tires and wheels there's no such thing as "Tii alloys"

[osbourne]

The subscribers on this forum are usually very good about making generally accurate statements, but one error I see popping up, constantly, is "Tii alloys". As one who has owned three brand new 02s ('71 2002, '72 2002A and '72 2002 Tii) I can tell you for a fact that the alloy wheels I keep seeing mis-labelled as "Tii alloys" were never part of the Tii package. The Tii came with plain old steel wheels, just like all the other 02s. The above-mentioned alloy wheel was available on any 2002, and was most frequently a dealer-installed option.

My '72 2002A (my Dad's, actually) was probably the first 02 in the Pittsburgh area to to be fitted with a set of those wheels (come to think of it, his 2002A and my Tii were the only 02s I remember seeing, "back in the day", with those wheels). When he bought the car, he mentioned to our dealer that he really liked the alloy wheels on a 2800CS (or were they on a Bavaria?) and was something like that available for the 2002? The dealer told him that the same style alloys were available for the 02 as for the 6 cylinder models, so my Dad said "please order me a set". I liked the look of them so much that, when I bought my '72 Tii several months later, I ordered a set of them, too.

I used to know the correct name for them (are they Cromodoras??? or something like that), but I've long since forgotten. Anyway, why don't we determine the correct name for them and stick with that, rather than incorrectly calling them something which they never really were?

[mossyboy6]

"comporados"

[ought2]

Picadillos?

[eastsidebimmer]

I usually call them "early alloys" -- here is a picture of them on my 71 1600 that I believe had them since being purchased new in the Philly area in August 1971. Also fitted were factory mudflaps and a VDO tach near where the tii clock would live (dated 1970 inside)

BMW Calls both versions early and late "LIGHT ALLOY RIM"

[Greg72tii]

Did these only come as 13s ?

[ray_]

"Tii clock" is a bit of a misnomer also.

Cheers,

Ray (with "regular" '02 with tii clock installed)

[Hutton]

WOW...good point!...

I bought my first 02 back in 1985...And the only time I saw a set they where on a tii car. Always made the assumption that the wheels where apart of the tii package. Any other thoughts out there?

[Kidasters]

They aren't only for tii's.

They were an option. I know these are what came on my 73, as the 5th one in the trunk is perfect.

[02fanatic]

They are Early Factory Alloys and came as an "Option" on '02's from '71 to '73...tii's '02's and Tourings, not just tii's, although you saw them most often on tii's.

Tii clock "is" actually correct, as only tii's and Ti's had such clocks...there is a difference between a Ti clock and tii clock. I actually have a Ti clock in Hugo (they are easy to spot by the silver ring on the bezel). tii clocks are all black...faces vary somewhat...and the '74tii clock is entirely different from the mechanical mechanism of earlier clocks (and thus are more difficult to repair).

[02Les]

True.

Maybe they should be Touring alloys as they were part of the Touring Sport Paket offered for Tourings in '71.

[bferman]

Thanks for pointing this out. I'm nearing the end of my '73 2002 (carbed) restoration and I really would like to go with the optional alloys vs the steelies with hub caps but I was leanning away from it because i thought the alloys were only an option on the Tii. I really love the look of the alloys. Just looked on Max's site and i can get new Alloy's for $141 vs new hub caps for the steelies at $90! Ofcourse you also have to buy the lugs and center caps but now i'm heavily leaning towards a new set of alloys.

I also noticed on Max's site that the alloys came in both ET28 and ET26 offsets. The ET28 offset is NLA. Anyone know which offset is most preferred for this wheel? I love this forum...

[Pierre]

The subscribers on this forum are usually very good about making generally accurate statements, but one error I see popping up, constantly, is "Tii alloys". As one who has owned three brand new 02s ('71 2002, '72 2002A and '72 2002 Tii) I can tell you for a fact that the alloy wheels I keep seeing mis-labelled as "Tii alloys" were never part of the Tii package. The Tii came with plain old steel wheels, just like all the other 02s. The above-mentioned alloy wheel was available on any 2002, and was most frequently a dealer-installed option.

While we are trying to be "correct" with the labeling, the tii steel wheels were not the same as the other 2002s. They were 5 inches wide while the carbureted cars had 4.5-inch-wide wheels. They looked the same but upon closer inspection, you can see the tii wheels had a slightly deeper lip.

The style changed in 74 from the dog dish hubcap look to the slotted E21 with a little center cap look but the width size differential between the 2002 and the 2002tii remained.

The optional alloys were available on every car but were more common on tiis because dealers often installed them on the "expensive" models. People who bought tiis (and could afford them) were more readily willing and able to pay extra to have a distinctive look separating their car from the "lesser" versions. And that is where the tii alloy misconception comes from. To make matters more interesting, the alloys were 5 inches wide which would be an upgrade for a 2002 in width to the tii stock size.

[TobyB]

Ha! Pierre, you beat me to it.

And has anyone weighed them? I wonder if the

'light alloy' wheel was really any lighter than the

'ferrous alloy' wheel?

t

[MikeD]

My 74 Tii steel wheels are 5 1/2 inches wide. They are the standard wheel that came new on my Tii. Pierre mentioned that Tii steel wheels are 5 inches. Did they produce 2 different Tii standard wheels?

[Pierre]

My 74 Tii steel wheels are 5 1/2 inches wide. They are the standard wheel that came new on my Tii. Pierre mentioned that Tii steel wheels are 5 inches. Did they produce 2 different Tii standard wheels?

You most likely have E21 wheels. I suspect they have an offset of 18.