steering and suspension 15X8 Clearance Issues

[M3M3]

these cars were not built to same specs as new cars...they are basically all different.  my car's nose is not "straight" either.......just more opportunity for "custom" work!

[Ravensix]

Lol custom hammering! I had a friend who had the same problem, with it only contacting on the drivers side. He said he fixed it with a hammer. Hope that works for me too! M20curtis had issues fitting 225 up front as well.

[M3M3]

there is a certain cache to using a BFH to "fix" fine german cars.....

[tim385]

Ive got 225/45/15 rear with flares

           205/50/15 front with flares

 

LHS touches footwell at full lock, had to cut a bit of metal off the valance panel(both sides) , thats about it .

[Ravensix]

well, I'm gonna pull the subframe back off in a couple weeks, I'll measure the frame as a starting point to make sure everything is ok. Next ill make sure the subframe is squared up and rebuilt correctly. If I find nothing wrong, I'll look into the control arms. If the nose is crooked and that contributes to the problem, I'm not sure how I would fix it.

[Ravensix]

I am starting to see a pattern here, it seems a few people have differences between the left and right sides, although my issue may have a little more to do with me than the Germans who built it...

[TobyB]

Yeah, I had the same problem in the front running 22x9.5" race tires-

hit in front on one side, hit in back on the other.  I just put steering lock limiters

on it,

 

because race car.

 

I CAN say that that much rubber really brings out the worst in the 2002's suspension-

the rear has way too much camber change for travel, while the front has too little when lowered.

When both ends could hook up, the grip was phenominal.  When it unhooked, the pucker factor

was equally... impressive.  Had I stayed with it, I'd have been (and may still) changing trailing

arm angles and moving lower front arm pickup points.

 

My advice- put lock limiting on it to prevent contact BEFORE you start modifying the sheet metal.

It's really easy- just braze nuts into the stock stops, then put bolts into them.  Then adjust to fit.

Then, if you really need the steering angle, THEN start doing metal work.  You end up chopping

off a good chunk of the nose to do this, and even with flares and an air dam, I was starting to

lose structural rigidity... and things were starting to peek through...

 

Good luck- it can be done, if it's what you really want.

 

t

[Ravensix]

Lol I knew I would eventually get a "because race car" response that's a good suggestion, steering limiters would prevent lockup and damage at the expense of a turning radius. I would like all of my changes to be hidden, and if I have to cut into the front, I don't see how that can be done without changing outward appearance. You've all given good advice and insight with your experiences, so I have a lot to consider! FAQ is the shit

[Ravensix]

I moved my control arms towards the rear of the car to fix it. Found out that I forgot the shims when I put everything back together. The wheels now sit where they're supposed to. No rubbing on the front, and only slight impact on the firewall. Next step is to attempt to weigh the front down to simulate load and suspension travel, and move the firewall back without compromising the shell strength. Once everything is moved and happy, it's back on the rotisserie for the last time to coat the bottom, followed by re assembly. I'm super excited about progress.

[TobyB]

Excellent- easy fixes are good.

 

Do limit the lock so it doesn't hit the rear, trust me-

 

when you forget, and you're backing up, and turn too far- kaWHALLOP, the front tire locks

solid and you suddenly are facing a slightly different direction.  Plus the nose of the car has

shot up in the air quite a ways, and you've gashed a tire.

 

I know this from experience.  Embarassingly, it happened on pregrid...

 

t

[Ravensix]

Yes, definitely going to ensure there is no way it can rub. I have BFG GeForce rivals on it, I like these tires too much to see them destroyed by anything other than grippy pavement and power.... Power eventually. Lol.

[nbcbird]

Rocan--FWIW there have been several postings on the FAQ about reinforcing control arms (with welding).  Everyone knows that 2002 control arms are not that durable and any advantage one can gain, the better.  I'm sorry I didn't get mine welded before they were powder coated. 

[TobyB]

No- one told me that they weren't durable...

 

the only thing I know is that there is an 'unflanged' version running around

out there, and THOSE are worth avoiding.  The flanged ones are plenty

strong, but will bend BEFORE they tear out the subframe, which is a good thing

from a couple of standpoints....

 

The rear trailing arms, now, those things can really benefit from a good boxing.

Or a replacement with 320 parts

 

t

[Ravensix]

Mine are the flared kind. I've also boxed in my rears