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Comments
You might be thinking of the Michelin XH4 or the XW4, or the RainForce MX4. Michelin did make a 155/80R13 for them, but not the Symmetry.
See:
http://www.michelin.com/us/eng/tire/catalog/symmetry.htm
I've had a set of 4 on my 2000 Metro LSi Hatchback and they are fantastic!
Tom
Of course my Metro has 175/70R13 tires on it, cheap ones but I can't afford good ones yet...
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/inuvik_nwt?e&.flabel=fld1&.from=d&.pindex=3&start=1&.src=ph&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/bc/inuvik_nwt%3fd%26.flabel=fld1%26.src=ph
steve109, the 155/80R13 tires and the 175/70R13 tires are plenty interchangeable, I have 175/70R13 tires on my 1995 Metro, same car as yours. The only things you will notice are increased tire noise (unless you buy quality tires) and better grip. The speedometer is virtually unaffected by this change.
all, I just purchased a brand new 2000 Swift GA, 5-speed, with dealer A/C, in brilliant blue. I am attacking it with stickers and window tint and various other things and I will post pictures in a couple of weeks. I paid $7949 for the car itself, plus $1300 for A/C, plus tax and title. The Suzuki dealers have $1300 incentives on these cars, and he knocked half off of his $500 markup. I financed through Primus and got a ridiculous 17.9% rate, but with my credit I consider myself lucky I got approved at all. $1000 down and 17.9% interest on 42 months gives me a payment of about $360. That means the car costs me $16000 over 3.5 years. But I hope it will be worth it. My Metro I did not trade in, they only offered me $500 and it is worth so much more to me, this red '95 will become an autocross machine and I plan to lose a lot, but I also plan on embarassing as many people with it as I can.
There is a turbo boost meter available, in white or black, that would be good for a Turbo conversion. Fitting a Sprint Turbo to a 3-cylinder Metro is easy. I am sure if I wanted to add a Turbo to my 1.3, it would be a simple job, and all I would need to upgrade would be the fuel pump and fuel injection systems.
For tachometers, go with Stewart Warner. They have several designs to match whatever Metro you have, from the graphic design of the 89-91 models to the simple design of the 92-current models. You can order catalogs from their website here:
http://www.stewartwarner.com
The prices are high but these gauges are perfect and very durable. Ask any police department about their gauge sets.
The secret is... will there be a replacement?
If not, the Cavalier will be the smallest car Chevy offers for 2001.
Has anyone heard any rumors on a replacement for the Metro? One I heard was going to be GM Europe/Opal.
Guess one way to check is to contact Cami and ask if anyone is expecting layoff notices (??)
Also, what is the LARGEST 13" tire you can put on the Metro? Some manufactures offer a P185/80R13.
Do you think that will fit (without chains of course)? Or do you thing you might be scrapping the sides when locking the steering wheel (ie: turning it all the way left and right)?
Tom
The Swift would have still been a good deal for me at that rate. When you have bad credit you do what you can. Having the warranties and the payments posting to my credit report would have helped. Buying a used 1998 Swift from a note lot in Arlington is another choice...that car is only $6000...$1500 down and $330 a month for 24 months, total of $9420. Of course it is at 22% interest but it is a cheaper car and it only has 17K on it, so it is still covered.
I have two 185/80R13 tires that I can use on the rear of the Metro. They are fine in back, but they do scrape at full lock in the front. I use 175/70R13 tires and those are fine. You can also buy 185/70R13s and 195/70R13s and those would be OK, too. Those are rare sizes though, and if you do find them, get them. The 195/70R13 might be too wide for the 4.5" rims that come standard on the Metro.
Well, I'll keep trying. In the meantime fixing up mine and selling them will help so if you know anyone who wants a $2500 Metro, post here or email me occupant1@hotmail.com. See ya later!
http://www.new-car-net.co.uk/indepth.html?SerialNo=7621
It looks like a Metro, kind of. It gets good mileage:
49mpg combined in the 1.0/5-speed
45mpg combined in the 1.2/5-speed
37mpg combined in the 1.2/auto
37mpg combined in the 1.4/5-speed
35mpg combined in the 1.4/auto
37mpg combined in the 1.4/5-speed Sport model
Now remember earlier in this topic all the talk about the Suzuki Baleno? Well, you can search for that car in Yahoo! Autos UK as well. IT is sold in sedan and wagons forms only in the US, but I am willing to bet that the Swift will be dropped at the same time as the Metro (after 2001) and the Esteem will gain a hatchback model with a 1.3 engine. But the hatchback Esteem will probably not be a product sold by Chevy because the Suzuki Esteem is a direct rival to the Cavalier in the cheap subcompact market. It sort of makes me wonder why Chevy has Cavaliers and Prizms. Prizms are more expensive, smaller, but are better cars. I guess Chevy has to have the best of both worlds. Good cars and junk.
Anyway, there are some incredibly nice cars available in the UK for cheap. 1.6 liter 4-cylinder BMW 3-series hatchbacks for about 15K pounds, Corolla 2-door and 4-door hatchbacks, Honda Civic and Accord 4-door hatchbacks, and more Daewoo and Kia models. The Kia Sephia is called the Mentor, and there are even Daihatsus available. I am having fun dreaming of the nice little cars we could have here if only they would import them!
If a new Chevy Metro with air and a radio and a 3-cylinder engine and the 5-speed stick costs me $8981 after rebate and discount, and a new Civic DX hatchback with air, a radio, and a 5-speed stick costs me $13795 because there is no rebate and there are no discounts, then where is the value? I see more broken Civics at dealers and repair shops than I see Metros. They may be more reliable, but with cracking heads, burning valves, and snapping timing belts, I wouldn't be able to tell. After five years my Metro may only be worth $2500, but I only lost $6500 on depreciation. After five years, your Civic is worth about $5000 and you just lost $8800. And I spent less on gas, less on insurance (remember the Civic is stolen a lot just like the Accord...premiums are higher), and less on maintenance because I didn't have to adjust my valves every 15K, I didn't have to replace my timing belt until 100K, and my oil changes can be done by myself in twenty minutes or less. Heck, I can replace my engine in an afternoon for about $500. What's that? You need the dealer to do it and it'll be $3400? Oh, so sorry.
Anyway, there are better cars than the Metro. The 4-cylinder Metro, for example (what I drive). It has more pickup, it can carry more weight, it is rated by U-Haul to tow a 1500 pound trailer whereas the Civic can only tow 1000. The Metro is rated in quality above Escort, Tracer, Neon, Cavalier, Sunfire, Mirage, Colt, Summit, and even the Nissan Sentra. It has four-star protection for driver and pasenger, and without A/C, it is the cheapest car you can buy today not including rebates.
I could go on...
Considering you like to bash Metros and think the Civic is god's gift to the American hatchback market, what do YOU drive?
I have a 97 Metro LSI (4 cyl) automatic
with 55k miles.
It locks in Park (sometimes) when starting
the engine. Pressing on the brake causes
the engint to die.
I can get it into Neutral by going in
through the console and pressing the release
lever that is there. Then it will finally
go into drive and roll.
But . . . for the first mile or so, it
will die as I hit the brakes at red lights
or stop signs.
The Gas guage also drops to the "E" as all
this is going on.
Finally after a mile or two of driving
it will get ok . . . the gas guage will
come back up and everything may be fine for
several days, until the next episode.
I can't get it to misperform for a mechanic.
It's an 'occasional' kind of problem and the
mechanics won't do a thing unless they can
see the problem in action.
Someone please help, if you've experienced this
and solved it.
Email me direct if you wish. <<A HREF="http://drums01@att.net">drums01@att.net>
Thanks.
Bill P
That is an interesting problem. If the car dies and the fuel gauge drops to "E" when you hit the brakes, I'd look at a possible electrical short (?). When this happens, if your headlights are on, do they dim? Maybe a wire is grounding out against your brake pedal(?). I would really check into this as this might pose a possible electrical fire down the road.
Or,...
Maybe your idle speed is too low(?) when it stalls.
On the transmission problem,....
Do you park on a hill? If so, try engaging your parking brake first(making sure your vehicle doesn't roll), then shift into park. This will prevent your vehicle from putting a strain against the parking paw and you will be able to shift.
I've recently purchased a new 2000 Metro and found it did not have a remote rear hatch release.
GM does make one. You can get the cable/release lever and striker plate through your Chevrolet dealer. One thing I have found: The late model Metro's (I believe it started with either the 1997 or 1998 model year), had a "double" latch safety mechanism on the rear hatch. Kind of like your hood release (front). This can cause problems if you opt for the remote rear hatch release as you'll use the release, walk over to the hatch, only to find it still locked.
To get around this, if you have the '98 or later model, order a 1995 rear latch as it didn't have this double latch feature.
This can be "$$" by the time you're done. But if you're going to keep your Metro for a few years, it is nice to have.
Tom
I didn't know it would co$t that much! I took the cable release from my old '91 Metro and transferred it to my 2000 Metro LSi. Of course, that was before I traded in my '91 (he,he).
So the only thing I had to pay for was the striker plate and the rear latch ('95-97 model).
I saw the new Vauxhall Corsa. Nice car!
If GM does plan on using it over here, I'll miss the Metro but will look forward to it's replacement.
I do have one small problem with my new 2000 Metro LSi. I like to fill the gas tank tippy-top full.
This helps me determine the correct gas mileage.
This new Metro, however, fills to the top, then slowly goes back down. By keeping the nozzle at a trickle, I can continue to fill it for about 2 more gallons of gas before it finally fills to the top without going back down. I've put over 11.5 gallons of gas in it during one fill (and the needle wasn't all the way empty).
I believe the gas is filling into the expansion section of the gas tank (normally reserved for air when the gas needs to expand on those hot days).
That would explain why it takes more gas than the specs. suggest (10.6 gals).
If I fill it up all the way tippy-top,... it can take more than 15 minutes (it sure bugs people too!). The plus side is you can drive almost 100 miles before the needle moves off of "F"!
Anyone else have that problem?
Tom
We can rule out the hill. It has always happened on flat ground. The problem is intermitten and
seemingly random. It occurs sometimes when the engine is cold and other times when the engine is
warm . . . but, always when I least expect it, haha.
It has happened at night and the headlights seemed ok, but I'll be watching for that on the next go-around.
I'll have my mechanic check for a short.
Someone suggested it might be a linkage adjustment
problem too. Does that sound like a plausible explanation?
The other day . . . it happened 'backwards.
When I went to kill the engine . . . it
refused to go INTO park. I had to really
fight with it a few minutes before it
FINALLY 'chunked' into the Park position.
The trans seems otherwise ok. It normally
goes through all the gears ok. Nothing appears
to be amiss, except for the occasional 'locked
in Park' problem.
I appreciate any and all thoughts you have offered this.
Thanks again!
Mole (Bill P)
A linkage problem sounds like a possibility. I'm surprised a qualified mechanic doesn't have an answer.
The Metros are really good little cars. At least I've had very good luck with mine. If you change the oil and filter and keep up with the scheduled maintenance, you should have a happy car.
Of course, there will always be a car that could be classified as a "Monday" or "Friday" made car.
That is unfortunate. The LEMON!
I hope that isn't the case with your Metro.
Let me know what eventually happens.
Good Luck!
Tom.
I still haven't found a right side composite headlight for my 1995 Metro LSi (used). If anyone happens upon a junkyard who has one for $75 or less, I will pay that $75 plus $20 shipping. I don't want an aftermarket one and a new one is $303.
Bought a 99 Metro last August, dark green, this one has air where my first one did not. Even though I can afford more now, still got another Metro. Not interested in spending a lot of cash on flash, just get me from a to b. Between my rebate and GM family discount through one of my parents I got this one for low 8K, with air, rear defrost and am/fm cassette.
Bottom line on these is that they are a great little car for a certain people. I needed a commute back and forth to work car, from one suburb to another, none of which is highway driving. I've been happy with two Metros now, and did get enjoy not getting too upset about gas prices going up lately.
Only problem I have had with the 99 is one warranty repair, when I tried to use a/c for first time this year, no cold air. Had a leak at a seal in a/c system which let out all of my refrigerant. Fixed under warranty (as was recharge of a/c sys) and no problems.
I plan on this being my commute car for 'several' years. I hate to see them go if it is true they are soon to be no more.....
$15,000. Granted the ride is better but you can't leave the Benz shop for under a grand each time...
I know,my check book is not a pretty site...
Metro serve a purpose...when will the turbos come out?...maybe I'll "upgrade".
Well, now I get to try out the second generation Suzuki minicar, wish me luck, it ought to do me well for the courier work, should get better than 40mpg even with the AC on full tilt.
I think part of the reason I like Metros so much is that I spent the late 80's in Japan compliments of Uncle Sam, and I owned a Honda City there. Talk about a small car, with no hood to speak of and right hand drive too! Of course there you weren't sharing roads with SUVs....
My current Metro I paid a whopping $1800.00
I have never invested more than a tune up, brakes, and tires in a Metro. In fact the Metro I just sold for $350.00 the buyer had the valves redone for $250.00 and says it runs great with over 180,000 miles on the engine with no rebuild, burns no oil and is delivering 42 MPG city.
Could I spend a lot more money for a commuter car, heck yah, but I'm laughing all the way to the bank. My Metro's have paid for themselves many times over. Just to show that $1800.00 buys a pretty decent Metro the next post is a picture of my newest Metro.
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/inuvik_nwt?e&.flabel=fld1&.from=d&.pindex=3&start=1&.src=ph&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/bc/inuvik_nwt%3fd%26.flabel=fld1%26.src=ph
I was considering getting the 2000 Metro or Swift, but after being turned down by the Suzuki dealer even though I offered to put $1000 down on it, I decided to look elswhere. I ended up with a new Hyundai Accent. When comparing the 2 cars as new, the Metro does look like a poor value. I'm glad I chose the larger, more substantial feeling, and more powerful Accent. I still like the looks of the current Metro and hope they don't decide to kill it. And as was previously mentioned, the Metro is a great choice in the used car market.
And finally I purchased them at Les Schwab tire. They are a big regional tire shop her in the Pacific NW.
Help!
I went to a Suzuki dealer and they will still offer the Swift until the 2001 model year.
I have not heard yet what the CAMI plant will wind up building, but there is some speculation that the Suzuki Baleno may be a replacement.
I ordered a Swift and it should arrive in about 10 days.
The big rumor on the block is GM could bring the Vauxhall Corsa over to the States (yes, it is a hatchback).
GM owns (I believe) over 51% of Vauxhall. This little car has a lot to offer (at least the UK version). Check out the Corsa on the Vauxhall web site at:
http://buypower.vauxhall.co.uk/search/standardBrand.jhtml?brand=Corsa&displayBrand=Corsa&vehicleType=Car
Yea, I know- what a sting this is! But I checked it out and it does work.
Look at all the different models for the Corsa!
Gads! And the options available! Now doesn't THAT make the Metro look like an old VW Beetle?
Rumors are GM would introduce the Corsa over here sometime in 2002 or '03. If it DOES happen, be sure there won't be much to choose from (maybe 2-3 different variations). I would like to see it compete head-to-head against the VW Golf GTI.
Now that would be interesting.
Tom
It could pass as a redesigned Metro. I think the problem GM has is: "Would there be a high enough demand to justify bringing it over here?"
Any comments?
Tom
carlady/host