GTA wheels

I have just perchased a set of Azev M wheels for my GTA Turbo. The sizes are, at the front 205/40/17 and at the back 265/35/18. As these wheels are not arriving for a few weeks, i was wondering if i will need a lowering kit to make the car 'look right'? Any suggestions would be most helpful, i am aware that Prima sell 25mm and 40mm lowering springs, but have no idea which would be look the best or even if they would fit with the new wheels?

[stephendell]

Both wheels will fill out the arch quite nicely, especially the 18's on the rear . 40mm drop can be too agressive with these wheels (and most others) and may cause clearance probs. Would suggest waiting until you have the wheels on to check & then probably go for 20-25mm drop.

Nahh, dont be a wuss, 40mm is fine!. I run that drop on 18's. Truthfully most spring companys only list 40mm kits, they all must come from the same factory. Prima do list the 25mm drop, but if you ask them about them, they say ' theyll take a long time to come in, and most people go for the 40mm ' I had 40mm drop on my old GTA with 205-40-17 front, with Konis on full hardness, it it just wore away on the left hand wing on hard cornering, the inside edge of the arch to about 2mm of the wing. My newer GTA (see wheels & tyres section) runs 8.5x18" front with 215-35-18, with still the same wear on the front wing. I had to grind a few mm out of the inside arch against the bulkhead, to clear the tyre on turning.

[stephendell]

Wuss it is then Guess I must be too attached to the inner lip on my GTA arches!

I've worn them away completely with the Kahns on the Smart though

the other potential problem with the 40mm drop (or so Ive heard) is that when you jack the car up on the sill rather than the bottom wishbone, the spring will come off its seat on the lower wishbone.... same applies if you crest a hump bridge if you know what i mean
Might be wrong of course....

No, this doesnt happen. My cars up and down on the ramp all the time and they sit perfectly in their cups.

Thanks for the suggestions. The car is running Koni's all round, if that makes any difference?

Nahh, dont be a wuss, 40mm is fine!. I run that drop on 18's. Truthfully most spring companys only list 40mm kits, they all must come from the same factory. Prima do list the 25mm drop, but if you ask them about them, they say ' theyll take a long time to come in, and most people go for the 40mm ' I had 40mm drop on my old GTA with 205-40-17 front, with Konis on full hardness, it it just wore away on the left hand wing on hard cornering, the inside edge of the arch to about 2mm of the wing. My newer GTA (see wheels & tyres section) runs 8.5x18" front with 215-35-18, with still the same wear on the front wing. I had to grind a few mm out of the inside arch against the bulkhead, to clear the tyre on turning.

With your Koni's, 40mm drop and 18's how does the car feel on the road? Im sure it feels like its on rails round the corners, but what about sitting on the motorway at 80 - 90 mph? My GTA is my main car and will cover a lot of miles through the year, so i am a bit worried about not be able to see for all the vibrations if the suspension is really stiff?...

[stephendell]

Hi, I can't speak for the dropped suspension but the ride on 18's with 35 profile tyres is fine with the regular springs.

Suspension and hardness is a wierd thing. On the motorway the cars fine because your at speed. I mainly feel the bumps under 30 on normal roads. On my GTA im running 255-35-18 rear and on my A610 im running 275-35-18 rear, to smooth it out, but only because its a heavier car. On the GTA you really cant feel the bumps on the front because of the light front end...and sometimes its nice to feel the road....even though my GTA is harder that the A610, on the A610 you feel the bump after youve gone over it, and you wallow more, with the GTA its more direct. I find theres more thump because of the higher unsprung weight of the alloys

I dont think you can get an arch/wheel combination closert than this!. The front Konis are set on medium, my old GTA was on full hard, but you dont feel any thump through the front wheels.

heres my 610. 18's just look right on Alpines these days. You get so used to seeing 17's upwards on most car these days



(This car isnt lowered yet, I should be going about 30mm)

I dont think you can get an arch/wheel combination closert than this!. The front Konis are set on medium, my old GTA was on full hard, but you dont feel any thump through the front wheels.

That looks the 'B*ll*ocks'!!! Where did you get that front bumper from, out of interest and how much was it?

[stephendell]

Only 30mm! I thought you were a wuss if it's less than 40mm

I dont think you can get an arch/wheel combination closert than this!. The front Konis are set on medium, my old GTA was on full hard, but you dont feel any thump through the front wheels.

That looks the 'B*ll*ocks'!!! Where did you get that front bumper from, out of interest and how much was it?

Bumper is from a company called Kustomorphose in France. I deal with them for more obscure bodykits for Meganes, 19s etc. I can source one for you but it takes about a month.