Tire & stance

Reading a tire size

In 245/60 R15, 245 is the tread width in millimetres, 60 means the sidewall is 60% of that width, and 15 is the rim diameter in inches. The overall diameter is the rim plus two sidewalls.

Getting the stance right

Most kit cars sit too high out of the box. Measure the gap between the top of the tire and the wheel arch on a reference photo, scale it down, and compare it with your model. At 1:24, a 50 mm real drop is only about 2 mm, so sand or shim in small steps.

Tips from the bench

• Fat rear tires and a slightly lower nose give that 70s street-machine rake.
• Check the scaled tread width against your wheel wells before you buy aftermarket wheels.
• If a tire is a hair too tall, a light sand on a flat file takes it down and makes it look worn in.

Need body or chassis measurements too? Use the scale converter.