Advice on wheel set up / downgrade

[Smather]

Advice on wheel set up

Hi there, recently bought fab 2002 Soarer from Aquanuke (family relation) and love the custom made 20 inch wheels on the car (see pics).  The only issue I have is the local roads are not forgiving on this setup.  Have had the suspension raised twice now so the wheels have circa 1.5 to 2 inches clearance from the arches but still hitting the wheels on bumps.... it's not a comfortable experience.  The dampeners are set to their hardest setting so I think downsizing the wheels may be the answer.  I'd like to go for 19 inch but worry that it may not be enough so maybe 18 inch is the answer.  Ultimately I think the Rotora BBK 6/4 pot brakes may limit what I can put on.... would welcome any advice and guidance you guys could give in terms of what I can get away with and what I need to look out for.  Thank you!!

[Big Rat]

Sheridan

Cant offer advice I'm afraid just wanted to say the car/ wheel set up look fabulous such a shame you have to make the changes.

Wifes family come from Gloucester so I know what you are saying about the roads Both around Cheltenham and Gloucester including many of Tha A roads are appalling.

Sure someone more knowledgeable than I will be along soon 👍

Big Rat

[NemesisUK]

Perhaps set the dampeners to a softer setting? As a start anyway. Allowing the wheel/spring to compress and absorb the bumps may help but ultimately it's the lack of tyre sidewall that gives the harsh ride.

You are correct in saying the calipers will determine the smallest diameter wheels that can be fitted. The smaller the rim diameter the greater the tyre section that can be fitted to maintain the correct rolling diameter.

BTW - The car looks fantastic! 

[Farqui]

I agree, your car looks great as-is.

Can your suspension be raised a bit more? Maybe just that last bit of clearance is all that's needed, then no need to shell out for new alloys/tyres.

Or instead of firming up the dampers, maybe you need stiffer springs installed?

[NemesisUK]

If the tyres are contacting the arches, then no amount of raising (within reason) will help, the tyres/rims are too wide or the offset is wrong.

[Neil E]

Firstly....absolutely awesome SC430, I remember that car from years ago, a serious amount of work has gone into that project. It might just be the most powerful and quickest SC in the country. It's the only one I know of with S and S headers and it has Lux Link too, not that I'm jealous....much. 

Okay I've stopped drooling. The caliper clearance does look tight but I would expect 19s to fit over them. It's probably worth a chat with Richard Walker. He has a Lexus wheel fetish and is local to you.

I don't know how easy it is to adjust the Teins but I agree with Peter's suggestion, start with trying to soften the dampers. With regard to relative ride quality, it's not going to waft along like an LS but I run staggered 19s 8.5 front, 9.5 rear and on all but the worst surfaces it's pretty good considering the lack of side wall so I would expect similar from your 20s. My tyres are 245 35 19 front and 285 30 19 rear, they don't rub at all. I change the settings quite often but find the best ride/handling compromise with the MeisterRs is stiff at the front and soft at the rear. The spring rates on the Teins may be different, you may have to experiment a little or try the US owners for best settings.

Ah!....some time later, another nod to Peter.....after doing a little 'archive research' (more jealousy - it has a Lextreme torque converter) assuming the tyres are still 245 35 20 front on a 9 inch rim and 275 30 20 rear on a 10.5 inch rim, the front may be just contacting the arch liners due to the increase in the overall tyre height. If the info is correct, I think there's also a small but important rolling circumference difference to consider. The standard set up is 245 40 18 on 8 inch rims. Check all of the information and put the details into the tyre size calculator to see the results. http://www.willtheyfit.com/

It would be a shame to have to change the wheels. If the tyres are only lightly making contact with the arch liners it might be possible to modify them enough to clear the tyres. By removing the wheels you should be able to see if/where they're making contact as the arch liners mark easily.

[Smather]

Morning Neil, thank you very much for your time and reply (and thank you to everyone else)!

When my brother-in-law who had all the work done told me she was up for sale I couldn't let her leave the family!  She is awesome so if I can save the wheels it will be great!  I will look into your advice and keep you posted!

[Neil E]

Hi Sheridan

It's a gem. It's a car that has been much admired by SC owners here and overseas. I'm sure you will get great pleasure from it.

Is it just the front that are rubbing? Looking at my own slightly lowered SC, there's very little clearance for the tyres so if the arch gap loss for yours is 13mm it would be very close indeed. It needs investigating properly but if the wheel width and offset are okay, fitting the lower profile 245 30 20 tyres to the front should do the trick.

 

 

[Smather]

After much research and talking to lots of different people I finally found the guys at Projex in Clevedon who were able to give exact measurements on the offsets.  The original wheels whilst amazing were always going to rub.  Problem is now solved and new wheels have been manufactured to fit like a glove!!