NOH20

I've searched the archives and this topic has been debated many times. I have 7 & 8 Fuchs on a '86 Carrera, non turbo, non turbo look body. I don't want to roll fender lips so I plan on replacing the fronts with 205/55-16 however, the rear is a different story. I know that I can change the rear to 245/45-16 instead of the stock 225. My question is, will I notice any improvement in handling? Is it better to go with the wider rear tire in this set up? Also, S02's or S03's? My car is driven on weekends and will rarely see the rain, this is not my daily driver and I don't do track events. What would you guys recommend as I need to replace the 8 year old BF Goodrich tires that are on my car soon.

Thanks,

Brad
Michigan

85 3.2 Carrera

(you sure you have 7's and 8's? stock is 6's and 7's)

rears...the 245/45 16 may be too fat on an 8 inch wheel, so the handling may actually be degraded as there could be excess play in the sidewalls. if you go to a 9 inch wheel width in the rear you can then run the 245s.

fronts...205/55 - 16 is a nice setup on a 7 inch wheel.

NOH20

Definitely have 7's and 8's. Sounds like it may be best to stick with the 225's okn the rear. What about tire selection??

Thanks,

Brad

Bill Gregory

245's will work fine on 8's. They are better on 9's, but the G stock club racers seem to do fine on 8's (+1" over stock allowed). 225's on 8's in the rear will work fine too. The sidewalls will be a little stiffer as they are pushed out more on the 8's than the 7's - probably not noticeable in street driving. When considering tires, and you're buying a full set, since our 911's tend to eat rears at 2X fronts, I recommend newer models, as they are likely to still be around in a few years when it's time to replace those rears. I have 16" S03's and they've been fine on the street.

85 3.2 Carrera

...no offense Bill, but even though a 245 will fit on an 8" width, it is not optimal. Personally, I wouldn't run 245s on an 8 inch Fuchs wheel, especially since Fuchs have a very different lip configuration from your average wheel. Let's just say I've seen strange things happen! I run 245/45 Yokohama AVS Sports on 9 X 16 Fuchs, and there is still more play and bulge in the sidewalls than I would like. So for the track, I have an entirely different set of wheels/tires.

Which brings me to another very important consideration - the tire's actual contact measurement, width, and revolutions per mile. There are significant differences in tire dimensions from manufacturer to manufacturer even when comparing the same sizes.

The best advice I can give is to call a Porsche expert who has experimented with lots of different Porsche/wheel/tire combinations. You might try Drew at Fairfield County Motorsport (203-256-9291) who just won the Cannonball One Lap of America in a 996TT. He is a wheel/tire guru!

NOH20

Thanks for the help.

Brad

Preeble

OK - I have 6s and 7s with 205/225s.

How much of a difference in handling would I see if i kept the same tire sizes, but changed the wheels to 7s and 8s? Would the handling be noticeably better?

rbcsaver

My 2 cents:
NOH20, I prefer Dunlop SP 8000, which sounds like they would do just fine for a non rain/DE/Track car. I have done all of the 3 with mine and I like the Dunlops. The rain is often a result of the latter 2. I just put 245s on my 84 Carrera, 8 " wheels, which are in my case actually 944 wheels. I was leary, but the 245/45/16 seems to fit just fine without sidewall bulge, etc. 85 3.2 Carrera is correct in that each of the tire manufacturers have slightly different specs for the "same tire size." I just put 225/50/16's on the 7" front and it is very tight, with some rub and I don't know that I would recommend. Remember, my 944 wheels have different offsets and spacers.

Preeble, you will have a far better handling car with 7s and 8's. This setup will allow your 225 and 205s a bigger tire patch.

85 3.2 Carrera

...tires I have run on my '85 911:

Goodyear (gatorbacks??) - a long time ago. Not wowed.

BFG Comp T/A R1s - streeted them, bought lots, awesome, out of production now. (replaced by the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup)

Yokohama AVS Sports on the car now - love them, great price, good all around tire. wet traction has diminished with mileage, but Yoko warns of that up front.

Next - Michelin Pilot Sports. Will buy them at Costco for significant discount, and have mounted by my guys.

I saw a presentation at a Porsche Club meeting by Michelin's national marketing director, who is also an active racer. Very impressive. Michelin heavily invests in R & D and also joint-ventures tire development with Porsche.

...then again, Schumacher is doing well on Bridgestones!!!

Chas

Actually if you look at the factory spec sheets for just about every brand...the manufacturer chooses 225/50's for a 7" and 245/45's for an 8" rim.

This is their "optimal" choice when doing all their testing, sizing, and performance measurements....I think they might know what they are doing, since they made the thing

85 3.2 Carrera

...that may be, but I've seen 245/45s come off of 8" Fuchs, and they are extremely hard to mount on Fuchs. Emphasis on FUCHS! The lip configuration on a FUCHS is considerably different than your average wheel.

...but, hey, give it a shot, and see what happens at the track!

Jay Gratton

I have S-03's on my '85 with 7's and 8's. The car started life with 6' and 7's and I noticed a HUGE change! Best wishes - Jay Gratton