[DeTomaso] 18" front wheels and tires on a narrow body 73 L

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/20/09 10:39:19 AM, boyd411 at gmail.com writes:

> When you have the wheels turned all the way to the stops are you 
> experiencing any rubbing of the tire side wall. Did you have to modify or curl the 
> edges of your fenders.
> 
I see more troubles on the right side, possibly due to the asymmetric 
construction and always including removal of the stock spring spacers. 
Aftermarket coil-overs set lower than stock will change full-lock clearances, too. 
Wider than stock tire treads on 16" or larger x 9" wheels will hit the 
windshield wiper shield in hard right turns. Some vendors have modified wiper 
shields in stock, with your shield as a core, or you can try massaging it 
yourself. There may be drag between the right brake hose and the inner tire wall- 
again at full lock. If the brake hoses are stock rubber, the tire will wear 
the hose; if they're steel-braid, the hose will wear the tire wall. Obviously, 
neither is acceptible but hoses can be slightly re-angled. Contact also 
appears in a thin curved line on the front inner fender panel at the extreme 
base of the fender & valence joint at full lock, but some hammer work 
re-establishes clearance. On some cars, rubbing will occur on the left side tire 
against the front AND rear inner fender panels and the cowl drain pipe (full 
lock), but as on the left, a shallow dent pounded in clears this; the thin 
cowl drain can be tapped oval in the affected area. Adding good primer to the 
hammer-massaged areas protects the stretched metal from future rust. 
Once you do this and the rubbing goes away, adding more caster to prevent 
'tram-lining' with wider tires on crowned & rough roads will pull the top of 
the wheel and tire back towards the firewall a little more, possibly 
requiring another round of hammer work. Carrying a passenger and a weekend's worth 
of baggage may increase the rubbing at full lock on both sides, so make sure 
you give things more-than-enough clearance in your first go-round.
Don't feel bad about all this tweeking being necessary: you're completly 
redesigning Dallara's front suspension system, so be glad its even possible. 
Some brands and models of cars simply cannot reasonably run wide front tires. 
Good luck- J Deryke