I have a question I need some help with please!! I had a rear Hamann style diffuser that I had pulled in carbon fiber. I bought the original mounting brackets from Hamann so it fits spot on and is super secure. It mounted exactly as Hamann instructed since I have those as well. It looks great...

Here in lies the problems. I also have an Alta stealth exhaust on my '06 R53 and the exhaust hangs a little lower then stock [maybe 2" from the trim]. So, my exhaust is about a quarter to half inch over the diffuser and over big bumps it will hit. I also don't want the heat from the pipes to burn the carbon or clear coat.

>> Do I fix my exhaust a little higher and more securely by say adding another something to secure it to a hangar that is not being used by the Alta spec? Should I lower the diffuser a little and not play with the exhaust? Can I bend the exhaust bracket so I can get the extra 0.5" higher on the tip? Any advice would be hugely helpful, I asked Dopamine who seemingly is the only other person I have seen with the same part [and his MINI is dumped on 18's and coils...]....but someone else has to be running it.

Here it the second question and a direct implication...I am running 17x7 Tenzo's on 205 tires and I have one inch to spare between the tire and the diffuser before it is lowered. I need to get new tires and wanted to get 215.
>> Can anyone tell me how much wider a 215 is to a 205??

 

The tire "should" be 10mm wider, but there are a lot of variables in tires, even the "same size tires" will be different.

For the exhaust, you can most likely bend the brackets on which the exhaust hangs, usually prettu easy. If this still doesn't cure the problem, there are some exhaust hangers (rubber ones) that are shorter then stock. Most all auto-parts stores have a 'decent' selection.

And don't stress about the CF fading, no matter what you do to protect it, it will eventually yellow and fade, nothing you can do about it.

 

Thanks man, that sounds pretty easy. It seems like an easy fix for sure. I will check to see if there is a rubber hanger that I can get to tighten it up. It seems my exhaust it moving too much anyways. It rattles a ton against the diffuser any time I hit a bump and in Canada, you don't often hit a smooth patch.

 

on the exhaust, there is a support bracket on the pipe that the tips connect to. raise the exhaust up to however you want it, then weld that support "hanger" to the exhaust. dont use the provided screw locking thing, cuz it wont hold at all and will eventually loosen, just weld it. then adjust your tips to point out straight and thats it. shouldnt be that big of a deal at all.

 

I slid under my car and I noticed the support bracket that i temporarily raised with an S hook if you can believe it. I know it will slip off but I can see when its on the lift I should be able to McGrubber something together to make it hold until my shop welds it! Thanks Mr. A

 

Just out of interest, does that diffuser actually do anything or is it just cosmetic?

 

Its functionality is arguable, except the fact I think it looks great and it makes me smile when I see the back of my car [at least for the 6 months its not winter]. Maybe at 120 MPH in a wind tunnel it may add a hair of down force but I'd still doubt it and I can't say much about any speculation that it will help with keeping the hatch cleaner. So far I can say its stayed much cleaner but it hasn't been on long enough for me to insist it does anything. The downside, it is hella expensive, it rarely comes with proper mounting brackets and it is not an easy DIY job to start making them at home or put it on. Wheels and wheel wells have to come off, the support needs to be drilled...not terrible but figure you are going to have to align and drill the holes in the part as well. I have the Hamann instructions if anyone would ever need it.