see that someone wanting to put steel wheels instead of alloys is a staistically proven higher risk.

Its a modification, it may be as simple as those that change from OEM spec are more likely to claim. The fact that the modification may be a down grade is irrelevant.

[MikeSh]

It's hard to see that someone wanting to put steel wheels instead of alloys is a staistically proven higher risk. The other way round I can see.

Its a modification, it may be as simple as those that change from OEM spec are more likely to claim. The fact that the modification may be a down grade is irrelevant.

There are two types of driver/owner.

1/ Those that buy a car, use it as transport, sell it. Generally low risk until their record shows else.

2/ Those that buy a car and then change it. This implies some, even if only slight, degree of petrolhead tendency. Increased risk.

Simples :D