Toyota Vigo 2.5 Ic - Changing The Wheels And Tyres

[JustAnotherFarang]

Hi guys. I am a complete noob when it comes to motors

This will be my first new pick up and I have pondered for many an hour thinking if its the right decision to buy Toyota over Isuzu etc.

Judging from what people say, the Toyota is the better buy but I really do not like the silly little car wheels so I am thinking of swapping them on delivery.

Price quoted for changing just the tyres (from 15" to 16" I think) was 9000 bht...........to change the wheels and tyres too is 13,000. I am not sure about just changing the tyres.......wont it just make it a bouncier ride ? So if I change the wheels as well, what are the possible drawbacks please.

Thanks for all your advice

JAF

PS Wife wants an automatic, I want manual. What are the benefits of automatic over manual tranmission

[Lancashirelad]

You cannot put 16" tyres on 15" rims, as the tyre is an inch larger than the rim, so you must change the rims (wheels) also.

PS Wife wants an automatic, I want manual. What are the benefits of automatic over manual tranmission

much more relaxed driving in towns & cities.

[JustAnotherFarang]

You cannot put 16" tyres on 15" rims, as the tyre is an inch larger than the rim, so you must change the rims (wheels) also.

PS Wife wants an automatic, I want manual. What are the benefits of automatic over manual tranmission

much more relaxed driving in towns & cities.

The guy did say he would just change the tyres but if what you say is right then thats a no no for me

As for automatic being more comfortable to drive in town.......... agreed, but does it use more petrol doing so, and in the fullness of time, wont an automatic be more expensive to fix ??

I am guessing here, so please put me right

JAF

[Dave the Dude]

PS Wife wants an automatic, I want manual. What are the benefits of automatic over manual tranmission

Hi

I too will be buying an Auto Vigo latter this year, cos I like the lazy way to drive in Issan. I think you can only get auto for the 3.00litre and not 2.5 You may want to check this out as the choice may have already been made for you. Plus if you are buying NEW,does the wheel/rims changing invalidate the warrenty ?

Good luck

[jcgodber]

JAF-

I have a 4 door crew cab LS 3.0 Isuzu 4-wheel drive automatic.

I have installed 20-inch chrome alloy wheels and the low profile tires for proper clearance.

I have found that the Isuzu with an automatic will just about blow the doors off any truck from a standing start and the top speed is way higher than I care or dare to drive.

Isuzu service is the best I have ever seen anywhere, (Tri Petch Bangkok).

Isuzu has sponsored Caravan tours all over Thailand now for 4 years. The cost of joining one of the tours cost only 2000 baht per couple and include hotels and meals.

The end of April this year we will be driving to Laos and then on down to Ho Chi Min City in Viet Nam. Isuzu send a complete support team with each tour.

This is now my second Isuzu.

Jim from Sa Kaeo

[astral]

Check the rolling diameter of the new wheels before you change.

If it is not fairly close your speedometer will be inaccurate and you may end up

with speeding tickets without realising you are breaking the law.

[torrenova]

Changing wheels can invalidate warranties as well as the other issues raised above. I wanted wider wheels on as Toyota 4x2 as per the 4x4 but thought the better of it.

[chanchao]

> I have installed 20-inch chrome alloy wheels and the low profile tires for proper clearance.

I bet those are a laugh when it gets muddy...

[ProThaiExpat]

JAF-

I have a 4 door crew cab LS 3.0 Isuzu 4-wheel drive automatic.

I have installed 20-inch chrome alloy wheels and the low profile tires for proper clearance.

I have found that the Isuzu with an automatic will just about blow the doors off any truck from a standing start and the top speed is way higher than I care or dare to drive.

Isuzu service is the best I have ever seen anywhere, (Tri Petch Bangkok).

Isuzu has sponsored Caravan tours all over Thailand now for 4 years. The cost of joining one of the tours cost only 2000 baht per couple and include hotels and meals.

The end of April this year we will be driving to Laos and then on down to Ho Chi Min City in Viet Nam. Isuzu send a complete support team with each tour.

This is now my second Isuzu.

Jim from Sa Kaeo

I just did the same thing on my new Fortuner and wondered if anything else has to be done to complete the job.

1. Does spare tile have to conform to the same size?

2. Any suspension changes called for?

3. I would prefer a softer, more sedan type ride. Can this be accomplished on what is a basic truck chasis?

4. Is my ride bouncier and stiffer because I went to 20 inch wheels with low profile tires?

Any responses would be appreciated, especially from Fortuner owners

[Mid]

Is my ride bouncier and stiffer because I went to 20 inch wheels with low profile tires?

yes

[chanchao]

> 3. I would prefer a softer, more sedan type ride.

So... why buy a Fortuner then?

There's of course still some things you can do... check the magazines and shop around. But if you want a sedan like ride, buy a sedan. (or a pseudo sedan like a Honda CRV)

[Thumchok]

Hi guys. I am a complete noob when it comes to motors

This will be my first new pick up and I have pondered for many an hour thinking if its the right decision to buy Toyota over Isuzu etc.

Judging from what people say, the Toyota is the better buy but I really do not like the silly little car wheels so I am thinking of swapping them on delivery.

Price quoted for changing just the tyres (from 15" to 16" I think) was 9000 bht...........to change the wheels and tyres too is 13,000. I am not sure about just changing the tyres.......wont it just make it a bouncier ride ? So if I change the wheels as well, what are the possible drawbacks please.

Thanks for all your advice

JAF

PS Wife wants an automatic, I want manual. What are the benefits of automatic over manual tranmission

I have owned a Vigo for about 18 months now . Personnally I think the standard tyres and wheels are great . Just over 20,000kms on it now and the tyres hardly show any wear .

This is a 2x4 , 4 door 3litre Turbo diesel , manual . The ride is comfortable , plenty of get up and go . I personally like the manual myself , but this maybe because most of my previous cars were manual . The life of the gearbox IMO is greater for a manual than an auto , but clutch , pressure plate and thrust bearing will need to be changed out every couple or three years , depending on how and where it is driven .

Just prior to buying it I had my wife attend some driving lessons , 36 hours if I remember correctly . She had never driven a car before and frightened the hel_l out of me on our first few excursions . The instructor of course told her she would be better off learning in an auto , but I stuck to my guns and now she handles it great .

The wifes GF bought a 2.7litre petrol model a month or so after , had a few probs with it so traded it for the D-Max . Probably just unlucky , but I recommend the diesel . 2.5 litre will be a little underpowered , though on a single cab it may be ok .

[hakku]

Nothing wrong with automatic, more comfortable, lives longer, no need to replace the clutch and toyota (and isuzu) build very good automatic trannies. the wheels is just an optical thing, it just looks much nicer. but yr tires will be more expensive afterwards to replace. No real benefits in driving behaviour. If you go 18inch no real disadvantage also(except for higher replcement price). At B-quik they currently sell 18 inch wheels with tires, complete set for 49 thou....

cheers

[JustAnotherFarang]

I have owned a Vigo for about 18 months now . Personnally I think the standard tyres and wheels are great . Just over 20,000kms on it now and the tyres hardly show any wear .

This is a 2x4 , 4 door 3litre Turbo diesel , manual . The ride is comfortable , plenty of get up and go . I personally like the manual myself , but this maybe because most of my previous cars were manual . The life of the gearbox IMO is greater for a manual than an auto , but clutch , pressure plate and thrust bearing will need to be changed out every couple or three years , depending on how and where it is driven .

Just prior to buying it I had my wife attend some driving lessons , 36 hours if I remember correctly . She had never driven a car before and frightened the hel_l out of me on our first few excursions . The instructor of course told her she would be better off learning in an auto , but I stuck to my guns and now she handles it great .

The wifes GF bought a 2.7litre petrol model a month or so after , had a few probs with it so traded it for the D-Max . Probably just unlucky , but I recommend the diesel . 2.5 litre will be a little underpowered , though on a single cab it may be ok .

Very nice pick up. How much is the "thingy" behind the cab............and what use does it serve or is it ornamental. Certainly makes it look different and I like that

JAF

[chanchao]

> Nothing wrong with automatic, more comfortable, lives longer, no need to replace the

> clutch and toyota (and isuzu) build very good automatic trannies.

No need to replace the clutch, but inevitably you'd need to replace other bits that wear over time? An automatic tranny is a mechanical thing, that surely will require maintenance after 150K, 200K whatever kms?

> the wheels is just an optical thing, it just looks much nicer.

I always wonder about that. Like, most of the time I'm on the inside of the vehicle when driving, so I don't get much of a look at the wheels anyway. The ride quality, and money replacing tyres I however VERY MUCH feel. Like, honestly..

[hakku]

Well the automatic will require transmission fluid changes every now and then (60k ~ 100k km) and that should be it. It is a mechanical thing but save production faults, it will not require part replacements for maintenance. On top of that, the automatic in general makes a vehicle live longer since shifting is smoother, no over revving, no driver mistakes......

[Thumchok]

I have owned a Vigo for about 18 months now . Personnally I think the standard tyres and wheels are great . Just over 20,000kms on it now and the tyres hardly show any wear .

This is a 2x4 , 4 door 3litre Turbo diesel , manual . The ride is comfortable , plenty of get up and go . I personally like the manual myself , but this maybe because most of my previous cars were manual . The life of the gearbox IMO is greater for a manual than an auto , but clutch , pressure plate and thrust bearing will need to be changed out every couple or three years , depending on how and where it is driven .

Just prior to buying it I had my wife attend some driving lessons , 36 hours if I remember correctly . She had never driven a car before and frightened the hel_l out of me on our first few excursions . The instructor of course told her she would be better off learning in an auto , but I stuck to my guns and now she handles it great .

The wifes GF bought a 2.7litre petrol model a month or so after , had a few probs with it so traded it for the D-Max . Probably just unlucky , but I recommend the diesel . 2.5 litre will be a little underpowered , though on a single cab it may be ok .

Very nice pick up. How much is the "thingy" behind the cab............and what use does it serve or is it ornamental. Certainly makes it look different and I like that

JAF

The thingy behind the cab is a roll bar , supposed to protect the cabin in case of a rollover . I would be doubtfull if it was strong enough to help any ,but it does have an extra set of brake lights on it which can only be a safety improvement . Not sure of the price , but the colour coding was free .

Price for the car approx 8 months ago was 720k , plus insurance and rego .

Come with free side and rear window tint , windscreen was an extra 200 baht . Free floormats , Bonnet stone deflector , weathershields , steering lock , chrome exhaust tip , tray liner , and spare tire lock .

The roll bar , nudge bar , fluted type bonnet stone deflector , vinyl seat covers , flared guards , running boards , ninto paint protection , toneu cover were an added cost of around $1000.00 usd fitted .

[elkangorito]

Well the automatic will require transmission fluid changes every now and then (60k ~ 100k km) and that should be it. It is a mechanical thing but save production faults, it will not require part replacements for maintenance. On top of that, the automatic in general makes a vehicle live longer since shifting is smoother, no over revving, no driver mistakes......

I'm not sure that a 'proper' mechanic would agree with you on this. I certainly don't.

Automatic transmissions require regular maintenance...usually about every 6 months, which entails changing the transmission fluid, replacing the pan filter plus gaskets. Strangely, many modern auto trans are not serviceable but are simply throw away things (although this idea may be changing). Also, if the auto trans is not maintained correctly, extra 'slip' may be evident in the form of a degrading fuel economy as well as poor or incorrect gear changing speeds. If you have had an auto trans & maintained it every 60 000 to 100 000km & you've had no problems, I would suggest that you have been very lucky or you drive it like a little old lady.

Auto trans on cargo vehicles will definitely mean a reduced servicing interval. Heavy loads on auto trans tends to wear them rather quickly.

Tires that give a smoother ride are usually 'soft compound' rubber, which wear out very quickly but are very safe on the road. Also, a reduced sidewall ply will give a better ride & better cornering performance providing the profile of the tire is not too big. A 50 series or smaller (profile) tire will corner better but may be a bit stiffer in ride. 2 ply sidewalls may give a better ride but are thin, which may allow foreign bodies to penetrate it.

Using tires of a dissimilar diameter on the same drive axle may do damage to the differential, especially if driven at high speed over a long distance.

Edited March 30, 2007 by elkangorito