tires and wheels Are 70s era Opels and 2002 wheels

[AndyS]

both 4x100 and similar offset?

TIA

Andy

[PSloan]

My 13x7s came off an opel gt. I'm yet to fit them but the bolt pattern is the same.

[AndyS]

Thanks, Man!

[Guest Anonymous]

If its not exactly the same size bolt pattern, I'll bet its close enough to work. I had some "stamped" steel wheels from a 74 cosworth vega that I used on the 02. The holes were slightly off, but with the kiss of a round file, they worked. Because I did not like the white lettered bias belted tires I took the wheels off. SOmeone with an Opel Gt ultimately put the wheels on his car.

Good luck, tell us how they fit.

[Vroomer]

I have GTs on my 2002 from the previous owner.

[Guest Anonymous]

What is the black dot on the rear of the front fender? A hole?

A key for an alarm?

Dirt on the lens?

A spot created by a laser when you were testing your car wax? (Sorry I could not resist after reading posts from a few weeks ago regarding durashine(?))

[Vroomer]

a paint chip...

[RIMSPOKE]

A FRIEND OF MINE HAD AN OPEL MANTA BACK IN THE 80's

( I BOUGHT MY LES PAUL STANDARD FROM THE SAMY GUY )

WE BOTH WORKED IN THE SAME SHOP AND ONE DAY HE HAD A FLAT TIRE ON HIS OPEL . HE HAD NO SPARE & THOUGHT HE WAS STRANDED .

I OFFERED THE SPARE FROM MY 2002 . HAVING NO OTHER OPTIONS ,

HE ACCEPTED . NOT ONLY DID IT FIT , IT WORKED WELL .

HE DROVE AROUND ON MY WHEEL FOR TWO DAYS LOOKING FOR THE BEST DEAL ON A NEW TIRES .

[02Les]

I had Opel steel wheels (look like the Borani/Alpina wheel) on my first '02.

I put 120k+ miles on them cruising around Europe with no problems.

[eastsidebimmer]

4x100 -- 13" x 5" These are stamped OPEL, 12/67 and made by one of the same wheel suppliers to BMW Lemxxxx (sp) These most likely came from an Opel Ralle since they dont have the riveted clips for the center caps like a GT. My center caps are from the E30 steel wheel parts bin and are held on by the lugnuts.

Ben

[eastsidebimmer]

4x100 -- 13" x 5" These are stamped OPEL, 12/67 and made by one of the same wheel suppliers to BMW Lemxxxx (sp) These most likely came from an Opel Ralle since they dont have the riveted clips for the center caps like a GT. My center caps are from the E30 steel wheel parts bin and are held on by the lugnuts.

Ben

[Mike Self]

13" Opel wheels came in many flavors in the late 60s/early 70s. All were made by Lemmetz, same folks that made 2002 steel wheels. And they all had 4x100 bolt patterns and the same offset as '02 wheels. BTW, Vega wheels were 4 x 4 inch, so they can be persuaded to fit, but aren't happy about it, but Chevette wheels are 4 x 100mm and work fine (some are even made by Lemmetz.)

Opel wheels came in plain Jane (just like roundie wheels) in 4.5 & 5 inch rim widths. Plain 5" wheels were usually on station wagons. You can use roundie wheel covers on 'em except the valve stem doesn't line up with the designated hole in the BMW wheel cover. Go figure...

Slotted, wheels--chrome and painted--that were used on the Opel Rallye (later Manta) were all 5" wide. BMW hubcaps won't work on these

Styled steel wheels as used on Opel GTs (several designs) were all 5". You can replace the Opel emblem in the center cap with a BMW emblem of the proper size.

Later Opels (71-75, last year they were imported) used 5" wide slotted steel wheels (with dog dish hubcaps) that also work on '02s.

I used 5" plain wheels on my '69 from around 1970 after a wheel fell off my car and was damaged. Opel wheels from a junkyard ($5 each) were a lot cheaper and a half inch wider than replacement BMW wheels...and my wheelcovers fit.

cheers

mike

[AndyS]

Thanks for all the info. I'm looking at some and wondered about them.

[Guest Anonymous]

made by Lemmetz, same folks that made 2002 steel wheels.

That company name is actually Lemmerz. They were absorbed by Kelsey Hayes in 1997. I think there was another company name for their Brazil-made stuff, Borlin-Lemmerz or something like that.

I remember when E30 was current model, the BMW dealer's sold the basketweave wheels in the parts department. Those wheels had BBS centercaps, but the wheels themselves were Lemmerz. At the time, Lemmerz had some connection with BBS, but these wheels had no BBS trademarks, only the caps had that.

Here's some Lemmerz history from the Hayes-Lemmerz site:

"Hayes Lemmerz's earliest predecessor originated from the Hayes side of the business, a company called Hayes Wheel, founded by Clarence Hayes in 1908. The following year John Kelsey and John Herbert started their own automobile wheel manufacturing company, the K.H. Wheel Company, which produced wooden-spoked wheels for Henry Ford's Model T and other early automobile models. In 1927 the two companies merged to form the Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Corporation, which was reorganized in 1933 and renamed the Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Company. Meanwhile, the Lemmerz side of the business had been in business for more than a decade. Founded in 1919, when the Lemmerz family began producing their first automotive wheels in Konigswinter, Germany, the enterprise remained at its original location until merging with the direct descendant of Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Company, Hayes Wheels International Inc., in 1997. "

[dlhoovler]

...that Mike mentioned: 5" plain steel, identical to tii rims except for the hubcap lugs on the centers. Stock caps fit, but the valve stem is about 45 degrees off; my dad slightly filed the edges of the appropriate oval slots in the caps so they wouldn't cut the stems. He put the wheels on shortly after getting the car (in 1971), and I still have them in the garage with decent Pirellis on 'em--they're less hairy in cool weather than the summer tires I run on 14" 2000CS rims.

I only have three complete sets of wheels and tires for the car (counting the original rims and XASes in my mom's garage). I need to work on something else... :-)

-Dave