Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications General Mods Couple of questions

To make the wheel gap smaller requires one of two alternatives: Lower the car, OR put in tires or tires/wheels that effectively increase the OVERALL diameter of the tire. Of course, that 2nd choice would mean bad things: for each 1/2 inch you closed the gap, you'd also be raising your car that same 1/2 inch. And you'd be throwing off your speedometer and having an effect like changing your gearing. So either go lower (for a purely cosmetic reason?) IF you can afford it, or get to like the existing gap if you can't afford to go lower. I figure the money I'm saving by NOT going to fancy 17" wheels and new 17" tires will allow me to get a set of headers installed instead, and more HP will make my stock gap look just right.

Oops. There is a third alternaive, but it stinks too. Get heavy passengers and put 500 lbs in your trunk. You'll go slower and eat more gas. But your wheel gap will go shrink.

get 17's and lower it for god's sake

Give dad a big hug tonight. That's a nice car he's giving you.

If he doesn't want it lowered (I'd agree with him), ask him if you can put a BAT European handling kit on it. I wanna do that to my SE along with the CD4Ejr shift kit to give it that BMW feel. Your handling will be much improved to better than SVT abilities (according to BAT), & you'll get a minimal lowering effect - less than an inch front & back.

QUITE cool lookin' in its subtle "eat you alive in the twisties" way.

But i just dont think he will. I've talked to him about it alot and hes said he didnt want me to do too much to suspension do too much to the engine and stuff like that. so its probably either the 16s or i'm SOL ......plus the BAT kit will down me 600 bucks i dont not have in my budget right now

Dude, it doesn't look that bad without lowering. Here is mine with 215/45 on 17's, the wheel gap is not that bad. I would lower just because lowered cars look better no matter what, but you would rather have 17's without being lowered than 16's, trust me.



Oh, and just so ya'll know, I have since bought new headlights (so they aren't hazed anymore) and have tinted with 35% front, and 5% back and rear.

I've seen many 17's on SE's and they have a wheel gap the size of my foot. (11 1/2)....would adding a custom SVT front help lower the wheel gap?

As stated before, the only way to really reduce the wheel gap is to lower the car.

Why do you want the car to have less wheel gap? Do you want to do it for performance or aesthetics?

Honestly, if you dad is giving you the car, and it's only for looks that you want to do something, and $600 US for the BAT kit is outside your budgetary abilities, just let it slide.

Or run bigger tires. My new rubbers filled up my wheel well gap like a champ. From 205/40/17 to 225/45/17.

Another thing to think about, when going with 17's, is if you have an ATX or MTX.

If you have an ATX, I would not suggest you go with 17's unless you are just modding the car for look's. If you do, that is about all it will be good for. An ATX already has enough drive train loss to kill a horse and adding 17's just increase's that loss.

If you have an MTX, then do whatever you can afford.