Mondial 3.2: wheel alternatives | Page 2 | FerrariChat

Mondial 3.2: wheel alternatives

Discussion in 'Mondial' started by SaratogaCA, Jan 27, 2017.

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  1. godabitibi

    godabitibi F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 11, 2012
    6,252
    Papineauville, Quebec
    Full Name:
    Claude Laforest
    Hi Robogeek, your car looks good with those wheels. I hope you've been able to enjoy it more than when we met at Mondipalooza. Say hello to all your family from Canada.

    Claude
     
  2. vee12

    vee12 Formula Junior
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    Nov 2, 2008
    333
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    Les
    The Challenge wheels look fantastic....A+
     
  3. Mfoncerrada

    Mfoncerrada Formula Junior

    Dec 20, 2009
    414
    Monterey, CA
    Full Name:
    Miguel Foncerrada
    It is amazing how many different wheels look great on the Mondial....boils down to it just being a good looking car...:)
     
  4. robogeeks

    robogeeks Karting

    Sep 15, 2012
    112
    Hey Claude, hello from all of us down here in Miami to all of you. Yes, we have been able to enjoy the car much more, since Mondipalooza I installed the SRI fuse box upgrade, as well as their Gold Connector Kit, and I replaced a faulty magnetic flywheel sensor, after that the Mondi has been totally reliable. The only issue left is the rear windows, they finally decided to stop doing anything, after much research I bough a couple of Volvo regulators, I just haven't had a chance to install them yet, but here in Miami we always drive we the top down anyhow, so I'm in no hurry. I have started dealing with some of the aesthetic items, thus the new wheels.

    We should have another Mondipalooza soon, we had a great time and met some great people.

    I agree with Mfoncerrada, just about any wheel looks good on a Mondial because it is a great looking car!!
     
  5. godabitibi

    godabitibi F1 Veteran
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    Jan 11, 2012
    6,252
    Papineauville, Quebec
    Full Name:
    Claude Laforest
    Great to hear that. Yes Mondipalooza was great. Unfortunately I don't own my Mondial anymore. I even sold my 308GTB I owned since 1999. I agree the Mondial is a nice car and also very fun and fairly easy to own.
    I'd have another one anytime.
     
  6. Ptggdudley

    Ptggdudley Rookie

    Mar 15, 2016
    16
    Kent,WA
    Full Name:
    Paul
    #31 Ptggdudley, Feb 10, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
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  7. judo

    judo Karting

    Mar 22, 2014
    88
    Highlands Ranch, CO
    Full Name:
    Justin
    #32 judo, Feb 11, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    355 and 360 wheels look very cool on the Mondi fo sho!

    Apologies for any repeat info, but maybe helpful for someone to use as reference.

    Went with 348 wheels and no wheel spacers needed, just longer wheel bolts (bought "10x60 [14x1.5]|[M14]|[P1.5]"...extended/long lug bolts)

    Then cut the front bolts down to 58mm, rears down to 55mm. Derek, the owner at Platinum Precision Machining, Inc. cut them perfectly (ph. 303-522-3477), considering they cnc parts for the space station, these were no prob!

    Ferrari of Denver had new (old-stock) chrome 348 wheels&tires (Jamie/Jeff/Derek/Mark always-helpful crew, you really never know what deals they have if you never ask ;) ), they worked a super-sweet deal and felt the bolts fit/number-of-turns was spot-on.

    Handling and grip definitely improved.
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  8. Alden

    Alden F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 25, 2010
    2,903
    Central Florida
    #33 Alden, Feb 12, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    She really is sitting high there!

    This may be a silly question, but have you driven the car much after setting it down off the lift?

    My '88 3.2 with 18" 360 wheels sits high just like that after I have had it on the lift for a while, but drive it a bit and she settles down to "normal" ride height.

    Pic for comparison.
    Alden
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  9. HK Mondial

    HK Mondial Karting

    Mar 12, 2007
    85
    Sydney
    Full Name:
    Mark M.
    #34 HK Mondial, Feb 14, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Apparently, there are many alternative wheels that look good ! I like all the ones I've seen so far - but for my black cab, I still think these are best
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  10. Alden

    Alden F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 25, 2010
    2,903
    Central Florida
    Nice, love the 360 wheels on our cars. Looks great with the black color too.

    Yours seems to be sitting a bit high in the front only too.

    Do you have a spare tire in the front compartment?

    Mine will sit about 1/2"-3/4" high with no spare on board.
    Alden
     
  11. robogeeks

    robogeeks Karting

    Sep 15, 2012
    112
    #36 robogeeks, Feb 25, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Do you have a spare tire in the front compartment?

    Mine will sit about 1/2"-3/4" high with no spare on board.
    Alden[/QUOTE]

    Yes, ours may be raiding a little high because I don’t carry a full size spare. When we bought the car it came with a Goodyear Eagle Gatorback tire for a spare the same size as the fronts that looks like it has never been used, the DOT# shows it was manufactured in April of 1986, since our car is an 87 Cab, this is most likely the factory spare, which means we’re never ever going to use it, so I took it out of the car and bought a can of fix-a-flat. However, I like the peace of mind of carrying a spare tire, so I did a little research and found out that Volvos and Jaguars have the same 5-108 bolt pattern as Ferraris, and at least in the case of the Volvo, they have the same center bore. So I went to the local LKQ U-Pick Auto Parts yard, found a bunch of Volvos, and went through all the trunks, and eventually I found an unused compact spare in a 2003 S80, it’s a 125/80-17, which has an outside diameter of 631.8 mm, almost identical to the OD of the factory tires, whether 16” of TRX, they charged me only $23 for it, cheapest I found on eBay is $30 + $20 shipping. As you can see from the picture it fits perfect, both in it’s well in the front, and on the car.
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  12. Alden

    Alden F1 Rookie
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    Apr 25, 2010
    2,903
    Central Florida
    Do the standard 40mm (?) thread Mondial lug bolts work OK with the spare?
    Alden
     
  13. robogeeks

    robogeeks Karting

    Sep 15, 2012
    112
    Yes, they do, those are the ones in the picture, but just in case, when I got the spare I grabbed five of the Volvo lugs since they're the same thread, they threw them in with the spare, as it turns out I didn't need them.
     
  14. rcardare

    rcardare Rookie

    Jul 20, 2015
    12
    USA
    Full Name:
    Roberto
    There are some wonderful suggestions and pics throughout this thread but I was wondering if they were all direct fits or some modifications (shaving, spacers, etc) were needed. I believe the replicas and 348 wheels sold by superperformance uk are direct fits but not sure about the others, such as the 355, challenge, etc. thanks !
     
  15. TGIF

    TGIF Karting

    Mar 7, 2016
    86
    Milpitas, CA
    Full Name:
    Paully
    My spare is a full size and Mondial Rim and tire. I thought they all came that way..
     
  16. robogeeks

    robogeeks Karting

    Sep 15, 2012
    112
    #41 robogeeks, Feb 27, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    All Ferrari wheels are a direct fit in the sense that the bolt pattern is the same, 5-108, and the center bore is the same 67.1 mm. However, the issue is the offset, which is the distance between the centerline of the wheel and the hub mounting surface (see picture below).

    On the rear it is not a big deal to change the offset, but you must make sure that the wheel doesn’t sit too far out, past the fenders, or too far in, where it would rub against the suspension. The original factory offset for the rear tires is +51 mm, this gives you about 25 mm of clearance with the suspension, which is only about an inch. Putting a wheel with a larger offset would push the wheel inwards, which would cause it to get closer to the springs, and if you also upgrade to a wider tire you start getting too close to the suspension, so I would never do that. When I was looking for aftermarket wheels and new tires I settled on a 40-mm offset, that moves the wheel and tire a little outwards, which gives the car a wider stance, together with a larger 245/40-18 tire, it looks better, and should help handling and braking, and it’s as close as you can get to the original TRX 240s Ferrari put on the car without going smaller.

    On the front is more of a big deal because the wheels turn, so you must make sure that the tires don’t rub in any position, and there is also wheel scrub, which is affected if you change the offset. Changing wheel scrub can affect handling, braking, steering effort at low speeds, which is important in cars without power steering, and self-centering, so it’s very important to be careful when changing the offset in the front. The original factory offset for the front tires depends on which wheels you have, if you have the TRX wheels the offset is 43.5 mm, if you have the 16” wheels the offset is 36.5 mm. after doing a lot of research I would recommend keeping the offset somewhere between the two original offsets, so I ended up with the same 40 mm offset I used in the rear, but with a 225/40-18 tire, since the original front tires Ferrari put on the Mondial were the 220 TRXs with 43.5 mm offset, I figured this would work out fine with regards to clearance and wheel scrub, and it would improve braking and handling, and it has.

    The center bore is not a big deal, you can get centering rings that will fit your new wheels and have the 67.1 mm Ferrari center bore.
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  17. robogeeks

    robogeeks Karting

    Sep 15, 2012
    112
    All Mondials came with a full size spare, same size as the fronts, until the Mondial 3.2. The Mondial T got rid of the spare completely and came with a can of Fix-a-flat, if you have the original factory can it's worth a lot of money.

    Mine also came with a full size spare, but when I realized that the spare was probably the original factory spare I decided that I didn't want to ever use it. So I figured a compact spare was a good substitute, I just needed to find one that fit, I did some research and found that Volvos have the same bolt pattern and center bore, problem solved. So now I have a spare tire, and the original factory spare is safely stored for posterity. I do the same thing anytime I change or upgrade anything on the car, I install the new, but make sure to store the original.
     
  18. StuR

    StuR Formula Junior

    Jun 14, 2005
    561
    UK Buckinghamshire
    Full Name:
    Stu R
    Another benefit of the compact space saver is when you have wheels that are different Fr and Rr and end up being corner specific if you also have asymmetric tyres. E.g. Running 3448 wheels and tyre combos. Not a huge issue if 'limping home', but feels/looks odd with a rear wheel facing backwards on a front corner!!!

    I would say the rear offset can be as important as the front. This is because the stress changes it may place on suspension geometry. Not dissimilar to 'spacers'. Depending on type of driving and amount, you can introduce additional wear. I rebuilt my engine cradle after 30 years of misuse (previous owners!!) and some of the cracks where no doubt exasperated by a set of 'wide wheels' previously run.


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  19. billh1963

    billh1963 Formula Junior
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    Apr 28, 2004
    863
    Mid-state, South Carolina
    Full Name:
    Bill H
    #44 billh1963, Feb 27, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I'm a purist....original wheel still look best to me (my '88)

    BTW...I've got a complete set of 3.2 wheels if you are interested.
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  20. paulchua

    paulchua Cat Herder
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jul 1, 2013
    15,983
    Menlo Park, CA
    Full Name:
    Paul Chua
    I agree...although I admit this was not always the case. After a long and winding road - I find I like the originals the best in the end.

    Although I respect and have seen quite a few alternatives that look stellar!

    Cheers
     
  21. robogeeks

    robogeeks Karting

    Sep 15, 2012
    112
    You’re absolutely right, but I couldn’t find a wheel with the right bolt pattern that would come in two different offsets, so I settled on 40mm, it’s perfect for the front, and it only changes the rear offset by 11mm, less than ½ inch, and I’m keeping the wheel size the same 8-inch width as the factory originals, and the tire size reasonable, only 5mm wider than the original TRXs, so I figure I’ll be ok. I’m also thinking about finding a shop that can shave a few mm of the inside to bring it closer to the factory 51mm offset, but for now I think I’m fine. When I said that changing the rear offset wasn’t a big deal I was referring to the effect on driving the car, in fact a slightly smaller offset will give you a wider stance and possibly help handling, but I agree than significantly changing the offset, as well as putting much wider tires, could greatly increase the stress on the whole system.

    That is one of the reasons I opted out of using 360 wheels. The fronts have an offset of 31.5mm, lower than any factory offset on the Mondial, which I think could negatively affect wheel scrub, and a lower offset is not easy to change, the only way to do it is to have the inside of the wheel professionally shaved, I kept my front offset right in the middle between the 16” and TRX factory offsets. The rears have a 39mm offset, not too bad for the rear, but the wheel is 10” wide, 2” wider than the factory wheels, and the tires are typically 265s, and sometimes they put even wider tires on them, which I think could greatly stress the car. They look great, but I wanted to stay closer to the original in wheel width and tire size, Ferrari designed the car for 7.5” and 8” wheels with 220s and 240s, so I figure 8” wheels with 225s and 245s are close enough, but I did upgrade to 18” wheels, I think it makes the car look a little more modern and aggressive.

    355 wheels are even worse, they have offsets of as much as 60mm in the front and 80mm in the rear, I just don’t see how they would work without 20mm to 30mm spacers on them to bring the net offset closer to the factory offsets, never mind what that kind of offset difference on the front would do to wheel scrub without the spacers. I just didn’t want to do that. 348s also have much larger offsets than Mondials and would probably require spacers. 328s with ABS have similar offsets, so their wheels would work fine, but 308s and pre-ABS 328s have much smaller offsets than Mondials, so the tires would probably protrude too far out.

    However, many people on this forum have used wheels from all those models and seem very happy with them, so what the hell do I know? At the end of the day I decided that the only way I was going to find wheels that fit all my requirements of diameter, width, offset, and looks would be to go aftermarket.
     
  22. hank sound

    hank sound F1 Veteran

    Jan 31, 2004
    5,953
    Burbank, CA
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    Hank Garfield
    #47 hank sound, Feb 28, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
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  23. alexion

    alexion Formula 3
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    May 20, 2013
    1,303
    New York
    Best looking wheels IMO...
     
  24. Hotdog7

    Hotdog7 Rookie

    Jan 29, 2015
    7
    Melbourne
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    Greg Young
    Mechanical Dad and matfo like this.
  25. matfo

    matfo Rookie

    Aug 1, 2013
    39
    Sweden
    Looking great!
    What tyre dimensions do you have on those 355 wheels?


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