Dan Rufer

I am about to purchase an '87 Carrera but I know the front tires won't pass inspection (that Nadar Bar stuff). The existing front tires are Dunlap 205/55ZR/16s on 7" rims. My first question is if 225 tires are alright on 7" rims? My driving will be street, autocross, & light DE (my first year). Can a decent pair of front tires be had for under $300.00? Given that my wife is letting me get the car in the first place, all I have to do is say that it now needs tires too and out I go. Thank you. Dan

richard glickel

DR,

Stay with 205/55 up front as per factory recommendation. Besides 205s are less expensive than 225 (which I run on my rear 8 x 16 fuchs). Check tirerack for good prices on tires. I recommend against mixing the brand and model tire (don't use different tires up front from those rear tires). I also recommend changing all four tires at the same time (although some owners claim to get almost double the milage out of their front tires).

Goodrich is a reasonably priced, quality tire. Michelin are great tires, but overpriced. You may also find that you can get a bargain price on a discontinued model high performance tire, like the Bridgestone RE71.

It may be that I'm a big chicken (which I am), but I don't believe in trying to go cheap on tires that I expect to safely perform under extreme cornering and at speeds in excess of 100 mph (you did mention anticipated autoX & DE).

Good luck.

Richard
'87 Carrera

Chris Martin

If you are going to track you car you will appreciate good tires. Also, I would not recommend unmatched tires, especially when their wear is different and you will be on the track. Safety first.

With that said, I installed a set of Bridgestone Re 730's on the front of my SC and they were fabulous. Tire Rack sells them for about $130, I think they are the tires to beat at that price point. Stick with the 205's, unless you want to play the clearance game with the front fenders. I recently upgraded to 17" wheels on the SC and installed the 730's on the corners. At a track event this spring we went through a wet skid pad and the car would not break loose; until, that is, my instructor yanked the parking brake!

Best of luck

Chris

Herb E.

Dan-

I've got a pair of Dunlop D40/M2 205/55ZR-16 that are in EC and have 7/32+ tread on them. (They only have a couple K-miles on them.) Wear is minimal and even. I had them on my 951 until I changed to wider. They're yours for $100. Im in Rochester NY so shipping should be cheap. If you're interested... otherwise good luck with the purchase. I have an '87 Carrera as well...its a joy to drive.

hjerhardt@aol.com

87slant-nose-cabriolet

DAN,
SOUNDS LIKE HERB HAS THE DEAL! IF NOT TRY KUHMO,s FROM THE TIRE RACK. A LOT OF TIRE
FOR THE MONEY.
KEITH

Chris Bennet

I would advise against the RE730. They are the only tire I've ever had that I really hated. All of mine were out of round and once they get a few miles on them they howl very loudly at highway speeds.
I've been pleased with lots of low priced tires over the years (Dunlop D40M2, Bridgestone RE71, Dunlop SP8000, Yoko A320) so I'm by no means a tire snob. I'd check out the SP8000 and A320.
-Chris

To check out the reviews of the RE730: http://www.tirerack.com/survey/Surve...=Potenza+RE730

James Achard

Dan, On thing to consider if you are going to use the car for DE Events, check your clubs rules. Some don't let you run different brands front to rear. Also, get your tires mounted by a competent shop, I once brought in a set of wheels to the local garage and when I told them I was running the wheels at 100mph plus they refused to mount them. There was nothing wrong with the wheels and my point is that it's very important that the tires are mounted properly and many shops don't think that the wheels will be used at high speeds.

Regards, James

Randy

Hi Dan. I have been running Dunlop SP8000's forever, they're a great tire, especially considering the price nowadays. Five years ago they used to be the S02, but the planned obsolescence has seen them fall in price, which is good for us. Since you asked what size tire fits well on a 7 inch wheel, I assume you have 7's and 8's or maybe even 9's. There are many possible setups for your car depending upon whether or not the fender lips have been rolled, how low the car is, and how much negative camber you're running. Here are the facts. You can run up to 225/50-16 sized tires on the front of any SC/Carrera fendered car. The rear will easily accept 245/45-16's. 225/50-16 tires will fit on either the 911 offset 7 inch Fuchs, or 944 turbo offset 8 inch Fuchs, on the front of your Carrera. For the rear, 911 offset 8 inch Fuchs, or the 9 inch Fuchs from the turbo will fit, both with a 245/45-16. Again, clearance is close, so the alignment needs to be spot on, and the lips may need to be rolled, which is really no big deal. I have an 81 SC with 245/40-17's on 17 x 8 front wheels and 275/40-17 on 10's on the rear, which should give some indication what's possible. A 205/225 combo on 7's and 8's is a good conservative choice, 225/245 on 7's and 8's or 9's really fills out the fenders and looks good, and will fit, but you just need to be careful. Right now, Tire rack has the SP8000's for $94 for both the 205's and 225's and $118 for the 245's. Hope this helps.