Christian K

Anyone with an 80's Carrera that have gone from the standard 15" rim with 195/65 front, 215/60 rear to 16" 205/55 front, 225/50 rear that could help me with some information regarding the cars handling and ride? Is there a big difference or is the biggest difference cosmetical?

cheers

/christian

Trak Ratt

We haven’t changed our Carrera wheels except for going from 6x16 & 7x16 to 7x16 & 8x16 but have used 15” wheels on an early car. The main advantage of the 16s is to allow a lower aspect ratio tire w/o changing the over all height of the tire. The change also opens up a lot of alternatives in high performance tires. The trade off is the shorter side wall can make for a harsher ride. The good news is IMO the standard tire size for Porsche 16” wheels will not adversely effect the ride quality but can significantly improve handling depending on tire choice. Our Carrere uses 205-55-16s on 7” wheels & 225-50-16s on 8x16s (commuter car). Our SC runs 225x16 on 7x16s & 245-45-16s on 8x16s & 9x16s (track car). Nether has a particularly “harsh ride” but both handle quite well. And yes they do look “tough”.

Chris Martin

Not exactly what you asked, but I went from 16" to 17" wheels on my SC. I think the 17's are a little rough on the street, but the 16's seem perfect. I have never driven a 911 with 15" wheels but cant imagine it being as nice as the 16's. Also like David mentioned your selection in tires improves as well with the 16" wheels.

Christian K

Thank's for the info. Yeah, I've noticed there are not too many tires to chooze from for the 15" rims. The thing that have boggled me is that 15" rims, according to Peter Morgans "Original 911", was standard on the 911 up till 1989 when it changed to 16", which seems kind of late especially if they give 911 a clear performance advantage compared to 15" without making the ride significantly rougher.

Stephen Masraum

I think you'd find the majority of the 911's out there from the 80's would have 16" rims. The only difference is that you had to pay extra for them. besides, back then most tires were 15 and the 16's were only really just getting to be common.

Ed Bighi

16x7's and 9's are the way to go. I've been running that combo for 10 years now and find it perfect. Just get your back rims and put them on the front with the same 205/55/16 there. It will provide more grip even with the same tire since the wheels will stick out more providing a wider track. Also, a same size tire on a wider rim will provide more grip to a point. This is written in Paul Frere's 911 story. Then put some 16x9's in the rear with a 245/45/16. For a little bit of savings, you could use a 16x8 in the rear with a 225/50, or even a 245/45. Though if you can, get the 9's. I love using this combination since the tires are fairly priced. And since I go throug at least two sets on tires in a year from track abuse, it helps. And since I drive the car extremely hard at the track banging over curbs and all, I have come to hold the fuchs in very high regard due to their amazing durability. Here is a picture of my car with the 16x7&9.