Learning about wheels....

I’m not sure what it would take to get a set of Pantera East campy reproductions to Spain but they have it all figured out and they bolt right up and look fantastic. Here a couple of links that might help:

http://www.panteraplace.com/page121.htm
http://www.panteraplace.com/page18.htm
http://www.panteraplace.com/page175.htm

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Bianchito:
...I'd like to get a more aggresive look, but keeping the original metal...

Front: 245/35ZR18 mounted on a 18" x 9" wheel

Rear: 325/25ZR20 mounted on a 20" x 12" wheel

Wow! 20s! Looks better than I thought it would. Hmmmm

Holy hot rod cowboy! That looks crazy!

Fills those wheel arches perfectly. Reminds me of a hot girl with high boots and the sun glinting off her Pcar keychain.

You're not gonna let a simple cooling system replacement stop you from bringing this to Vegas. No way!

Thats nice looking, Dam ! I need 20's now

George,
Those are the best looking 18's and 20's I have seen on a Pantera. They look like it came that way!

George, as I looked at that photo, something kept nagging me. So close to perfect, but not quite... then I figured it out!

George,

Your car looks great! I would never have guessed that 18's and 20's would look so good. I think spokey, non solid wheels help. Also the fact that we're all getting used to seeing increasingly larger wheels. I do admire your bravery.. I can remember looking a 17's and thinking how tall they looked.

According to tire rack's website, Pirelli list a 355, 25,19, I wonder if that would fit a stock bodied car?

Johnny

S W E E T !

Whose wheels are those?
I need to to that....Soon

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny Woods:
...According to tire rack's website, Pirelli list a 355, 25,19, I wonder if that would fit a stock bodied car...

The current left rear tire rubs the inner fender when fully compressed, the right rear does not rub, but comes very close. The left rear rubbed with the 17" wheel too.

I had to partially roll the fender arch lip on both sides to clear the tires too.

Based on the above, I would say the 325mm tire is about as wide a tire that will fit the narrow body wheel well with 12mm off-set, at the rear ride height my car is set at (level lower control arms). The tire is the width of the wheel, 12". For 335mm I'd recommend 19mm off-set. With that combination outer fender clearance won't be a problem, but muffler clearance will be the next issue. I like the 325mm tire, it gives you just a bit of wiggle room. A 335mm tire with 12mm offset will require a higher ride height, or a smaller diameter ... period. The 335/30R18 tire is only 25.9 inches diameter. That's how they achieve the clearance for installing that tire. 19" or 20" tires will be larger in diameter. For those taller tires I recommend 325mm tires, 12mm offset and rolling the fenders ... unless your car is equipped with aftermarket mufflers providing better clearance with the tires.

At least everybody has an idea what the issues are now.

Below is a pic showing where the left rear rubs the inner fender

Rolled fender lip, left side, laying on my back, looking to the rear of the car

The tire sticks out just a "bit" from under the rear portion of the wheel well

But here's the proof, the suspension can be fully compressed
(notice the muffler clearance)

Here's a rear view, notice the the clearance with the muffler

excuse the blurry photo, here's a close up of the clearance between muffler and tire

And finally, on the 17" wheel clearance with this lower upright mounting axle is an issue, but on the 20" wheel, there's plenty of room

George,that really is impressive. I assume you did all the work figuring out backspacing,etc? HRE has some nice looking wheels, I had been eyeing them earlier. Gratz.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny Woods:
...spokey...

SPOKEY? lol.....

quote:

Originally posted by RT66_Pantera:
...Whose wheels are those...

The wheels are HRE brand, model 898R, they're 3 piece wheels. 18" x 9" front, 20" x 12" rear. I selected this wheel both for the looks, and because the hardware is hidden on the backside of the wheel. My previous Etoile brand wheels were 3 piece wheels that had the bolts circling the wheel on the outer side (like almost all modular wheels) and cleaning around and between the bolts was not my favorite thing to do.

HRE allows the purchaser a wide range of choices regarding how to finish the wheels, all built into the standard price (these wheels are VERY expensive). The outer hoops of my wheels are chrome plated (no polishing of aluminum) and the centers are painted to match the car. I'm pleased with the looks and the fact that this will be a very easy set of wheels to maintain, which was my goal.

cowboy from hell

George good choice she is lookin hot...your already for summer.

R

George,

Those are pretty impressive...and you could probably put a 15-16" rotor with massive calipers on to boot!

Hows the ride with such a short side wall?

What did it do to your handling?

Tom

The radiator hose leak cut my test drive short, however I didn't detect any ill effects in the ride, in fact, I am under the impression the ride has improved. My previous 17" tires were Dunlop SP Sport 8000s.

I need to get the car out on the open highway and on some twisty roads before I can make a good comparison.

cowboy from hell

quote:

Originally posted by Bianchito:
...I have NOT A CLEAR IDEA on wheels and tires parameters...Can someone explain me the concepts here...

FB, I hope you didn't think I had forgotten about your original question!

I figured the pictures I've posted would help you to understand the considerations in fitting a new wheel/tire package into the Pantera, at least on the rear. It just so happens you asked your question the same week I was fitting my new wheels onto my car for the first time. I also hope the pictures may entice you into thinking bigger than 17" wheels.

Positioning the tire within the wheel well is accomplished by a wheel parameter known as "off set" or "back spacing". If you are purchasing a wheel/tire package designed specifically for the Pantera, then this parameter should not be a consideration for you, it will have already been engineered.

In my situation, I was building a wheel/tire package for the rear wheels that had not been attempted before, so I worked with somebody experienced with fitting tires & wheels onto the Pantera, to develop the new specification. I must say, he positioned the tire within the rear wheel well perfectly.

The tires most Pantera owners install in the rear of their cars are so wide, that positioning them near the outer edge of the fender is not a consideration, placing the tire within the wheel well so that it doesn't rub on the inside or outside is the consideration. The tire moves inward as the suspension deflects upward.

On the front the wheel needs to be centered the same as the factory spec to maintain the factory "scrub radius". Some people would like to place the tire outward as much as possible because they think it "looks" better, but this is not advised. Not only does this alter the scrub radius, it will also cause the tire to rub the outer fender lip during spirited cornering.

In general, we fit tires onto Ford era & GTS Panteras that are 24" to 25" outside diameter on the front, and 26" to 27" outside diameter on the rear. Wheels widths will run 8" to 9" on the front, and 11" to 12" on the rear. The exception being the original 15" Campagnolo wheels, in which case you are limited to a 8" wide front wheel and 10" wide rear wheel.

The owners of GT5 & GT5-S cars have other difficulties in sizing modern wheels & tires for their cars, because the factory installed 23.9" diameter front tires & 24.5" diameter rear tires on those cars.

The diagram below illustrates the relationship between the terms "off set" and "backspacing".

cowboy from hell

Impressive wheel combo! Can you teel me the back spacing for the front and rear?

Thanks,

Shad #1373 Arizona

Hi Shad,

Hows the car coming?

My notes say the backspacing is 5 3/4" front, 6 3/4" rear. However, I would want to doublecheck that before anybody took it as gospel.

cowboy from hell

Hello George,

The Pantera is just a shell, but the goal is to try and make Vegas this year with or without the car. I have a lot of work to do! Any chance you could email me the serial numbers from the front and rear off the HRE wheels? I have a local custom shop that can research the exact wheel build sheet from those numbers. shadb@ddandf.com

Thanks,
Shad

These were taken before the tear down.

George -
Which kid did you sell to pay for those!!! Man, I just looked at the pricing.
According to their web app, they claim the 540 series are for the pantera, clearly you got what you wanted!

George,

Please ignore the serial number request. I found further info my existing off sets.

Thanks,

Shad

Yes George got my answer,

thanks, the graphic couldnt be simpler and more clear. It always helps when reading another language!
THANKS.