Question: My friend just recently spent a large sum of money on new tires and wheels for his '02 Dodge ram 1500. We mounted and balanced the tires and wheels, but when we went to put them on the truck, we found that the 15-inch wheels wouldn't clear the brake calipers on the front of the truck. The wheel distributor will not honor this mistake on their part and now the wheels are no longer brand new so we cannot send them back. Do you recommend wheel spacers/adapters to clear the calipers? The only other option is to sell the set and start all over with bigger wheels. Thanks for any help you can offer.
Ty
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: The best solution is usually the most expensive, and in this case selling the tires and wheels and going to a larger rim would be the best and safest bet. Of course there are cheaper options such as wheel spacers or grinding the calipers, but both require a certain amount of personal responsibility by the user. if you run wheel spacers be sure to use some sort of threadlocking compound to keep all the inner lug nuts tight. also pull off the wheels and torque the lug nuts after the first 50 to 100 miles. grinding the caliper where it interferes is an option we have seen done many times, but not one we would recommend as any modification with the brakes could end in catastrophic failure and even death. Maybe rims with less offset would help clear the brakes, but again you are looking at buying new wheels so why not buy ones that clear better and the tires that go with it? a good lesson is to discuss just this situation with the tire salesman prior to purchase, and find out what their return/exchange policy is. Oftentimes shops are more willing to return parts if they are hired to install as well.
Question: I own a '93 Mazda B2600i SE and am very pleased with its abilities offroad. The only problem is the IFS-there aren't any lift kits for it. i would like to do a solid-axle swap, but haven't found much info about it.
Philip H.
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: As many of you have found out, independent Front Suspension (iFS) doesn't mix well with abusive off-roading. and in the smaller trucks like Mazdas, rangers, and S-10s, this is especially true as the components are also small to start with. unfortunately, i don't know of a Mazda-specific solid-axle swap kit, but poly performance (805.783.2060, www.polyperformance.com) does offer a universal front three-link suspension kit for any vehicle with a 4-inch framerail for around $900. poly can also supply front coilover or air shocks. This would be a great starting point to get rid of iFS on any truck and swing a solid axle into its place as it comes with brackets, links, and joints for three longitudinal links and one lateral track bar or panhard bar link. also check out the "Danger ranger" buildup Feature Editor ali Mansour did in our nov. '07 issue, since rangers are similar to the Mazda trucks.
Question: Whatever happened to those Datsun four-wheel-drive trucks? i know later they where called nissan, but i was just wondering what happened to the socalled mini-trucks of years gone by?
Patrick V.
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Answer: you can still get a mini-truck from Datsun, now called nissan; it's called a Frontier. plus the rest of the market has the Ford ranger, Dodge Dakota, chevy colorado, Toyota Tacoma, and Mazda B-Series. There is rumor that Mahindra from india may be coming to the u.S. market soon with a small pickup, and you know darn well that the Chinese and korean car manufacturers are scooping out our country for new business. Not to mention the possibility of both a Jeep and hummer mini-truck. So the mini-truck market is still thriving. however many of these models have grown over the years (especially the Toyota Tacoma, which now rivals the previous Tundra for length and width), and this is something i've been wondering about. Though the u.S. is proud of its fullsize trucks, i wouldn't be surprised if the coming fuel climate doesn't revitalize the mini-truck market, especially if fuel-efficient, yet powerful, four-cylinder gas and diesel engines show up under the hoods. personally i think this would be great as can be seen by the thousands of early '80s Toyota trucks that are on the trails these days. i think a new wave of truly capable, rugged, yet narrow, and shortwheelbased (103 to 109 inches is about right) mini-trucks would sell like crazy.