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We cannot always "flare our way" to a 315mm tire, but it does become part of the equation. Luckily Adam already had acquired Maier carbon front fenders which have integrated flares. So we mocked those up and took some measurements to the outboard edge of the existing 245mm tire...
Not super encouraging - we might gain 1.5" of tire here, in a best case scenario. That might get us to a 275mm tire, or if we tweak every millimeter on the wheel offset maybe a 285/30/18. There are some good 200TW choices in this size - which was something the customer wanted to stick with, for longevity and fun factor. No Hoosier craziness. Which makes sense on a "fun buggy" track build, where there is no class rules to build around.
Another easy way to drop lap times - and lower consumable costs - is to lower weight. The Maier carbon flares were about a third of the weight, so that's a net drop of about 25.6 pounds when these get installed. Dropping air con, some interior bits, the pushrod engine we will use has an aluminum block (*hint*), and other changes should net some weight losses. The cage upgrade over the 4-point could negate some of that, of course.
How will we get 315mm tires on the front? Its going to take some significant changes to the front suspension. The entire spring and shock are housed in a tower structure that is right where we want the inside of the tire to be. That's all coming out.
After significant research into various options that exist for the 1965-73 Mustang chassis we felt the costs for the parts and massive surgery required to install them did not fit our client's budget and overall goals. Instead we picked a hybrid approach - some off the shelf bits with some custom bits. All will be revealed next time, and I'm sure many won't agree with our choices.
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