Moving the side radiators?

[Kroggers]

I probably will not get much reply to this, but thought I would see if anyone here have done something like this...

I need to make a slight alteration to my Boxster racing car, which I hope is not going to be a major undertaking.

I need a bit more clearance in the front wheel wells, and as such looking to move the side radiators forward a bit - no more than 1/2".

For most of the attachments, I figure I can drill new holes and put rivet-nuts in etc. And at first look I think there is enough spare in the coolant hoses to facilitate this move - but if not then I will get some replacement hose to do this.

Anyone here done this before? How did you do it? drill new holes for the factory mount or make up your own mounts?

[Eric523]

I'll be attempting this over the offseason as well. Not sure exactly how it will be accomplished yet.

[Kroggers]

Cool, so I am not the only one

I hope to do mine within the next week or so, as it is hindering me from completing other projects on the car. Happy to bounce some ideas back and forth with you, if you are willing to discuss your thinking and ideas?

I have wider front fenders than stock and as such a slightly wider front bumper giving a bot more space for movement.

My preference would be to relocate the complete radiator forward and either make new mounting holes or a completely new mount.

But I am also keen to try and use the factory hoses, so another option is to twist the radiator so the outside edge is further forward - this is where my new wheels are catching.

One point that worries me is the stupid plastic pin that Porsche decided to use to mount the inside of the radiator to the car (the one that is known to ofter crack and leak!!!). I was considering just cutting it off, but do not know if it is hollow and as such will create a leak or not - do you know?

[Eric523]

Originally Posted by Kroggers

Cool, so I am not the only one

I hope to do mine within the next week or so, as it is hindering me from completing other projects on the car. Happy to bounce some ideas back and forth with you, if you are willing to discuss your thinking and ideas?

I have wider front fenders than stock and as such a slightly wider front bumper giving a bot more space for movement.

My preference would be to relocate the complete radiator forward and either make new mounting holes or a completely new mount.

But I am also keen to try and use the factory hoses, so another option is to twist the radiator so the outside edge is further forward - this is where my new wheels are catching.

One point that worries me is the stupid plastic pin that Porsche decided to use to mount the inside of the radiator to the car (the one that is known to ofter crack and leak!!!). I was considering just cutting it off, but do not know if it is hollow and as such will create a leak or not - do you know?

I don't expect to get to working on it for a couple more weeks. I wanted to see if slotting the brackets for just a 1/4" to 1/2" would be sufficient to clear the front tires. Hopefully I'll be able to reuse the stock hoses as well.

Cutting off the pin would likely open a hole and render the radiator useless. You may be able to trim the tip off, but I know the base of the pin is hollow. Expensive experimenting unless you have a previously damaged unit to test on.

[Kroggers]

When you say slotting the brackets, do you mean making the mounting holes in the radiator frame oblong so you can push it further forward? I looked at this, and I do not think there is enough material to permit you lengthening the holes by 1/2" - will look again tomorrow.

My initial idea is to just try to twist the radiator so the outer most part which the wheel is contacting is further forward - this will only require the bracket to be bent slightly and one of the mounting holes under the car to be made larger.

I should have some time to play in the morning and will post back with some updates for further discussion...

What size wheel/tire are you running up front? I have gone to a 18x10 wheel with a MPSC 265/35 - my early Christmas present (as you have seen )

[LAP1DOUG]

Originally Posted by Kroggers

What size wheel/tire are you running up front? I have gone to a 18x10 wheel with a MPSC 265/35 - my early Christmas present (as you have seen )

Sorry to interrupt, but I had been planning to run the MPSC 265/35-18 on 9" wide et50 on my front, and thought they would fit without moving anything. Apparently this is not the case?

I had really been hoping to run a 265 front / 295 rear as this looks like the optimum combination.

[Kroggers]

Originally Posted by LAP1DOUG

Sorry to interrupt, but I had been planning to run the MPSC 265/35-18 on 9" wide et50 on my front, and thought they would fit without moving anything. Apparently this is not the case?

I had really been hoping to run a 265 front / 295 rear as this looks like the optimum combination.

When it comes to understanding all the measurement numbers related to wheels and tiers I can confess to getting very confused

When we widened my car, the body shop used a random 10" wide wheel with Toyo R888 265 to measure and it was tight, but did clear the radiator. We did have to put some spacers on the wheel to make it fit the front as it had the wrong back-space to fit the Boxster.

Now that I have received my custom made wheels and mounted the MPSC the radiators are in the way I think this is a mix of me not measuring spot on and the MPSC having a different sidewall to the R888???

I will be running MPSC 265/35 and 295/30 on 18x10 and 18x11 wheels. So same MPSC as you, and I would not have managed to make them fit the standard Boxster body with those wheels.

Are you racing or is the MPSC just for road fun? Michelin sponsor the Porsche Sports Cup Scandinavia and GT3 Cup Trophy over here, so we get additional data from Michelin. I have a PDF in Swedish I can share with you ( I see Kippis in your signature, so will assume there is some Finland relationship, maybe you can ready Swedish?). Michelin recommend that the 265 should be run on a 10" wheel for best performance but with a option between 9" - 10.5" So the 9" should be fine for your need (still do not know if it will fit without any modifications to the car), but for racing I would use a 10" wheel to get best performance from the MPSC...

[LAP1DOUG]

Kroggers:

I have found that the tire size designated by each manufacturer is rather arbitrary, and there is a huge tolerance allowed. Very much like oil viscosity ratings (not to start an oil thread!).

Anyway, I use tirerack.com Tires by Brand at Tire Rack
to check actual section width and some tread width data. Unfortunately it is all in American dimensions.

In checking the 265/18 sizes, a R888 is a 10.8" section width vs. an MPSC at 10.9", so the MPSC is a bit wider, but not by much. This is pretty close by tire size standards. Perhaps your wheel offset was a bit different also.

Anyway, I have been to Finland before, and work in the paper and biomass fuel energy field so I have many friends and acquaintances who are Fins, and know some Swedes and Danes too. One Fin that I work with here used to race Porsches in Finland, and he ships some used cars and parts to Finland on a regular basis. I will send you a PM.

[Kroggers]

Thank you for the details, I know that the wheel offset on my new wheels compared to the ones they used to measure the fenders is not the same - like I said, I think I made an error in measuring when I ordered the wheels.

But back on track - I think I cracked it



This along with some other small adjustments including some alterations to the bumper has given me (I hope) the clearance I need

Will not know for sure until I get the suspension all sorted out and the car back on the ground, but it is a lot better...

I also noticed that the small support that runs from the fender (under the light) to the side of the car was going to be in the way, so I relocated it further forward and behind the radiator mount - as you can see in the picture.