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S30 Centered Rear Wheels?


mickey3

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If you have noticed the rear wheel is not centered front to back in the fender on the s30 chassis. I took out a measuring tape and the wheel center is about two inches closer to the front of the fender than it is the rear. My question is, has anyone tried centering the wheel in the fender?

I can see four possibilities here:

 

1. Actually move the rear drive line assembly suspension and all back one inch.

2. Widen the fender to the front of the car by two inches.

3. Pull the rear side of the fender in by two inches.

4. Do a one inch combination of 2 and 3.

 

I appreciate any advice that you can give.

 

Here is a picture. Notice how much closer the tire is to the front of the fender than the rear.

post-6346-12765705280354_thumb.jpg

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I'm planning on mounting my rear suspension with the wheel centered in the opening. The wheelbase is almost too short so an extra inch or two won't hurt.

Do you plan on moving the suspension mounting points or somehow modifying the suspension to move it back? Either way it looks like cutting and welding some VERY structural parts.

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Look at the strut and the strut tower in the body. Think about the angles if you move everything back 2".

Exactly. Move the wheel back and the strut changes angles, but the control arm cannot compensate. The more the suspension compresses the worse the angle on the strut becomes, so the worse the suspension binds up.

 

If you really need the wheel in the center of the wheel well you should swap out a different suspension system and set it up so that the angles are all correct when the wheel is centered.

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Exactly. Move the wheel back and the strut changes angles, but the control arm cannot compensate. The more the suspension compresses the worse the angle on the strut becomes, so the worse the suspension binds up.

 

If you really need the wheel in the center of the wheel well you should swap out a different suspension system and set it up so that the angles are all correct when the wheel is centered.

 

I agree with you guys, non of that stuff applies to my project though. I have an s13 rear subframe that I will be modifying to use under my 240z. I plan on building everything from the front rails to the rear subframe mounts from scratch...it needs floors anyway. So as a result, the wheel will be centered. I might even move it back a little more than that depending on what I come up with for flares.

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I say making a new suspension is a better idea. If you have a double wishbone centered in the wheel well you can have the spring going to the frame rails and then remove the strut towers for more trunk space.

 

Why did Nissan even make it like that? Its the only pet peeve I have about the S30 aesthetics.

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Uhhh, if you're going to go through the trouble of moving everything under the car back 1", moving the strut towers back 1" wouldn't be that difficult. :huh:

 

Actually I have an S14 subframe mocked up in my 280z with the wheels centered. I used 240 struts, with 280z springs and top hats and mounted the strust in the oem location. With the wheels centered, the spring does not hit the side. Just FYI

 

Also widens the rear track nicely about :-)

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