Narrowing the track on a mk3/4/5 - so i can fit wide wheels!

[Luke]

no pics

just for you alan

this is the wheel fully in with the caliper now bolted in its new position





as you can see its right on the edge but i cant take any more out of the hubs or it will weaken them - ideally i'd go back 10mm more but theirs no chance of that it would be unsafe
also ignore the arch clearance - that will be back to normal once the vans on the ground

got to get the drawing finished and the hub made - ive still got a few problems with the hub studs catching on the caliper - if i could find a stud mounted disk the same size (254 x 24) i would use it and it would save me a lot of hassle but so far i cant find one with a 112x5 pcd i may have to look for other pcds and redrill the disk - either way i'm making slow progress

[rover]

You will easily get away with that offset Luke Dont think for a second the law would even look at it

Rover.

[AndyG]

I fully agree with rover

The wheels on these coaches that travel to and from London to Oxford, have wheels that (IMO) stick out beyond the bodywork



I'll take some of my own pictures for you, when I'm next to one of these beasts

[MrMPuk]

That's why they have the chrome trims that cover the nuts but the tyres them selves don't stick out past the arches.

[Luke]

i'm more concerned about the looks than the legalities just dont want it looking like the wheels have been added later if you know what i mean - but obviously nice to be legal

ive just been thinking about this (coincidently) and im gonna fit a blank disk in the caliper with new pads in press the brake then offer the wheel up to the disk then i'll add packers to the disk face untill i get the offset i need - as no matter how much working out the measurments i do theres no substitute for actually measuring it on the van

[AndyG]

That's why they have the chrome trims that cover the nuts but the tyres them selves don't stick out past the arches.

So the rotating trims are allowed to stick out

[MrMPuk]

That's why they have the chrome trims that cover the nuts but the tyres them selves don't stick out past the arches.

So the rotating trims are allowed to stick out

Yes they are.

[Luke]

still on with this but having problems i think this is the hardest part of my entire van build - i almost think they wont fit but ive not given up yet

the problem i have now is the mounting face for the wheels is in the way of the caliper - the caliper cant go back anymore as the disc will hit the track rod end - the wheel obviously can't go out further - thats just defeating the whole idea

my next thought was front mounting discs as in most fwd cars but the centre face is in the same place - so the transit calipers are no good

so........... swapping the calipers is the only option ive worked out the transit has twin 42mm pistons so that equates to the same area as a single 60mm piston - i have some Granada cosworth calipers (60mm piston) to try and at 1st glance looks like they will go on i also get the bigger dia disc as a bonus but the pad area is less

i'll keep you posted

[Luke]

todays problem - although it will all fit under the arches with the cosworth calipers they are different mounting pitch to the transit ones - i made an adapter plate but with the caliper in the correct position when 1 bolt hole is in the right position the other one fouls the transits mounting lug it would work if the new disk was significantly bigger than the origanal but in this case its not and i cant make the disk any bigger as the wheel is 16"

back to the drawing board

[gatecrasha]

wheel legalities as explained to me in a roadside convo with traffic cop,
symptoms:-
1 toyota hi-lux - lift kit raising it 12" in total,
and 4 extremely large wheels, all 4 of them sticking passed bodywork

ok, i got pulled for it but i was taking the iss somewhat by using the motor in first place,
i was told that the side wall of the tyre is not included in measurement,
it's all regarding the tread - - - - surprisingly

tread and water spray for other road users infact,

as he said, as long as the tyre isnt capable of throwing a virtual circle of rain water spray
then your ok,

its a safety issue

[Luke]

still on with this

today i tried some omega calipers - although they dont fit they are different to the ford calipers in that there is room between the carrier lugs and the disk so i might be able to make an adapter place and have them on the same level as the back of the origanal caliper mounting face - difficult to imagine but if it works i'll post up some pics

next step is to make a bracket and mount the caliper and see if that fits inside the wheel - if it does then find a disk to suit

at least it's something else to try

[Sundowner]

Thats no different to the how rwd off set rims sat on my van, I had tried 4 sets of rims on my ven and they all stuck out on the front

The wire spokes i run are a fwd offset on the front to get them under the guards

[Luke]

latest idea - i measured up some merc calipers of a C220 - the mounting holes are same as transit need to get hold of some to try now

soon be back on with this good and proper as i'll have access to the van again - for the last few months its been in storage

[Luke]

slight update ......... got hold of some C class merc calipers* (well caliper) off a mate

it bolted up perfect even the disc is centred perfect on the hub but the problem is its way too big the disk is 330x28mm - it would probly need an 18" wheel to cover it and mine is 16"

the good thing is theres a good change a single piston sliding caliper off a lower spec of the same car will properbly fit - just got to find one now







* well i think they are off a C class - if anyone knows different please let me know

[MinorMatt]

Might be a daft suggestion not having the bits in front of me, but is there any reason you couldn't redrill the caliper to bring it further inboard? It looks like there is some space on those lands....

Just out of interest did you know the APEC (brake friction) has a handy little feature where you put in the size of the disk/pad/shoe/drum etc and finds the disk that is closest to what you want?

http://www.apec-braking.co.uk/size.htm