15" wheels on a Stradale LB?

[ah_sprite]

Hi all
As the months slowly (so slowly!) pass by until I take delivery of the kit, I've been putting plenty of thought into getting all the donor bits and bobs sorted, so I'm ready to start in earnest when it arrives.

I'm going to be building a lime green Stradale.

I think I'm right in saying that Craig supplies wheels in 16 and 17", but Hawk will still supply 15" wheels. I seem to remember that the white LB over in the States has been fitted with 15" Hawk wheels, so it would appear that caliper clearance etc at the front isn't an issue.

The question is - will 15" wheels comfortably clear at the rear too? What tyre size is the limit front and rear (not sure how wide Gerry's wheels are)?

As it's going to look reasonably 'original' from first impressions, I'm keen on keeping the tyres as 'chunky' looking as the originals, rather than fit larger diameter wheels with lower profile tyres on, which, in my opinion, doesn't look quite the same!

Pic attached is of a genuine car with 15" wheels of an unknown origin shod with Michelin TB15 tyres!

[LM mic]

Hello
There is another brand of wheel you can fit onto your LB ; just have a chat with Craig ..... he have another source for 15" wheels
I have recently watched those on a car being achieved and they lok very very nice ( from what I know they are also slightly lighter than Compomotive ones)
And probably they fit perfectly LB brakes as they are done with LB specifications with another interesting option ; they can be ordered to bespoke colors

Just check also on FB page I remind have watched those on pics showing that specific car being built ( Ferrari engine one):

LB FB page copyright

[Lancialulu]

I don't know about coffin spoke wheels but my original 15" Compmotive Transformer/Hawk wheels clear my 12" AP racing disk and calipers..... (front and back)

[Strat Fan]

I don't know about coffin spoke wheels but my original 15" Compmotive Transformer/Hawk wheels clear my 12" AP racing disk and calipers..... (front and back)

It really depends on the inner profile of the wheel rim, the depth of the disc bell/position of the brake disc, the size and shape of the caliper etc etc etc.
That said the Hawk coffin spokes offer the best brake caliper clearance of all the coffin spokes wheels I have fitted (Hawk/Roin/Marvic&LB)

[Griff]

This is the diagram that Craig sent me to make comparison, LB on the left, Hawk on the right.

(see below) Craig, duly noted thank you

[Strat Fan]

This is the diagram that Craig sent me to make comparison, LB on the left, Hawk on the right.

To clarify, this is a wheel sizing diagram for a GP4 Hawk. The RH side shows the Gp4 Hawk rear wheel installed onto the Hawk suspension, the LH side shows the LB wheel fitted to the same suspension with a view to ensuring the wheels ordered fit within the confines of the wheel arches thus maximising suspension movement so as not to compromise the ride quality, performance & handling of the car.
Richards question is regarding an LB Stradale which would be a different diagram altogether.

[ironman523]

Hi,
I have built a LB with the 17/16 inch combination and yes it is awesome, its very difficult thinking about what you want to build as there are so many options, I opted for a red car with gold/mustard wheels and round group 4 arches and so in many ways I played it safe but not in other ways ie engine/gearbox, however what I ended up with I consider very special and is still in my eyes the most beautiful car I have ever seen and I fall in love every time I enter the garage (I have a mirror at the far end :-)). If I was building again I would build a Kawasaki green stradale with 15 inch wheels, keep it simple, LHD with no heater or air con and as you simply don't need them, in a Toyota engine car anyway with modern insulation etc, dont believe what you read about these cars as the listerbell is a different animal, has to be said 15 inch wheels just look right but the tyre cost is just ridiculous,but with the right suspension and ride height etc !!! there are some incredible cars out there being build and about to be built, the quality of the Listerbell product and whats being done with it is stunning, I am sure yours will be one of them. Personally I am very excited to see them. My advice is think very carefully about what you want before you order it and get it right.
Rob

[ah_sprite]

Hi,
I have built a LB with the 17/16 inch combination and yes it is awesome, its very difficult thinking about what you want to build as there are so many options, I opted for a red car with gold/mustard wheels and round group 4 arches and so in many ways I played it safe but not in other ways ie engine/gearbox, however what I ended up with I consider very special and is still in my eyes the most beautiful car I have ever seen and I fall in love every time I enter the garage (I have a mirror at the far end :-)). If I was building again I would build a Kawasaki green stradale with 15 inch wheels, keep it simple, LHD with no heater or air con and as you simply don't need them, in a Toyota engine car anyway with modern insulation etc, dont believe what you read about these cars as the listerbell is a different animal, has to be said 15 inch wheels just look right but the tyre cost is just ridiculous,but with the right suspension and ride height etc !!! there are some incredible cars out there being build and about to be built, the quality of the Listerbell product and whats being done with it is stunning, I am sure yours will be one of them. Personally I am very excited to see them. My advice is think very carefully about what you want before you order it and get it right.
Rob

Rob, I completely agree with all your comments. I'm only 25 but from a young age I've always wanted to have a green Stradale Stratos. You're absolutely right with your comment to think carefully about what you want before you commit - I bought Denys Jones' Pirelli Hawk a few years ago, and whilst it was an excellent car, the Pirelli scheme was never really to my taste on a round wheelarch car. I suppose it's one of the reasons I decided to sell it, along with the fact I needed the money to plough into my classic car business.

In an ideal world, I'd have a car on 15" wheels, but looking at tyre availability etc, it might be more sensible to go with the 16s. I've seen a couple of pictures of LB Stradale cars with 16" wheels and I think they do look OK. I'll have to wait until I see one in the flesh before I can fully decide, though. But it's difficult to make a Stradale car look 'right' unless the ride height, tyre sidewall depth etc is spot on! There are plenty of well-made Hawks out there that are ruined by bad wheels/tyres/ride height combo.

Rich

[Fingers]

You could always go with the 8" wide LB coffin spokes front and rear, that would give you a wider range of tyre choices. The 9" rears are a bit limited for choice (well, down here anyway). Having said that I do prefer the look of the wider rears on the Stradale. Just a thought.

[ProtoTipo]

The question is - will 15" wheels comfortably clear at the rear too? What tyre size is the limit front and rear (not sure how wide Gerry's wheels are)?

215 section Michelin TB for the front. Hawk coffin spoke fronts are 8x15.
You can fit 270 TB15s to 8x15 wheels, but they're really not suited (too wide for the rim).
There are gaps in the TB15 range that could be filled with the greater width range of TB5 and P7 Corsa, but those two tyres types are more 'semi slick'.

As it's going to look reasonably 'original' from first impressions, I'm keen on keeping the tyres as 'chunky' looking as the originals, rather than fit larger diameter wheels with lower profile tyres on, which, in my opinion, doesn't look quite the same!

Pic attached is of a genuine car with 15" wheels of an unknown origin shod with Michelin TB15 tyres!

The green car in the photo has Marvics, 8x15 front and 9x15 rears.
The rear tyres on the green car are definitely 270 section TB15.