Q for 308/328 guys running 10" rears (355 wheels on a pre-ABS 328)

Ok, here she is sitting on the 355 wheels and Hill spacers. The spacers are 30mm front, 40mm rear, type 2 so that the spacers bolt to the hubs and then the wheels bolt to the spacers. Looks good to me -- the wheel gap is a little high, but isn't any larger than stock. I'll fix that later with the QA1 installs.

See the front and rear shots to compare size/location with the stock wheels on the passenger side.

I do have a question -- the wheel bolt holes are blocked by the positioning pins on the hub. How are those removed?
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Nice!

Looks sharp Til.

 

Just unscrew the pin. Keep in mind that the rotor can then move independant of the hub, but once you have the wheels bolted on - no biggie.

Looks great.

 

So.....if the rotors aren't attached to the hubs when the pins are removed, how do the brakes work?

 

Like Henry said. The rotor will spin only. The only pain will be when you mount the wheel and it's not lined up.

But all you will need is that adapter that holds the wheel in place when it's time to change a wheel.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

It's been done. I've talked to a couple of people who have done it. I'm still going to proceed to go in that direction. Being a former wheel designer, I refuse to cut my wheels I'll sell them before I do that.

 

I'm going to have the springs made, the shock company said I'd be fine without a remote reservoir.

 

Exactly.

Once a wheel is bolted up the rotor/wheel/hub turn as one.

 

That's going to look great Tillman! Did you decide on a color for the rims yet?

 

18" Speedlines with 8 1/2" fronts and 10" rears.

No Modifications.

Enjoy
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

While I understand that you've made no modifications to the underlying chassis/suspension parts -- in fact, you have made a modification by increasing the track dimensions (i.e., increasing the distance between the tire centerlines). Can you give details about what the front/rear offsets of the Speedline wheels are, and what thickness front/rear spacers you are using (if any)?

 

I don't remember the offsets for the front wheels but the rear wheels are 50mm

I do NOT use any spacer at all!

My 328 is an 88.5 therefore came with the convex wheels originally.

 

Understood, but because the stock 328 ABS rear wheel offset is +63.5mm, you increased the rear track dimension by 27 mm.

 

that is 1", only engineers would get worried over that.

Drives a million times better and I feel looks a million times better.

Its like driving 56 MPH in a 55 mph zone, I guess there is some risk of getting a ticket but most likely you are safe.

I know i will get all kinds of technical responses but really I'm not doing 200 mph or racing it, so it will be fine.

 

No disagreement. I was just being a little technically-over-an*l about your use of the words "no modifications". Because the offset of the wheel is less, essentially you have a small spacer that is built-in as part of the wheel.

 

And we're done!

Final specs: 245/40/18 rears, 225/40/18 fronts. 40mm type 2 spacer in the rear, 30mm type 2 spacer in the front. 7.5" FRONT 355 wheels all the way around.

Driving impressions -- seems a bit more responsive than before using the same tire; road manners are fine, not a lot rougher than before. Despite the fact I'm using the same width tire, the visual impression is of a lot narrower rear wheel -- maybe the lack of bulge that the 16" had? I need to lower it a bit, even though the gap is exactly the same it looks larger with the smaller width sidewall. Overall, I really like the change.

Thanks to Steve Magnusson for the math help, Hill Engineering and Ricambi America for the spacers, Four M Tire for assistance, and 4M Paint and Body for letting me use their lifts and such. Thanks also to everyone who pitched in with suggestions, and to those who have had their own wheel change threads from which I could crib notes.

 

Pics while out and about. Lousy Iphone pics but what the heck.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

The car actually looks better in person than in the pictures, and it looks good in the pictures!

Nice job Tillman.

 

Way to go Tillman, it looks great !

 

Just wanted to add a link to the math thread that worked out the spacer size.

Might as well put a final pic on here too.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Did you upgrade the brakes to fill up the 2 inch space with the larger rims?

 

No. One of the reasons I went with the 355 wheel over the more popular 360 wheel is that the fatter spokes helps mask that area. In addition, I have left the calipers the stock color. I think if I had made the calipers yellow or red they would look pitiful inside the wheels.

Frankly, the stock brakes work well enough for a street car. The front brakes need rebuilding now and the rotors are starting to get a bit thin. Fortunately I have a spare set of OEM rotors I bought years ago. If I didn't, I'd probably go to a big brake kit -- the stock rotors alone are now over $900 each, if you can find them!
Image Unavailable, Please Login