Different Elite/Eclat and Excel pcd with Speedlines

[richardw]

There was recently some controversy over the different pcd of the Speedline wheel as fitted to the Elite/Eclat S2.2, and as fitted to the early Excel. The early Excel, we know, has a pcd of 113.5 or thereabouts, but the Elite/Eclat pcd is around 100 for cars fitted with Speedlines. Here is a picture I took at the weekend of the wheel on an Elite S2.2. You can see that the centre has had to be ground away a little to accommodate the wheel nuts.

Why the pcd was different on Elites and Eclats with Speedline wheels is anybody’s guess, as the GKN Turbines fitted to the S1 cars and early S2.2 Elites have a 113.5 pcd.

One clue may be that the Esprit has the smaller pcd, and the Speedlines were fitted to certain versions of that car - although slightly different widths I believe.

Another important point mentioned by Andrew Bernes on Facebook is that the spigot sizes on which the wheels are located are different, and the wheel nuts need some attention - important if you are considering changing wheel styles.

Retreating into my bunker now!