16' front wheels?
Discussion
Forgot to mention that you may need rack stops to prevent the inside edges of the rims catching the suspension on full lock. It all depends how centrally your rack is fitted. I needed one on the offside when we first fitted them but after my rack was removed to be refurbished the rack stop wasn't required when re-fitted.
I've been on 16" wheels front/rear for many years, a great little upgrade only the nerdiest of TVR spotters would notice.
As others have said the key advantage is a vastly improved choice of tyres as 15s are very old hat now. Personally I like a bit of air in my tyres so chose 205/50R16 on the front and 225/55R16 on the rear, all Rainsport 2s.
Avoid the temptation to cut a tenth of a second off your track day times by fitting low profile rubber band tyres with a few grooves of tread in them to fudge you through the MoT.
If you drive your car 95% on the road for heavens sake buy proper road tyres, if you go with Carlos Fandango low profile track day tyres, two things will happen.
1. You will aquaplane when it rains hard
2. You will shake all your fillings out
My car needed rack stop washers with the 16" fronts to stop the edges of the rim catching on the lower wishbones, it only needed a mm or so no real loss in steering lock.
And dont forget to dial in the essential nose down attitude if you have adjustable suspension because the right amount of forward bias rake makes a massive difference to high speed stability and handling on these cars.
Here's what mine looks like with 16" all around in the bouncy castle old school tyre profiles, works brilliantly, looks standard, gives a lovely ride and still handles a treat.
Oh, and the Rainsport 2s have saved me countless times when there's been standing water on the motorway.
Don't skimp on tryes, and don't be tempted to buy rubber band tyres thinking the car will handle better on the road, because it wont!
As others have said the key advantage is a vastly improved choice of tyres as 15s are very old hat now. Personally I like a bit of air in my tyres so chose 205/50R16 on the front and 225/55R16 on the rear, all Rainsport 2s.
Avoid the temptation to cut a tenth of a second off your track day times by fitting low profile rubber band tyres with a few grooves of tread in them to fudge you through the MoT.
If you drive your car 95% on the road for heavens sake buy proper road tyres, if you go with Carlos Fandango low profile track day tyres, two things will happen.
1. You will aquaplane when it rains hard
2. You will shake all your fillings out
My car needed rack stop washers with the 16" fronts to stop the edges of the rim catching on the lower wishbones, it only needed a mm or so no real loss in steering lock.
And dont forget to dial in the essential nose down attitude if you have adjustable suspension because the right amount of forward bias rake makes a massive difference to high speed stability and handling on these cars.
Here's what mine looks like with 16" all around in the bouncy castle old school tyre profiles, works brilliantly, looks standard, gives a lovely ride and still handles a treat.
Oh, and the Rainsport 2s have saved me countless times when there's been standing water on the motorway.
Don't skimp on tryes, and don't be tempted to buy rubber band tyres thinking the car will handle better on the road, because it wont!
Edited by ChimpOnGas on Thursday 6th August 17:22
ChimpOnGas said:
1. You will aquaplane when it rains hard
Wrong. Get the correct kind of TD tyre & they offer superior wet grip/resistance to aquaplaning as proven a a recent sprint where I beat the road tyred cars by over 6 seconds around a 50 sec sprint track that was completely sodden.ChimpOnGas said:
2. You will shake all your fillings out
Wrong. Badly set up suspension does this, get adjusted by someone who REALLY knows what they're on about & this doesn't happen.ChimpOnGas said:
Don't skimp on tyres,
Agree. Too many people have poor tyres on these vehicles, which is ironic considering that they're the point of contact of their P'n'J & the tarmac...I would find out about the offset (or ET) as well as the rim width as this will dictate whether you will need spacers etc. fitted (particularly on the front). It would be advisable to fit a wider rim to the rear than the front (and therefore a wider tyre) as this will improve traction/grip. Moreover in order to get the best out of any set up (and as said by Griffdude) I would strongly advise getting a proper geometry/ride height check/adjustment done at a recommended garage, it might well be the best hundred and fifty quid or so you've ever spent on your car. IMHO!
I agree with Griffdude, Richard and Chimpo in varying degrees.
Us track day types almost universally have more than one set of wheels and tyres, so the acquaplaning doesn't usually occur. But I agree with Chimpo - Rainsport 3s are superb road tyres. I have them on my Saab and will do on my Chim when the present Bridgestones wear out.
Richard is correct. Set up is so important on these cars. If you are anywhere near the East of England, go to Mat Smith Sportscars for this.
Softened dampers (track day types have adjustable dampers) give a lovely road ride. I will back my car on Racing Reds softened off, 17 inch wheels and 40/45 profile tyres against any standard set up car. No need for the 35 profile tyres loved by T car owners.
Us track day types almost universally have more than one set of wheels and tyres, so the acquaplaning doesn't usually occur. But I agree with Chimpo - Rainsport 3s are superb road tyres. I have them on my Saab and will do on my Chim when the present Bridgestones wear out.
Richard is correct. Set up is so important on these cars. If you are anywhere near the East of England, go to Mat Smith Sportscars for this.
Softened dampers (track day types have adjustable dampers) give a lovely road ride. I will back my car on Racing Reds softened off, 17 inch wheels and 40/45 profile tyres against any standard set up car. No need for the 35 profile tyres loved by T car owners.
QBee said:
I agree with Griffdude, Richard and Chimpo in varying degrees.
Us track day types almost universally have more than one set of wheels and tyres, so the acquaplaning doesn't usually occur. But I agree with Chimpo - Rainsport 3s are superb road tyres. I have them on my Saab and will do on my Chim when the present Bridgestones wear out.
Richard is correct. Set up is so important on these cars. If you are anywhere near the East of England, go to Mat Smith Sportscars for this.
Softened dampers (track day types have adjustable dampers) give a lovely road ride. I will back my car on Racing Reds softened off, 17 inch wheels and 40/45 profile tyres against any standard set up car. No need for the 35 profile tyres loved by T car owners.
When I bought my car it had been to Matt to have a full set of Nitrons and a full setup 900 miles ago,so thanks for the vote of confidence in Matt.Us track day types almost universally have more than one set of wheels and tyres, so the acquaplaning doesn't usually occur. But I agree with Chimpo - Rainsport 3s are superb road tyres. I have them on my Saab and will do on my Chim when the present Bridgestones wear out.
Richard is correct. Set up is so important on these cars. If you are anywhere near the East of England, go to Mat Smith Sportscars for this.
Softened dampers (track day types have adjustable dampers) give a lovely road ride. I will back my car on Racing Reds softened off, 17 inch wheels and 40/45 profile tyres against any standard set up car. No need for the 35 profile tyres loved by T car owners.
Mr Haribo said:
A good conversion well worth doing steering is better more feel at speed
I have 4mm spacers and stops with 235 R888
Edited by Mr Haribo on Thursday 6th August 21:01
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