<E36> Big brakes wheel clearance

[Douglas Holcomb <d.p.holcomb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Some time ago I posted a note about wheel clearance issues with big brake kits 
(in particular Steve D's Porsche kit).  I had known about needing 17" wheels, 
but hadn't realized that clearance from the back of the spokes to the calipers 
would be an issue.  My wheels required large spacers to clear.  In my search 
for wheels that would fit better, I collected some measurements on required 
spacers for a few wheels, listed below.  The measurements are specific to the 
Porsche kit (and E36 application), but the relative values should apply to 
other kits where this is an issue as well.

I give minimum spacer thickness for ZERO clearance with the Porsche brakes. 
 You can't actually use the wheels this way, but the comfortable amount of 
clearance depends on personal preference - 3mm is probably the minimum safe 
value to add to the values below.  Also note that these spacers are in addition 
to the extra 5mm of brake hat thickness that comes with this particular brake 
kit.

Wheels I test fitted (all 17") in order of compatibility with brakes:

Forgeline - 0 mm spacer
BBS (RX and some unknown 5-spoke model) - 3mm spacer
BMW (3 different model M3 wheels) - 7mm spacer
Fikse - 11 mm spacer
Breyton Softline - 14 mm spacer

I ended up getting Forgelines for my track wheels - they fit very well with a 
5mm spacer.

I also made measurements of the profile of the Porsche calipers relative to the 
mounting surface of the brake hat on the hub.  I now have a profile template 
which can be held against the back side of a candidate wheel to see how well it 
will clear the calipers.  If anyone could use a copy, let me know.

Doug Holcomb
'93 325i, M3 suspension, big brakes

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