cmaxcliff

Adequate! Seems the same as the Avons...not real bad.

The difference in clearance will vary with the model of tire because tires vary in width at the points between the rim and the tread depending on their design. I think the original Avons were wider there because I picked up more than the 4mm increase in offset that the wheels have. Maybe the 16" to 15" put the fat part of the tire closer to the widest part of the fender stays? I will look later and report back if I notice anything.

I chose the Dunlop Z1 Direzza Star Spec in the 205/50R15 size. The rear tire now looks better in relation to the width of the fender since it is slightly farther out but still under the fender. The front tire is no longer ultra close to the fender supports but the fender is no longer quite centered over the tire. I was going to "adjust" the fender but I am living with it until I am sure that it bothers me. Nothing hits, front or back. I like the tires.

Hi Martin-I am in Chester Springs which is near Paoli and Exton. Thanks for the compliments. I bought my car 4 years ago in the SoCal area. I liked that it looked vintage but had a modified 2.3 Duratec. It was in need of quite a bit of sorting which should have been done by the "dealer" that built it for the guy that I bought it from. The plumbing for coolant, fuel and dry sump looked like the three stooges did it and the car ran quite hot. After a little re-routing to mimic the Ford factory, the car runs at less than 70C at all times. The SBD fuel injection was so rich that the mileage was less than 10mpg and the car loped and bucked below 3000rpm. The cams were out of time and the ignition trigger wheel was rattling around on the aftermarket engine pulley. It took awhile to learn how the injection needed to be mapped. There are around 20 maps or correction settings in the program and they were all wrong. It took 3 years of fiddling and a few trips to the dyno to get it really right but the car now drives as faultlessly as a Ford family car and gets 20mpg around town while making 235hp. I now love this car and drive it every day that the sky is clear.

The wheel studs that I used are NAPA Dorman part number 641-3216 and are 46mm long.

They stock quite a few popular sizes that are drilled at the factory. They also have a selection of wheels that are finished except for the bolt pattern. I had the 16X7 wagon wheels(which somebody should buy from me for cheap track wheels!) and I wanted a Minilite clone in the 15X7 size which are hard to find. I was racing my '55 Porsche Cabster at Road Atlanta and VTO had a display there showing some good looking wheels. They were able to provide the rare 4X109mm bolt pattern in a 15mm offset 15X7 wheel which is close to the 19mm offset of the wagon wheels. The total price for 5 wheels delivered was $900. That is $180 each including lug nuts, stems and shipping. I had the shop that mounted the tires check the wheels for true and they were great. They didn't take much weight either. They also fit the wheels with steel lug seats. You MUST install longer studs since the nut only goes 3 turns to tight with the stock lugs. In fact the stock studs are not really long enough for the wagon wheels.

These are the wheels that VTO drilled to spec for my Duratec SV. They are of a nice quality and are a direct fit.The price was very reasonable and they come with lug nuts and valve stems. I had to replace the studs with longer ones that were available at the local NAPA. http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu173/cmaxcliff/DSC_0011.jpghttp://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu173/cmaxcliff/DSC_0003.jpghttp://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu173/cmaxcliff/DSC_0009.jpg

Cheap track wheels?

Make an offer.

This is the site where you can get private, broker, or freight company quotes. The pick up location is zip 19344 and is a commercial location which many shippers prefer. http://www.uship.com/ I can also ship from my business but I will not be shopping around for the best price. I think we ship via FedEx Ground.

I have just changed my wheels on my 2003 SV. For sale are 5 excellent condition 4X108mm 16X7 wagon wheels(five spoke) with 8 year old Avons in good condition, 1 unused and 4 with less than 5000 miles. I suggest NOT using the tires but I would rather the new owner have them removed by their tire changer. I need some help as to what value they have. Suggestions? What do you think is fair? I will have the tires removed if need be. Buyer pays shipping or can pick up about 30 miles west of Philadelphia PA. I have known of people using an online shipping service network that may be cheaper than UPS or FedEx. Your choice. Thanks Cliff Murray cmaxcliff@comcast.net

The ignition unit won't change your advance curve. It is important that you set the timing with a light at full advance for the best wide open throttle performance. If the driving manners are poor then you must have the distributor re-curved to fit your engine combination. 25* total distributor advance seems about right. Set the timing at full advance and see how it drives. I don't see how changing to a Pertronix will change how the car drives unless it has a miss.

Why not remove the muffler/tailpipe, place a "mandrel"(roll bar tubing?) in a vise, slide the tailpipe over the mandrel, and gently tweak the tailpipe angle tighter to miss the tire? It sounds like you don't need much of a move.

I am hoping that the Gibson muffler, link below, will be "quiet" and non-restrictive on my 2.3 Duratec. The baffles are rattling inside my current muffler and it is a bit loud. http://www.gibsonexhaust.com/dci.html The link did not hold the part number....enter part number 788700s

looks like I need to learn a little about posting images so they can be read clearly

Here is a 2.3 Duratec with SBD goodies. I have improved the mapping since these runs were made. The runs shown are how I got the car vs. the first couple of tries at improvement. Peak power may be up but low and mid-range is definitely better now. Maybe I will go back to the dyno sometime. The car was built in SoCal and whoever mapped it there was totally out to lunch. I am an old guy that has never mapped an engine before and even I did a better job! It must be all of those Weber jet changes I have done..... and my FAST meter!

What sort of lap times(long course) does a quick 7 turn there?

That sounds like a great event. I have to warn you guys that there will be some funny looking German cars in Helen at the same time. It should be great fun! Details here... http://porsche356registry.org/356talk/3/26396.html?p=132224#p132224

Thank you to everyone. I know what to do now. You have been a great help. Cliff

Skip-I think I get it. Your Panasports fit well with 38-22=16mm offset and the wheel/tire combo is lighter than the wagon wheels with tires. Do you think that Panasports are really better in function than other Minilite copies? I really don't drive the car that hard since it is just a street car. If you were buying tires for the street only and did not care about wear or cost, what tire would you choose? Thank you all for helping.:flag: Cliff

Here is the link to the VTO wheels that I am considering.... http://vtowheels.webplus.net/page15.html The 15x7 108mm bolt pattern is available in a 12mm or 25mm offset which is said to be 4.5" or 5" backspace. The wagon wheels have 4.8"(as close as I could measure) backspace so I am thinking that the 4.5" would be best. 5 wheels with caps, nuts, and stems cost $900 shipped.

Skip- Thanks. What offset did you go with? Does the car feel different?

I wish I could but I will be at Mid-Ohio vintage racing my '55 Porsche. I will keep a look out for 7 events in the SE PA area. What other offsets have worked well on the SV besides 19mm? The cycle fender brackets are close to the tires but I guess I could change that if I needed to. Suggestions?

Hello-I have a 2003 SV with 16x7 ET19 wagon wheels that needs tires. I can't stand the look of the wheels and I am looking at VTO 15x7 Minilite copies. I want to make sure that I stay in the same weight range and I will also need to choose the correct offset and at least as tall tire size. PA roads are quite rough. Advice?