VH Commodore 1981 4 cyl 5 speed

[helluvabadapple]

HELP!!!!!!!!!!
Have a 1981 VH Commodore 4 cyl ( yes Startafire!!!..ha ha!!) 5 speed...believe that's a rarey!!!
Come to the day where I cant get an exact tyre match anywhere to replace old rubber.
I have 185/75/13 (now seemingly impossible to get)on it,but want to know what I could possibly change to so as not to throw SPEEDO out too much....????
Is it true that 15x6 5 stud Holden Vectra rims are a good match or was someone....****in' in the wind????

C'mon everyone ....it's a wagon..........if it were yours what would ya do to it????

Thanks to all HOLDENADDICTS
H.B Apple


a.k.a Mic

[Hillerus]

C'mon everyone ....it's a wagon..........if it were yours what would ya do to it????


a.k.a Mic

I'd sell it.

[immortality]

HELP!!!!!!!!!!
Have a 1981 VH Commodore 4 cyl ( yes Startafire!!!..ha ha!!) 5 speed...believe that's a rarey!!!
Come to the day where I cant get an exact tyre match anywhere to replace old rubber.
I have 185/75/13 (now seemingly impossible to get)on it,but want to know what I could possibly change to so as not to throw SPEEDO out too much....????
Is it true that 15x6 5 stud Holden Vectra rims are a good match or was someone....****in' in the wind????

C'mon everyone ....it's a wagon..........if it were yours what would ya do to it????

Thanks to all HOLDENADDICTS
H.B Apple


a.k.a Mic

my very first commodore was a 82 VH 4cyl/4spd what a car. it is a shame that they used a slightly smaller stud pattern. i think it was the same as the stud pattern used on earlier holdens but i can't seem to remember which one. best bet is to ask at a mag wheel outlet. they can measure the PCD and tell you what it matches too

[commsirac]

I have 185/75/13 (now seemingly impossible to get)on it,but want to know what I could possibly change to so as not to throw SPEEDO out too much....????

They are still available, dont take no for an answer!, you may have to ring around though.
The bridgestone enduro comes in a 185/75/13. You wont find it on the aus bridgestone site but it can be found at:Tyres | BFNZ Tread Detail

Junction tyres Mentone, Vic can get them and they are relatively cheap.


Going with the original sized tyres is your best and cheapest option, but yes, 14 or 15 inch aftermarket rims may be an option as 4cyl comms(hope my memory serves me correctly here, use early holden stud pattern (pre HQ holden) as do all Toranas. The comm wheel was quite different in offset though, so getting 14/15 in wheels that have the correct offset for the comm would probably prove difficult.
You can check if they are early holden type pcd, the distance between adjacent studs should be 63.5mm. (you just measure from the outside edge of one stud to the inside edge of the next)

Dont know about the Vectra, couldnt find any that had the same pcd(4.25in, 108mm) as the comm/early holden. Even if you find something with the same pcd, you may still have trouble with wheel nuts fitting properly or having to buy new wheelnuts to fit the imperial 7/16 thread on the comm(assuming that is early holden as well). 20 of the correct wheel nuts to properly secure another rim could end up costing $100.

In regard to speedo readings, the stock tyre(185/75/13) has a diameter of 608mm. Use Tire size calculator to find the diameter of other tyres that could go on 14, 15inch wheels which get close to that. a 205/60/14 at 602mm or a 185/65/14 at 596mm are very close. The 185/70/13 that most tyre places have probably tried to sell you is getting a little small at 589mm.

[mrvhss]

How do ya wear out tyres on a 4 cyl commodore Ha Haa.. go to Jax...they'll help.

[helluvabadapple]

How do ya wear out tyres on a 4 cyl commodore Ha Haa.. go to Jax...they'll help.

I use my 4 cyl 5 speed startafire wagon daily as a work vehicle (carrying window blinds for installation job I do)admittedly it has taken a few years to wear the rear tyres but it HAS happened.....thanks!!

Been booked doing 120 k/hr (90 k zone) in her on Ipswich Motorway late one night....damned speed camera....just testing the old girl whilst she was empty!!
She still goes good!!!

[dodgy]

I can beat 120km/h

I had a VC 4cyl/Auto and a ticket from a vic highway policeman that reads the speed as 145+

The speed was amusing, the fines and licence loss was not. That was 7 years ago. I have grown up since then.

[Deltak]

Hi,

For what its worth I think you will find that the 4 cylinder holdens used 4 stud wheels ( HB - TA Toranas, 4 cyl. Commodores etc). The six cyl. models used five stud pattern. Thus it gets harder (dearer) to replace the wheels with larger diameter ones.

[crazywog]

id do the same and sell it, or go bigger rims with tyres maybe some 15's would look nuts.

[slo_firo]

Hi,

For what its worth I think you will find that the 4 cylinder holdens used 4 stud wheels ( HB - TA Toranas, 4 cyl. Commodores etc). The six cyl. models used five stud pattern. Thus it gets harder (dearer) to replace the wheels with larger diameter ones.

i think you will find that your making crap up - 4 cyl commys have 5 stud just smaller pattern...

mabey good idea to change hubs? you can get em for nothing pretty much (i know ive binned alot) and it makes rims cheaper/easier to find and you get bigger brakes

[helluvabadapple]

Got WHITEWALLS on her now.........it looks 'strangely' GOOD!!

[Calaber]

The 4 cylinder Commodores were a very cheap effort by Holden to produce a competitive 4 cylinder car at a time when they had no money for development. That's why thay had such a crap motor - it was cheaper to develop a four using existing 6 cylinder components where possible, although in the end, many parts ended up having to be strengthened because the engine was so crude and rough.

The 13 inch wheels used the 5 stud centres from LC onward 6 cylinder cars, which had the same stud pattern as all holdens from FC to HG, with a different offset to suit the McPherson Strut fronts. Hubcabs on the base models came from the HD/HR series with different paintouts on the centres and a plastic full wheel cover was used on the SL's.

Brakes, I think, were adaped from LH/LX Toranas, with very thick solid front discs and rear drums. Because the car was much lighter than the 6 cylinder Commies, no rear sway bar was fitted, although the brackets were there on the diff housing and the rear floor. The front sway bar was slightly thinner, I think.