FrankenMini Weblog
The season is done. :(
Subject sort of sums it all up. The brakes won't fit inside the 13" wheels without some SERIOUS modifications. I'm basically faced with two options. Re-engineer the front hubs, spindles, suspension or extend the wheel base by 4-6 inches and go with bigger wheels to fit the brakes. The later offering the ability to run a larger rotor. I'm opting for the later. This is going to involve cutting what is effectively the entire front "clip" off the car, extending it 4-6 inches and then putting larger wheels and rotors. It sounds rather easy but does get into a whole load of stuff, which I've documented below, just hit the "Read More" link. I decided with this route for several reasons, most because it was easier than rebuilding the entire front suspension, hubs etc and it will also let me run a very common tire size 205/50-15. 13" tires are getting hard to get.
You can see two red lines in the picture below, that's approximately where the front end will be chopped. Things that will be needed in order to do this modification:
- Larger wheels - 15x7
- Larger tires - 205/50-15 (1.5" larger diameter than my 215/50-13 tires)
- Larger brake rotors - 11.75" (may require a change to the rear to keep bias in check)
- Extending the steering shaft
- Filling in the 4"-6" of gap on the hood/fender flares
- Extending various hoses etc
- Modify engine mounts, the engine is remaining where it is.
- Clearance the rear fenders for larger wheels/tires.
The larger brake rotors will be nice and the slightly narrower tire should help get more heat into the tires. That said this is an extensive change, I'm extending the wheel base by 4"-6"! That's not insignificant. Hence my season is done. 
Published at 21:18:03, Tuesday, 07.08.07