Problem with alloy wheels HELP !!!!

Hello all,

I bought some used alloys for my 2002 TD4 Freelander commercial stupidly thinking all freelander wheels fitted any age of vehicle with no problems

My original wheels were the standard steel ones.

I bought these

Google Image Result for http://catalog.thewheelwarehouse.com/images/72166%20freelander%20wheel.jpg

The fronts went on with no dramas however the rears are another matter.

I noticed a recess in the rear drums that the steel wheels fit flush onto with the spokes pointing slightly outwards to fit around the rest of the drum.

The above wheels sit flat and do not fit into the recess so the spokes sit flat against the main body of the drum.

This allows the nuts to be tightened and tightened due to the space. An awful grinding noise occurs when you try to drive due to what I think is the drum being slightly crushed with the pressure.

But when the nuts are fairly slack no problems. Dont want to drive around with potentially dangerous loose wheels though.

I went to a so called wheel expert and he said just 'nip' the nuts up and dont overtighten once on the ground. Dangerous ?!?!!!??!?! not sure !!

Has anyone experienced such problems ?? Is there a fix that can be sorted ?

Or have I just bought incompatible wheels for the age of the car etc

Apologies for the length of this thread

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Neil

I'm not sure of the details, but if you search hard enough there have been several threads about this.
Early Freelander wheels (I think the change was about 2000, but don't quote me) won't fit later Freelanders, OK the other way round.
While we're at it Freelander 1 & Freelander 2 wheels are not interchangeable.

if you do a search on here, there are a couple of posts detailing which wheels fit on which freelanders, as not all are compatible, but can't remember the breakpoints of the models.

definitely not right how it is as the central hub or flange of the wheel should sit tight against the drum. with it as it is now, the wheel will exert undue stress on the mounting studs, the point where the spoke is touching the drum is now a fulcrum, trying to deform the mounting studs.

Might a pair of spacers on the rear wheels (or all round if you like) solve the problem? Probably need to be the hub-centric type.

Just a thought.....

Steve

Thanks for the replies, Very useful. I am having problems identifying which wheels will go on my freelander with no mods required. I have read spacers are not always ideal and sometimes unsafe ?!?!? Not sure really!! I also got told there are two versions of the wheel I have !!!!. Think I will sell the wheels on and get some new ones that will bolt straight onto the hub. Serves me right for not researching it before buying new wheels. Thanks again !!