Songzzz

86' 951 Offset with 17" C2 Wheels (ET52mm front, ET 68mm Rear)... Big reds with KK adaptors, new rotors and bearings front and rear.... I used the typical 21mm and 28mm spacers that most Rennlisters had recommended (Danno etc).

I have been running this set up for 2K miles now... but have been having strange problems).. i.e. weird handling

My rear wheels look slightly inset than my front wheels, is this normal??

I intend to change to wider rear spacers (1 1/2 inch ones) and leave the front as it is (21mm)... will this help??

For the rear wheels will stick more on the outset as compared to the fronts, will there be any steering issues?

I certainly do not want to change the complete setup to the later offset, too expensive!!

Anyone have similar setup?? Please help

Friendan

Do you mean you have the Cup 1 wheels? Check out my car; I actually bought the later offset wheels for my 86, at the time I didn't know they made the change between 86 and 87, not 85 and 86 like with the interior. You can see in some pics they look like they are pushed in more.. In the spring I will sell the ones I have and buy replicas that fit properly, this way I will avoid any complications with spacers. I have ET52 on the front and ET47 on the rear...not good for a long term setup...if you can you should just sell the ones you have and the spacers and get the proper ooffset replicas.

Songzzz

Where to find proper offset replicas???

icat

The 28mm rear spacer is the proper choice for a 52mm rear wheel. I'm not sure what the correct spacer would be for the 68mm you have listed. My guess is that you're 16mm's off though. Since a smaller spacer would add to the difference, it would appear to me that you need to add another 16mm to the 28mm spacer. That would have you running a 44mm spacer - which I would think is way too much.

Matt H

Stay away from the replicas (they weigh a ton and are not near as strong). Buy some wheels that fit the car. I have never had great luck with spacers. I also agree with Keith, to get the offset you need is going to require and adapter a simple spacer wont work.
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ERAU-944

how much do you want for the wheels friendan? want to trade for some fuchs? i have a beautiful set of 16's...

Friendan

You can find the proper offset wheels at tirerack.com, but I'm getting mine thru my mechanic. Actually, the weight difference for the Cup 1's between replicas and OEM are not huge, but there are no OEM wheels for the early offset. Like Matt says, I'm buying wheels that fit my car. You need the full adapters and not simply spacers to fit the wheels, and my wheels are in great shape, and it's the same price for spacers than if i can sell my wheels and get new replicas, because spacers are $$$$$!!!

Erau, I will actually be selling in the spring, sorry I can't trade right now, I really just want the wheels i have, but that fit properly. I will post them in the classifieds in the spring and in the forum when I have more $

Skip

Keith nailed it - either trade those 68mm offsets for 52mm, or go with a 1.75" spacer (maybe even 2" depnding on lowering and camber). That's a lot of spacer, but it'll work. You're definitely in restudded hub territory though (like H&R track+) - no studs long enough to handle that much slip-on spacer.

Good Luck!

Dave

Actually, the difference is bigger than you think! Do not just look at the weight per wheel, multiply by 4 wheels, and think that it isn't much, there's more to it than that. Wheels are rotating, unsprung weight and a pound of wheel can have the same effect as 4 to 10 pounds of weight elsewhere in the car. Rotating weight has inertia and that "few pounds" can make a huge difference in braking and acceleration, you'll see guys with lightened flywheels and lightened cranks but you won't see anyone adding weight to these parts. Unsprung weight has an influence on handling what I don't understand well enough to explain clearly (maybe someone else can) but I HAVE felt the results firsthand. If I had a choice of wheels that weighed 2 lbs more at each corner or riding around with a concrete block in the passenger seat, I'd need something to protect the leather.
If you never track or autocross the car the strength of the aftermarket replicas should not be an issue (and avoid potholes at all cost), but there is a huge difference in quality to start with and there are stories about guys needing to get 8 to 10 wheels just to find 4 that are straight and true so the QC is obviously a problem.
I agree that correct offset wheels are better than spacers and while the choice of wheels is limited (OEM; cookie cutters, phone dials or Fuchs) using cheap wheels (replicas) is not a better choice. If OEM wheels don't do it for you, look into BBS, Fikse, Kenesis and CCW.

Songzzz, Have you done the required updates for 17" wheels yey? That might explain your problems if you haven't. Search for "TSB" and 17" or 18" wheels, IIRC you need to have 968 caster blocks and a different alignment. The added weight of the larger wheels will degrade handling a bit but your use of the term "weird handling" makes me wonder about the alignment. HTH

Matt H

Dave, you hit it spot on. I have seen an aftermarket Turbo twist wheel break the spokes in half at 140 on the backstraight at TWS. Wheel and tire go flying into retaining wall, 993 goes to the track on the hub, no fun at all.
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Dave

After typing that last reply i found the "uh oh, ricers found porshe wheels" thread, spelling error is not mine, and had to laugh. If it's rice to put Porsche wheels on a VW and "ricers" are usually known for putting low quality parts on their cars for appearance, isn't it "rice" to put cheap, low quality wheels on a Porsche? Especially if the reason is to get the appearance of newer style wheels?

BTW, Our spell check flagged "Porsche" and "VW" but not "porshe" or "ricers"....WTF?

Songzzz

Tks guys... I am probably going to run those 1 1/2" adapters/spacers....

Btw, i think now that my spindles, hubs and ball joint are shot.... would it be a better alternative.. converting to the later offset?

What is the est cost of conversion?

2 x A arms, 2 x late front spindle & hub, 2 x castor blocks, 2 x rear control arms, new brake rotors (will my BR bolt-in?), CV joints, Tie Rods?? .... now.. did I miss anything?

I think things could be a lot easier if shops/dismantlers can come up with a package for the complete conversion. Anyone?

Friendan

Thanks for the info Matt and Dave, you are most likely right in the sense that the replicas are not the same quality as OEM, but I have replicas right now, and I'm fine with them, they are just the wrong size; I love the look of them, and I'm not about to spend $5000 or whatever on a new OEM set. For everyday driving there are great. I may start autocrossing in the spring, but if I find I get more into it then for sure I'm gonna get some stronger forged wheels with slick tires. And besides, you can be sure I won't be going 140 on the track in my 86 NA.

Matt H

Friendan - if you search Ebay you can find REAL ones in the same range as what you will pay for the replicas. Especially if you are not in a rush. They come up quite regularly.
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icat

You don't even need to go to e-bay - call your local Porsche speed shops and see what they have laying around. I picked up my set of 993 Cups for $800. They didn't even really need refinishing, but I went ahead and had them redone for an extra $400. That put me at $1200 for the complete set. The shop I got mine from had at least 4 sets laying around gathering dust. Seems the 911 and Boxster owners like to upgrade to the fancy aftermarket rims - or the newest and latest from Porsche (they can afford it). As such there is always a set of take-offs just waiting for us 944 guys.