Can Mr2 Alloys Be Classed As 'optional Extras On An Aygo'?

[hora]

That time of year - my insurance due for renewal and my current insurer Sainsburys only charge £20 extra to add alloys onto my insurance. However upon renewal I found that they were over £150 out compared to the best quote....however..... the new Insurer wouldnt quote for 'modified wheels'.

Now, the wheels in question are mkIII MR2 15" alloys. Could these be classed as 'optional extras'? Can you buy them through the dealers as an aftermarket option?

This is probably a really daft question B)

[adilmon]

I don't think you will be able to get away with it. Sorry

But you have two other options! :

- There is a sport version of the Aygo on sale in Holland, which has 15" alloys on as a standard fit. It's called "Aygo Xceptional". You could find out what wheels they are and fit those

- Also the (white) 9 spoke TTE Aygo alloys, which you can also prove is approved by toyota for the Aygo

[Ullevi]

Unfortunately,the wheels described are a modification,not an "optional extra".

If they were listed by Toyota as an optional extra or an accessory for the Aygo then you could get away with informing your insurance company that these were optional extras.

As they are normally found on a different model than putting them on your car would count as a modification.

I would be very wary of putting the wheels of an MR2, a mid-engined rear wheel drive car, on the Aygo, a front wheel drive front engine car. The pre-2003 15 inch wheels from an MR2 are narrower at the front of the car than the back wheels/tyres,so you must make sure that this arrangement is suitable for an Aygo.

[hora]

Ta. These are post-2003 (the latest 5-star) alloys. Both front and rear are 6.5J. They do work and in severe cross-winds on the motorway the car is almost rock-solid, sure-footed etc so when I went back to the standards I literally felt nervous. Hmmm called the current (new) insurer this morning and they relented and agreed to an increase of +£55 on my policy as I am also using Toyota locking nuts.

[hora]

and on

No clearance issues (using correct size of tyre as indicated in Aygo forum notes) :)

[Ullevi]

Ta. These are post-2003 (the latest 5-star) alloys. Both front and rear are 6.5J. They do work and in severe cross-winds on the motorway the car is almost rock-solid, sure-footed etc so when I went back to the standards I literally felt nervous. Hmmm called the current (new) insurer this morning and they relented and agreed to an increase of +£55 on my policy as I am also using Toyota locking nuts.

Post 2003 MR2 alloys,standard from the factory are 15" with 185/55 tyres front and 16" with 215/45 tyres on the back wheels.I know because I bought a new 2005 MR2 from my local Toyota dealership,so it is completely original.

The pre 2003 face lift MR2 had 15" wheels back and front,6J at the front and 6.5J at the back with correspondingly wider tyres on the back wheels.

PS the pre-2003 MR2 had the same 5 spoke star shaped alloys as post 2003 face lift models-the only difference is the size of the wheels/tyres.

[hora]

I've definitey got two sets of fronts then(?) as all the tyres are 15" and sure they are the latest- due to the pattern where the arms meets the rim.

[Ullevi]

I've definitey got two sets of fronts then(?) as all the tyres are 15" and sure they are the latest- due to the pattern where the arms meets the rim.

Yep,I don't know were you got them,but if they are the same size they are either 4 front or 4 back wheels off pre2003 MR2s or 4 front wheels off post 2003 MR2s.(I think fronts are 6.0J and rears are 6.5J)

Either way it shouldn't matter to the Aygo,as it is designed to run on 4 equal rims(unlike the MR2) so you're actually better off with 4 equal rims in an Aygo!

The MR2 has bigger rims on the back becuase it is mid-engined and rear wheel drive,so to stop it oversteering badly or spinning out all the time it needs a bigger rubber footprint at the back wheels.But as long as your MR2 wheels have the right offset for an Aygo then I'd actually be happier to put 4 equal rims on each corner than unequal rims.

Well.that would be if your insurance people weren't being so unreasonable about having non-standard alloys on your Aygo!