Spline Hub Testarossa Wheel Upgrades?

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Red TR - 13 Feb 2006 01:26 GMT

If I wanted to go to the bigger, better brakes, and 18 inch wheels of
the 512TR on my pre 88.5 spline hubbed TR wheels, what are the options,
and would you do it, and if so, at what cost? How much off track
benefit does it confer on handling, and is there another way to get to
better brakes without increasing wheel size?

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Iain Miller - 13 Feb 2006 09:46 GMT

> If I wanted to go to the bigger, better brakes, and 18 inch wheels of
> the 512TR on my pre 88.5 spline hubbed TR wheels, what are the options,
> and would you do it, and if so, at what cost? How much off track
> benefit does it confer on handling, and is there another way to get to
> better brakes without increasing wheel size?

Better brakes are not just a product of sticking bigger discs on....

Fundamentally, if you can lock 'em up & they don't fade then increasing the
size of the discs probably isn't going to do that much for you.

Start with looking at your tyres - if those are getting old and hard then
just changing them out for something softer & stickier will help hugely.
Have a look at thr DOT numbers on the tires - the last 3/4 digits will tell
you their age. You can also try different types of pads - it maybe you arn't
actually working them hard enough to get enough heat into them to make them
work properly - or, conversely that you need harder/hotter bads if the
brakes are fading. If its the latter you might also look at ways of adding
better brake cooling first but I would think you'd have to be trying VERY
hard to kill the brakes on a car like that on the road.

Otherwise, try the Ferrarichat archives - someone may have upgraded before.

Laastly, knowing this car is fairly new to you, suggest you read up on the
spline hub wheels & how to check they are on tight enough. There a have been
a few instances of these wheels literally falling off cars when they wern't
properly tightened.

rgds

I.

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Red TR - 15 Feb 2006 00:57 GMT

I talked to the mechanic about the "wheels falling off" issue. He
says that the wheels self tighten as you drive, and that if someone's
wheels fell off it is because they put the wheels back on wrong.
However, since I still don't have my car back, I've purchased all kinds
of books and magazines on EBay about the Testarossa, and I'm working my
way through them all, plus the websites, and our archives. I think I
have P8000s as put on in 2002, with about 2000 miles on them. Tires
looked ok and I don't know enough about the car's handling yet to know
if 18s would be better or worse. I had 18/19s on the Viper and they
were great. But I put 19 inchers on my former Audi S8,and the ride
degraded into a bumping, harsh, mess. Just looking to see what
experience people have had in changing up, if it can be done.

Thanks for the info

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Creamy Goodness - 13 Feb 2006 15:55 GMT

>If I wanted to go to the bigger, better brakes, and 18 inch wheels of
>the 512TR on my pre 88.5 spline hubbed TR wheels, what are the options,
>and would you do it, and if so, at what cost?

I might be wrong but I think FORZA did a piece on a guy who did a
brake upgrade on a TR. Although promised, I don't think their website
offers an index yet.

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