Market Survey - Team Dynamics Pro Race II wheels

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Money shots of wheels

 

[rktmn]

 

[rktmn]

Yesterday I finished my 6mm spacers and installed my wheels.

The tire shop was not able to balance the wheels because they did not have the weights with the tape on the back. So I have to go back again for the balancing on Tuesday. However, the tire and wheel combination is so well balaced that I have been driving at highway speeds with minimal bounce. It is almost unnoticeable. Even at speeds over 100mph there is no bounce at all. Between 60 to 70 there is a small vibration that comes through the steering wheel.

Here is a link to some photos.

http://groups.msn.com/CustomTaurusSHOModifications/konistrutinsertinstallsho.msnw?Page=1

I hammered the rear fender lips, and folded them up into the inside of the fender to eliminate the sharp edge inside. Now if the tire hits the inside lip, it comes into contact with a rounded edge. I have also about 3/4 more space for tire clearence. Hammering the fenders in took about 15min. per side and was very easy to do.

So far I have not been able to make it touch the fender, even with spirited driving. I have no extra weight or passengers, but I think that with this set up, I won't have any problems.

I may take down the spacers to 5 or 5.5mm.

I still have to balance my wheels and align the suspension.

The Avon tech500 has a lip that sticks out about 1/4" past the wheel on either side. This will protect the wheel form a curb, but it add to the width of the tire. I do not know if this is common with performance tires, but this wheel/tire combination will not clear the strut with 2mm spacers.

The difference bewteen this tire and my old Goodrich's is night and day. Taking the on and off ramps on the expressways doesn't even make the tires squeel. They also feel very surefooted in the rain.

These tire/wheel combination fill the fenders very well.

I also have a set of subframe connectors that I have yet to install.

The stock brakes look puny inside the wheels. I guess that I will eventually install larger brakes too.

My SHO is in need of a new paint job, but that will have to wait for now.

Jose

 

[K-Dawg]

Jose, your link doesn't work.

 

[rktmn]

I just tried it and it works for me.

Try this and click on Koni install.

http://groups.msn.com/CustomTaurusSHOModifications


Jose

 

[SHO NUT]

Jose, your link doesn't work.

It does for me, you have to click on it, can't copy/paste directly.

Wow, that's one **** of a spacer, your wheels are now effectively 34 mm offset, no wonder you are pounding your fenders ;-)

What is the actual tire width of your 245's, in mm, once mounted?

I also see quite a difference in struts ...

Compare this (Jose):



to this (me)



As you can see at the very top of my pic, my 95 struts have a cut-out in the spring perch to give more strut(perch)-to-tire clearance, on top of my thicker rotor hat which moves the wheel out more.

I wonder how much you can grind out of your spring perch base to give you more clearance.

Then again, if you don't hit the fender now, more power to you

Just remember that you may need to make the spacer thinner if you go to thicker rear rotors.

Those look sweet .... take more money shots

 

[rktmn]

Well, I hit the inner fender lip with a 2.5mm spacer, and the right rear tire rubbed against the strut with the same 2.5mm spacer. I went to the 6mm to get the wheel away from the strut. Folding the inner lip seems to me to be a good solution.

Right now the tire fills the rear fenders very well. I do not think that with suspension at full compression the outside of the tire will touch the folded fender, but I may go ahead and reduce the thickness of the spacer to 5 or 5.5mm.

I like the look of the tire filling the fender. I am not using any spacers on the fronts.

here are the specs on the tire:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Avon&model=Tech+M500

Sect. width=9.6"

The tire looks huge to me. When they were first mounted on the wheel, I was afraid that I was not able to get them to fit. But they are in.

Jose

 

[SHO NUT]

Well, I hit the inner fender lip with a 2.5mm spacer, and the right rear tire rubbed against the strut with the same 2.5mm spacer. I went to the 6mm to get the wheel away from the strut. Folding the inner lip seems to me to be a good solution.

Right now the tire fills the rear fenders very well. I do not think that with suspension at full compression the outside of the tire will touch the folded fender, but I may go ahead and reduce the thickness of the spacer to 5 or 5.5mm.

I like the look of the tire filling the fender. I am not using any spacers on the fronts.

here are the specs on the tire:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Avon&model=Tech+M500

Sect. width=9.6"

The tire looks huge to me. When they were first mounted on the wheel, I was afraid that I was not able to get them to fit. But they are in.

Jose

9.6" is 244 mm. What do they actually measure up when you measure them yourself?

 

[rktmn]

Right now it is raining very strong here in Miami, but when I get a chance I will measure the tire. I will also take some more pics.

Jose

 

[rktmn]

By the way Josh, my rear struts are the long ones. I beleive that the '93 is supposed to come with the short housings, but mine came with the long ones. Perhaps that is why you see a diference between yours and mine.

Jose

 

[SHO NUT]

By the way Josh, my rear struts are the long ones. I beleive that the '93 is supposed to come with the short housings, but mine came with the long ones. Perhaps that is why you see a diference between yours and mine.

Jose

What is more important in terms of tire clearance is the strut OD. Some struts are 2.0" OD, and some are about 2-1/8" OD.

 

[Yamaha V6]

Just curious, but with the Koni inserts installation, how was the strut tube opened up - at the bottom, or at the top? Wondering if the perch was welded on again at a slight angle.

I had 1/8" clearance on the rear strut tube on one side, and had to use a feeler gauge on the other w/ Gary's coilovers, FWIW. I'd wanted to go with spacers to get it away from the tubes, but was just in the process of getting longer studs when the car was sold. Will shortly see how the setup looks on a track-****** '95 chassis once the new owner's done.

 

[drivinhard]

So Josh, are you saying that for a gen2 with stock rear brakes, that 38mm offset may be better than 40mm?

I plan to run 225/45/17 track tires on these, so I wonder if I can get by with no rubbing on the strut with the skinnier rubber (89-92 rear brakes, 40mm offset, on a gen2)

 

[rktmn]

For the rear Koni insert installation, I cut the top of the strut tube on my lathe, put in the insert, and pulled it in by tightening the machine screw through the bottom. The oversize, knurled top of the insert seats itself on the strut housing as it is pulled in.

Mark, when I first installed the wheels and tires, I used a 2.5mm spacer. One tire still rubbed up against the strut, and the other had very little clearance. That is why I went with the 6mm spacer and then had to fold the inner fender lip. In my case, a 38mm offset would have still rubbed without a spacer.

I am not using a spacer on the front tires, and they are right at the edge of the fender. They do not stick out, but they are very close to the fender lip.

So far this setup is working great. The Avons are great in the rain.

Jose

 

[SHO NUT]

So Josh, are you saying that for a gen2 with stock rear brakes, that 38mm offset may be better than 40mm?

For 245/45R17, and 93-95, probably yes, though we can get you 2/3/4 mm spacers if you need them with the 40's. Not sure about 92, the rear rotor hat may be thicker, so it would be touch and go depending on the tire width. Then again, the strut got narrower in the earlier cars, so that helps you use a higher offet again to reduce fender interference.

Remember, the higher the offset, the less fender trimming required with 245/45R17. If that were not the case (i.e. the fender being an issue), we would go with a 35 mm offset and forget about it, but we want to trim as little fender as possible, so we push the offset as high as we can.

I plan to run 225/45/17 track tires on these, so I wonder if I can get by with no rubbing on the strut with the skinnier rubber (89-92 rear brakes, 40mm offset, on a gen2)

For sure, you will be fine with that narrow of a tire on a Gen II, the 17x8 rim outside-to-outside is 225 mm wide ... it's only the 245 wide tire that causes real issues with these high offset wheels.

With a lower offset wheel, like a 38 or a 35, you may start running into problems with the fender with even a 235 or a 225, though you would be able to drive a small car between the strut and the tire at that point ;-)

We run 235's on a 45 mm offset wheel with the PRII 17x7's, with no rubbing anywhere. Everything is relative to your desired tire width.

 

[SHO NUT]

For the rear Koni insert installation, I cut the top of the strut tube on my lathe, put in the insert, and pulled it in by tightening the machine screw through the bottom. The oversize, knurled top of the insert seats itself on the strut housing as it is pulled in.

Jose

That sounds like a narrow body strut. You can easily tell, look for a visible bulge in the strut OD just above the knuckle. 2.0" struts are straight (no bulge), fat-body struts are wider above the bulge.

 

[SHO NUT]

More 40 mm offset pics with 245/45R17 tires

Yes, 40 mm offset do fit, with thick-hat rear rotors (13.0 and 11.6). Stock rear brakes may need spacers (in stock, N/C) or spring perch clearancing especially for square 245-wide tires for 90-93, have not test-fitted 89 yet (89 has a different rear knuckle and hub).

The V710's are so square that I had to clearance the strut perch. There was lots of clearance to the tube itself though. 'Normal' tires with round edges fit under the profile of the strut perch.

Wife's car
245_45_SZ-50EP_PR1.2_17x8_side.jpg


245_45_SZ-50EP_PR1.2_17x8_front.jpg


245_45_SZ-50EP_PR1.2_17x8_rear.jpg


245_45_SZ-50EP_PR1.2_17x8.jpg


Comparing to her old rims
245_45_SZ-50EP_PR1.2_17x8_mounted_comparison.jpg


My blower car
245_45_V710_on_PR1.2_17x8_side.jpg


245_45_V710_on_PR1.2_17x8_front.jpg


245_45_V710_on_PR1.2_17x8_rear.jpg


245_45_V710_Thick-hat_Wilwood_PR1.2_17x8_tire_projection.jpg


Thick-hat_Wilwood_PR1.2_17x8_caliper_clearance_1.5_inch.jpg

 

[SHO NUT]

Strut Clearance Pics
245_45_SZ-50EP_PR1.2_17x8_40_mm_offset_strut_clearance_13.0_rear.jpg


245_45_GY_17x7.5_38_mm_offset_strut_clearance_13.0_rear-this_tire_rubs_fender.jpg


245_45_V710_PR1.2_17x8_40_mm_offset_strut_clearance_11.6_rear.jpg


V710_static_rub_mark_from_wide_tread_11.6_rear.jpg


(insert pic of clearanced strut perch here)

245_45_V710_PR1.2_17x8_40_mm_offset_strut_clearance_11.6_rear_clearanced_perch.jpg

 

[drivinhard]

You gotta let me run that thing for 1 or 2 laps at putnum with the V710s...I'd like to try them

I bet she'll handle better than it did at blackhawk (on 6" rims) where I was as much a passenger as you

I sorta like the black rim/blue body combo...not bad

mark

 

[SHO NUT]

You gotta let me run that thing for 1 or 2 laps at putnum with the V710s...I'd like to try them

I bet she'll handle better than it did at blackhawk (on 6" rims) where I was as much a passenger as you

I sorta like the black rim/blue body combo...not bad

mark

I'll be glad to take notes!

This time, Koni's on full hard, not full soft! That should reduce the Queen Mary effect ...