Driven5 wrote:
I can't speak as to whether it would be cheaper/easier to change the shape of the existing molds...
Nope
Driven5 wrote:
...or create new flare molds.
Yup.
Driven5 wrote:
Of course, I have never been a huge fan of how far beyond the outer face of the wheel/tire the front fenders have to extend to enclose them anyways, even with skinny tires and shallow turning angles.
Me either. I accept the huge front fenders as an Early Lotus Sports Racer display of authenticity, much like the peacock's plumage and Ian Anderson's codpiece, but I can't say I like them. I don't think they are particularly effective at reducing aerodynamic drag, either--I'm sure they lower drag coefficient, but I doubt they reduce it much more than they increase frontal area, making it pretty much a wash. It was okay with the real ones (which were amazingly tiny cars) but expanded to Miata-size I think they'd be a nuisance and subject to parking lot scuffs. The bright side is, compared to the prettier (in my opinion) lines of the Lola front fenders, the Lotus 11/15 front fenders can get away with a lot in the realm of tire size, turning radius, and suspension travel just by lifting them up a bit.
The real problem is the rear fenders...and if you widen the rear section by making it wider in the center, you have to widen the front too because the doors and pontoons are defined by the (I can't think of how to say this clearly, so here goes nothin') back of the front section and the front of the back section (actually, that wasn't too bad).
Driven5 wrote:
The flared design would also be more readily able to accommodate any builder variations, as the width could be trimmed for the perfect fit.
Making a body widening kit (a la the +4 adapters for the TTL nose...split the part in half, insert the adapters, fiberglass it all back together) would do the same. Decisions, decisions.