Re: [DML] Re: Aftermarket rims (was Re: Colors update)

["Walter" <Whalt@xxxx>]

Dan,

The reason for our disagreement concerning rims is due to how these rims fit
the car. First of all, my rims are 2" bigger in diameter, but the inside of
the tires are also 2" bigger in diameter -- the outside of the tire is the
same diameter as the original wheels. I think you meant to say the same
thing, but you said 'wheels are 2" bigger in diameter'. That sort of
implies outer wheel diameter. I'm sure you're talking about only the rims
being bigger?

The guy who sold me the rims was very particular about making sure that the
new wheels would not sick out any farther than OEM. It is generally
considered bad practice to have wheels stick out farther than originally
designed because this puts more strain on the suspension. Remember, Torque
equals Force times Lever-arm. The longer the lever-arm (the further the
wheels stick out) the more torque is placed on the suspension and the sooner
the parts involved may wear out.

When getting new rims, the offset is as important to consider as width since
offset determines how far apart the center of the treads are in relation to
each other. In your case, it sounds like some (or possibly all) of that
extra inch of width on the front wheels is toward the outside of the car
where it won't interfere with steering. But it may come at the expense of
more stress on the suspension and a little more tread surface slinging mud
on the outside of the fender.

Another factor with my situation is that my car has a front suspension
problem. It appears that my right lower control arm got bent when a
previous owner did who-knows-what. With no front wheels on the car, even
the right tie rod end hits the sway bar even though my alignment is pretty
close to being true. I don't want to have the front re-aligned until I get
the new shocks and lower springs installed. While I'm doing this, I'll
check my control arms for damage. I thought before that my problem was in
the steering rack, but evidently not. This may be part of my problem, but
not all of it because I've seen another Delorean with stock rims whose tires
hit the sway bar too.

But first, I need to replace a bad computer governor. My car tends to start
out in second gear and often won't shift into 3rd. It's strange why they
call it a computer when there is nothing digital inside. I suppose it is an
analog computer?

Walt Tampa, FL