Wider Track

[dobby909 2]

Im looking at taking my 205 down the wide stance/hill climb look, wide archs etc! I've found a wide arch bolt on kit which comes out either 2" or 5"

 

what wishbones would I need/axle would I need to make my 205 wider! also any wheel spacers that people would recommend/stay well away from?!

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PEUGEOT-205-WIDER-ARCHES-GREAT-QUALITY-BRAND-NEW-/181178794290?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2a2f190132

[Henry 1.9GTi 36]

eibach spacers are v good quality. and made to the correct centre core size. If your going more than 5mm on spacers you need to step up to a minimum of 15mm to get hubcentric. 10mm would be dangerous in my opinion. PM if you need a set of 15mm eibachs

 

wider axel I think the 405 setup is used. You can go marginally wider with 309 wishbones but i dont think thats what your after.

 

for info when i used 15mm spacers on standard arches it looked nice and obviously wider, but wasnt wide enough to warrent those arch extensions you show. The only issue I have run into if you want it nice and low is the flange joint between inner and outer arch that sits roughly in the middle of the tyre. This was rubbing on the tyre even with a fair gap to the arch and 350lb springs.

 

have fun!

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

Ive got similar arches on the front of mine, with 309 lower arms, 8" wide wheels, 10mm spacers (although they are there to clear the caliper rather than add track width) and they dont quite fill the arches, but its not far off.

 

I have contemplated cutting away the front metal arch underneath my fiberglass ones, as it is visable from the side of the car and looks wierd. I havent had any trouble with the tyre contacting this front arch except when I tried using 205 60 13 tyres and they were far too baloon-like to fit, I'm using 185/60/13 now and theyre fine.

 

As for the rear, it can be quite a task to get wider wheels on, but not impossible. What model 205 do you have? As a base model will need some angle grinder loving.

Mines got 10" wide wheels on the rear and it took a lot of trial and error to get no contact with the arch (cut,ground and resealed) stiffer torsion bars, anti-roll bar and adjustable shocks help. I've had to adjust the height of the rear a few times to get it perfect.

I havent got any spacers on the rear, and its a standard 205 gti beam (except bars etc)

 

I would avoid trying to get extra width by adding spacers behind the standard wheels, it'll look wierd. You'll need to find some wider wheels to fill the arches out

[welshpug 1,655]

hillclimb look is wide front, NOT rear, unless its RWD of course

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

"...would I need to make my 205 wider"

Assumes that the rear would be widened also. That set of arches includes rears, which would also assume that your doing something with the rear. "Wide stance" assumes something would be done with the rear.

[dobby909 2]

its something to think about, ive just bought a brand new 6 point cage for a bargain price of £200 so i think the widening will have too wait until next payday!

 

i just want it too look a bit bigger and meaner in peoples rear view mirrors, plus some handling improvments would be a massive bonus! maybe just some spacers?

[Henry 1.9GTi 36]

they will make it look meaner and make it handle worse

[DanteICE 72]

they will make it look meaner and make it handle worse

 

 

Yeah agreed. I'd say if you want some improved handling and wider stance then 309 GTI wishbones, driveshafts (some don't bother), front ARB and rear beam will give you some negative camber at the front and a slight width increase, whilst at the back you'll get a nice width increase and a slightly stiffer rear ARB.

 

However, whether you like this setup is about preference, some people prefer the liveliness of the original 205 setup.

 

Anthony has a picture of his 205 with 309 rear beam and ZX trailing arms and it does look lush!

 

In fact I'd love to know Anthony's verdict on handling and day to day use, because that's the setup I'm going for.

 

IMAGE

 

Geoff

[Anthony 1,002]

I wouldn't personally use a 309 front ARB, as I found it far too understeer-bias with it fitted (and that was with an mildly uprated rear ARB)

 

That 205 drove nicely and was huge fun, predictable, well-balanced and gave great confidence.

 

However, that said, the additional width of the 309 beam is if anything a downside, despite ironically being the main reason people fit them! The improvement comes from the stiffer 20mm torsion and anti-roll bars that the 309 GTi beam has compared to the 18.9 torsion and 19mm anti-roll bar from a 205 GTi beam. These days I run a 205 width beam with uprated torsion/anti-roll bars, which is a better - if more costly - option IMO.

 

309 front wishbones and driveshafts to suit I find works well, and certainly means I wear front tires evenly - with the standard 205 setup I always tended to scrub the outside edge prematurely. Again, the primary benefit is probably the negative camber rather than the minor increase in front track width - running 1.6 GTi hubs would give you wider track up front given their increased offset compared to base/1.9 items.

 

Problem with all these things of course is that it's all down to personal preference to a degree, and what one person thinks is eager to turn-in another will think is tail-happy, and what one thinks is planted another will think is inert.

[owenf 0]

Hi guys

I'm trying to decide whether to fit a 309 beam to my car. I have the original 1.9 beam and a 309 one I bought a few years back. I'm doing a full restoration of the car but it'll soon be time to decide which beam I'm going to rebuild and fit.

 

I know the 309 beam bolts straight on but will I have to cut any metal to stop tyres hitting the arches? Especially if I lower the back a bit will this be necessary? The front is lowered so I'll have to drop the back a bit too

 

Cheers

Owen

[jord294 92]

Don't lower it more than 30mm, and you should be ok

[owenf 0]

Cheers for that.

 

The car had a koni kit on it when i bought it 10years ago. but I guess it's unlikely to be lower than 30mm so should be ok I hope!