Stuart,
With respect to the front wheels, having the steering axis intersect the
center of the tire contact patch would be ideal, but is not achievable on
most cars, including Tigers & Alpines. However, you should try and set the
wheel as far inboard as possible to approximate the best situation. Of
course, we have all seen aftermarket wheels with just the opposite
philosophy; i.e., with the wheels sticking far outboard. This has at least
two bad effects; it reduces the effective spring rate (stifness), puts
unequal loads on the wheel bearings, and makes the steering a lot harder.
Unless you are trying to achieve a"lowrider" image, try and find wheels with
about a 4 3/4" rear spacing. Some wheels with nominal 5" rear spacing are
actually a little less than nominal and may fit; for example, some
Centerlines. With a 5 3/4" rear spacing on a 15" diameter wheel, you can fit
up 7" or 7 1/2" wide wheels and 205/50 tires in front. I am not sure what
rear spacing is possible with 14" wheels, but it is less than with 15"
wheels. This same rear spacing will work on the rear wheels, but if you
also use the same wheel width in the rear, you may want to use less rear
spacing for appearance and to equal out the track. The offset at the rear
axle has very little effect on handling, wheel bearing loads, etc.
Hope this information helps your decision.
Bob
|