Aussie Alan 993

I am very keen to hear from anyone who has fitted 18" Kahn RSR's to a 993 narrow body with standard black brakes.

I finally had my brand new Kahn RSR's fitted with the recommended tyre size and installed.

The rears are great but the fronts hit the brake caliper.

The dealer is looking into it but I am not too happy seeing as they are the recommended size and offset.

Has anyone ever had this problem???

Benton

Where do they hit the wheel? Could the issue be alleviated with a small spacer?

David in LA

what do these rims look like? what's the width and offset?

Aussie Alan 993

The problem is only on the front, the rears clear by enough for me to put one of my fat fingers in. The fronts are 8" wide with a 49mm offset.

I don't intend to drive on it like this, but I just put one wheel on with a 2.70mm thick washer on each stud. The wheel turns and clears the caliper, but not by much more than 2mm.

Is it wise to grind the inside radius of the caliper a little?

Or should I insist that it be fixed by those who recommended this in the first place!

Here are some pics.

nman413

Dremel

mac993

I wouldn't grind anything. Just buy a small set of spacers and all will be good. BTW- nice wheels

Benton

Spacers are CHEAP. Buy some small spacers and you will be set. No need for drastic measures. Search the archives for more information.

Aussie Alan 993

Thank you, I love the look of them.

I asked the Road and Traffic Authority and was told that wheel spacers, regardless of size, are illegal in my state.

I am sure that this will jeopardise my insurance cover and I think that risk is too high.

kkim

Well, if they are that paranoid about wheel spacers, imagine what they would think if you told them you ground down the wheel or on the brake caliper to make them fit.

Honestly, if spacers can't be used, I'd return them or at least work with the place you bought these and let them take the liability of altering the wheels to fit, if they choose.

Good luck

Luis de Prat

What if the spacers are original equipment? The early 944 cars had factory spacers in the rear wheels, FWIW.

Aussie Alan 993

I was in contact with the dealer the moment I discovered the problem and he is definately on board with trying to find a solution. But as yet he is as frustrated as I am, because he is just a reseller not the manufacturer.

Also, about OEM spacers, they should not be a problem seeing as that is how the car is designed. I will add that my brother told me of a friend of his who is running 2" spacers on a Lambo kit car that is based on a VW type 3 floor pan. It just passed inspection by an RTA engineer as road worthy.

Go figure...

wombat7

Here's an idea, kinda goes with the spacer idea, but realtively undetectable... My friend with a Turbo RX-7 had the same problem that you are having... Try putting a washers behind the wheels... just one over each lug should do it...

Aussie Alan 993

I did this to try the wheels on and to see my baby in her new glory, but being a fastener guy I know that in a dynamic connection like a front wheel to the hub the surface area of the mating surfaces is as critical as the tension on the nuts.

Reducing the surface area to the faces of the 5 washers will possibly allow the wheel to flex in ways it was not designed to.

Thanks for the suggestion but I don't think it is structurally sound.

A spacer is the simplest and the most logical, the only reason I am pushing the point with the suppliers is that spacers are not an option for the long term.

I am hoping to get news that the manufacturer will take responsibility and correct the error that has been made.

I gather nobody has ever fitted Kahn RSR's to a NB 993.

Another world first for me, yay.

User 4221

Along the spacer thinking...... Have a machine shop make spacers with the identical pattern as the wheel mounting face. They would look like a 5-point star with holes in them. You could pick the material so your mounting concerns could be eliminated..... Paint them to match the wheel and the RTA will be none the wiser. If done right, the spacers would look like part of the wheel.

On the other hand, you could keep a set of 993 wheels around and install them prior to the inspection.

HTH,
Scott

Monique

The reseller is the way to go IMO. Within the last month, I saw in a mag showing Kahns on a 993. But Photoshop is a neat piece of software..

I am a very religious man when it comes to spacers. NIX. Good luck and Merry Xmas.