Time for a big G overhaul... more power hitting those wheels, body work sorted... but the big question on my mind is am I dreamin by thinking that going round corners at anything over 4mph can happen?!?!

Plan is a move from h&r cup kit to coilies, 13x7's up front, 13x8s out rear. rears are going to have to have atleast a little stretch to stand a chance of gettin under the arches as for the fronts i need to trial fit them to figure out how they sit in relation to the arches...

had a full set of 195/45 rainsports on my gt on 14x6.5's on a 70mm spx (shock n springs) kit cut down to approx 100mm on the front n 80mm on the rear and it handled absolutely spot on...

can i get that again with out 14's??!?!?!

any other advice? considering a subframe... any feedback on them?

Subframe, LSD, and some wheels and tyres in a sensible size and offset will work wonders.

Drove a 194bhp turbo'd G40 I mapped running 13"x7" ET20 (plus spacers) rims and it torque steered like a pig. With some 13"x6" at ET38 it'd have been much much much nicer!

haha i ran 13x8's with 20mm spacers after i finished my last rebuild... literally bounced from one side of the road to the other! when you leathered it!!

looking at around 200bhp mark as a target... was planning LSD but need to do some research in to what i'm going to run...

cant see that i'll ever be able to put down 200bhp with the slightest sign of moisture on the road but want to focus on the twisties for now...

thinking pos, 195/45/13 continentals all round... on the 7s n 8s...

will the subframe improve grip? bitof a rookie on these things...

if you want it to handle better the last thing you want is 13" wheels that wide. Tram-lining ahoy!

as andy says, diff, subframe, sensible size wheels and tyres are key. As are using decent make tyres. But really, in the wet it's always going to be a bit sketchy.

whats the science behind less grip on 13's?!?!... really don't like the look of it on 14's so keen to stick to my 13's...

hayesey are you refering to the 13x7s upfront? I do have 13x6s aswell but... I need dish....!!!!

please say i can make it work...

just cant stand still shitting it going into a wet roundabout even at 10mph... got cheap tyres atm!

13s will have a smaller rolling radius than 14s if fitted with any kind of decent performance tyre. imo you dont need anything wider than 6-7j fitted with a 185 wide tyre on a mk3 polo to get nice handling. my fav combo was probably 14s on 165/55s, but 185/50s are also pretty good.

having a low offset will do you no favours either. i tried a set of minilites on mine the other day 13x6j et7 fitted with yoko 175/50s and the handling was woefull, just tramlined constantly

google car bibles, there is a topic on wheels and tyres and its a really good read.

kind of set on my 7's up front... would you say that 185's would be in your opinion better for handling than 195's?

speak to Robin about ~200bhp in a g40 with wide 13" wheels with silly offsets and how well his handles on them. He was asking me on MSN last night if I knew of any standard 13" RAs for sale.

Mine is also the same power as robins, I have 15" wheels on mine though. Not that it handles well in the wet though, you just have to be very gentle on the throttle in the wet.

i have to be gentle with my mk2 coupe in the wet, its easy to lose traction in 1st, 2nd and sometimes 3rd in the wet if your going from driving like miss daisy to foot to the floor in an instant, however thats with 195/45/14 nankangs which are always known to be a little sketch.

I do keep pondering that when the new engine goes in, i wont actually be able to get away from the lights without spinning the wheels and looking like a tool

thats my favourite game... i got leathered by a bird in a corsa the other day... worse thing is she blatantly wasnt even trying!!!

aghh... i think i'l just try it n c how i get on! if its got 200 should fly once it gets grip!

hayesey - do you find you can get the G40 low enough looks wise on the 15s? cant help but think i wasnt more power but a big factor in this project is improving looks!!!

mate I've got a 130bhp GT on 13" wellers (7J) on H&R cup kit, and i can hack it around! my tires are wank too!

i did put a cage in yest n thats stiffened it up a treat :-)

not to digress but 130 in a gt what the hell you runnin!!! sounds good...u got RR to back that?

I'm gonna do it any way... might get the 7's machined to increase the offset...

really didn't want this build to be about comprimise but hey ho as long as it looks pimp, puts a smile on my face and shocks a few type r drivers along the way i'm happy!

1.6 gt tuned to fuck......

I had crazy traction problems without the stiffened rear beam,and the rear shocks/springs were too soft and allowed the body to lean back too much when hitting the throttle - so i wasnt getting any weight on the front and could spin up at low rpm in fourth at any level of dampness.

Solid ally front ARB mounts (and poly TCA's) have given me a hefty dose of throttle-feel through the wheels,to make it more controllable but its at the back that I've half cured the problem - I've stopped it squatting by raising the spring platform (of stiffer shocks) to the top,then chopping the springs down. So the rear springs are short and stiff,yet still seat properly and stay seated with the car elevated.

It'll pivot onto the correct three wheels in hard corners now (diving instead of squatting like it once did),despite still having a standard axle,and being down 65/50. And with its 185/60-13s it handles more than enough for me when its not under throttle.

Not that i advise this with the TA Technix kit i used,as its too hard and crashy on the rougher roads. But with a H&R kit.. could be good.

Obviously the power you're talking about will require other things,id like a LSD too but cant justify the cost,and I'm sure a subframe is better than my solid mounts which need regular greasing. And the stiffened beam must help further.

I'm running 13x7's 175/50/13 with a low offset, on gaz coilovers and handles so much better then my old fk shocks and springs. but i still never trust it in the wet on roundabouts.

Subframe and decent tyres.

i have to be gentle with my mk2 coupe in the wet, its easy to lose traction in 1st, 2nd and sometimes 3rd in the wet if your going from driving like miss daisy to foot to the floor in an instant, however thats with 195/45/14 nankangs which are always known to be a little sketch.

I do keep pondering that when the new engine goes in, i wont actually be able to get away from the lights without spinning the wheels and looking like a tool

It's all in the tyres, I'm on 165/65/13 Avons and I chuck mine about way too much (standard shocks and springs) - it loves it.

uv just got to be able to handle the slides in the wet!lol

yeh its a 1.6 thats had as much done to it as you can before turbo etc. could go bike carbs but dnt fancy it!

and yeh its been RR, 111bhp to the wheels.

not to digress but 130 in a gt what the hell you runnin!!! sounds good...u got RR to back that?

I'm gonna do it any way... might get the 7's machined to increase the offset...

really didn't want this build to be about comprimise but hey ho as long as it looks pimp, puts a smile on my face and shocks a few type r drivers along the way i'm happy!

Keep your fancy wheels for when you want to tart around in the car, and get a set of stock BBS RAs, or something in 13"x6" or so with an offset close to standard (ET38). As long as you buy decent tyres, you'll find it's miles and miles better.

Alternatively, you need to bugger around with steering arms, rack location etc. to get your suspension geometry sorted correctly with your wide sticky-outy wheels - but getting a second set of rims for daily/ragging use is cheaper and easier!

That's the cheapest improvement you'll get, beyond that for improved handling you need a subframe with wishbone conversion and an LSD as I originally said. I'd get a subframe first given that it's bolt-on/bolt-off - so a bit easier than taking your gearbox apart to fit a diff.

i always thought wider cars handled better than narrower cars.. so having low offsets would be like having a wider car?

Wider track does help handling. But by using extremely low offset wheels on a car to widen the track, you cock up all the steering geometry - which means it handles like a turd.

Cant have both Adam, will have to sell me the wheels and ill stick them on my car when and if i get it haha!

how about i sell you my goat as a comprimise jay? you could ride that anywhere... pretty wide n low and pretty horny too... only jokingi'd never sell my goat its too cool!

Andy - would the steering geomotry be something i could adjust & resolve once i've fitted a stage 3 subframe?

one theory i have is that wide wheels/good tyres & subframe will be 10times better than my current skinny wheels/crap tyres & a flappy ARB.... so it may not be the best but will sure as hell feel much nicer than it does at the mo right....