Re: [DML] Alternative wheels

["Donald Ekhoff" <ekhoff@xxxx>]

I have played around with the "aftermarket wheel" issue quite a lot and it
is quite a challenge to overcome all the obstacles involved. Honda offering
cars with 4 x 100mm lug patterns has however made things possible that were
impossible a few years ago. While I have done three different sets in the
last year the latest can be seen at: www.kablam.us Go to the Gallery
section and look at s/n 6543 to see 17"x7's in the front (40mm offset) and
19"x8's in the rear (with a less than ideal 40mm offset as well) The ideal
offset in the back is 20mm but I know of no wheel currently available made
to this spec. This results in the rear wheels being set too far inboard.
If it were not for the rim being 18" or larger they would rub on the shock
bolt. Because the car is lowered substantially the rear end became
decambered. I solved both problems by manufacturing a longer (adjustable)
upper control arm and using 1/4" spacers.

Don Ekhoff
6543

----- Original Message -----
From: "William T Wilson" <fluffy@xxxx>
To: <dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2003 11:51 AM
Subject: Re: [DML] Alternative wheels


> On Tue, 3 Jun 2003, jamesrguk wrote:
>
> > The only problem is that obviously the stock wheels are considerably
> > wider at the rear than at the front, when people have upgraded their
>
> They're larger both in diameter and in width. Many cars have this
> configuration, including recent Corvettes and the NSX.
>
> > wheels have they kept the same configuration or have they
> > compromised and used a set that is wider than the original front and
> > slimmer than the original rear wheels.
>
> You have to buy two sets of two wheels. The DeLorean would look silly
> with the same size wheels all around, and would be prone to spin under
> severe maneuvering. Commonly, 15x6 and 16x8 wheels can be used. One
> problem is that there's not a heck of a lot of space in the front wheel
> wells for a larger wheel; they barely hold the stock ones :) Any wheel
> that fits in the front wheel well would be undersized for the rear.
>
> However, there is something tricky with the backspacing on the DeLorean
> (how far the wheel extends inward/outward) making finding a perfect fit a
> little tricky. Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly what the trick is
> - I did at one point - it's not hopeless, just not a good idea to go grab
> any old wheel from the local tire shop, even if it nominally "fits".
> Also, try to make sure the wheels you get aren't that much heavier than
> the stock (lighter is no problem). Naturally larger wheels will tend to
> weigh a little more, but there are aftermarket wheels out there that weigh
> 50 pounds! Heavy wheels, while not posing a direct safety or appearance
> problem, can make a noticeable dent in your acceleration - every pound in
> the wheels is the equivalent of four pounds anywhere else.
>
> That said, I do think getting aftermarket wheels is a good idea. It's
> getting hard to get good quality matching tires (esp. now that the AVS
> Intermediate is discontinued) because of the rarity of modern cars with
> 14" wheels. 15" on the front goes a long way to making this particular
> purchasing decision easier :)
>
>
>
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