wide arches handling?????

[m.d.]

im thinking of getting a wide arch kit for my nova as its getting sprayed anyawy i thaught it would be a good idea to get it all done at once.

the only thing is that im gunna be running 14s or 15s as ive built the car for the track and i know bigger wheels can bugger up the handling.

so... ill be running wheelspacers to bring the wheels out to the arches widening the track of the car. will this balls up the handling or make it better.

[Jack]

not sure about the handling but it'll eat wheel bearings lol

if you have the money available i think you can buy proper job wide track kits which will make it handle much better

[2litreturbo]

i think harry hockley do a kit.
www.hh-ms.com
or
www.novarally.co.uk

If they dont do them, email them and they will know where to get them. Both involved in rallying novas.

[m.d.]

not got loads of money at the mo so the wide track kit will have to wait for a bit. i just dont want to spent 550 on the arches if they will fuck up my handling.

[James1]

The arches wont f**k up the handling cause they are just bolted to the car. It may look abit silly for the moment with wheels really far inside but i wouldn't use spacers.

[2litreturbo]

use somethin like 5mm spacers and just get 10mm wider rims. Wont look so bad then.
People always bang on about spacer fucking your bearings but they fail to mention using the wrong offset wheels will do the same.
using a 35 ofset wheel is the equiv of using 49 ofset with 15mm spacer. But no one thinks of that!!!

[Stuart]

rear wide track can be done with an astra beam, or putting say a 10-15mm block between the beam and axel mounts.

the front, well thats a tricky one lol

[2litreturbo]

you could use the astra shafts, then extend the wishbones, redrill the tie bar/crossmember holes to move it 15mm out, and extend the lugs on your dampers so thick stick out 15mm wider. Also use a corsa rack (which i think is slighty wider but not 100% sure)

Could be done with a lot of measuring and a good welder

[m.d.]

yeah spose so.

i have already adjusted my camber by ovalising the holes on the shock mounts :lol:

[2litreturbo]

i'm gunna try it in the summer!

[Jordi]

been thinking about this on my mini. spacers fuck the barrings, but improves cornering (provided the extension/nuts can take the force). The nuts will eventually weaken and snap, if high speed cornering and also wear out the barrings.

basically Force x distance = applied moment

Using high tensile extension bolts and spacers should sort this, but as other ppl suggest, just get wider rims.

[robb]

This seems a bit vague, here is what I think correct me if i am wrong at robb@ms-stores.com

yes the wrong offset: will f**k bearings, I have 35mm offset and had to cut the arch and put a nice plastic arch on. I have had them on there for 4-5 weeks now and had no bearing problems. Handles great and no broken nuts yet. Wheel dimensions are a bit up in the air, normal arches = 42-49 offset (still ok on bearings etc.) -42 offset = problems

Arch kit: get frontera arches from somewhere, get nova front arches, cut both off and spot weld then filler the frontera ones to the nova ones, (this is how they make the wide kit but out of fibreglass)

Spray: erm do it after the work so you don't spoil it.

Wider track: Dunno, it seems that you could just use the front bits of an astra, you could get a cheap astra and test the bits, swingarm, rack, hub (for driveshafts, use nova hub if using nova shafts, dunno if it fits but it all seems to be universal in vaux) DONT use spacers just to widen track! It seems unessecary to put the offset wrong just for 30mm wider! and will put alot of stress through the nuts!

Right, I drive hard all the time, fu***ed enough engines and are now running 35mm offset wheels with no problems so far, they're 205/45/16 and stick to the road like buggery, if you are racing who cares what it looks like, the back fit under okish and the front have arches on, looks fine! No problems and incredible handling, I think I am bending the shell now!