vanclan@cablemo.net

Thanks for the info. That's correct, antilocks were not available until '86. I'll check out that thread.

Van

Kurt R

I did a little sleuthing on the net. I found this thread
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t418243.html
Seems to indicate the wheels might be made in China or the Philippines.
All that really matters is if you like them and think they'll hold up.
I'd double check the fronts and verify they're et 23 and not et 52. Maybe even measure them, just because they're labeled one way doesn't mean that's what they actually are. If they are right you can always get spacers.

I would have gone with 225 tires in the front, but that's just me.

In the rear you'll have to roll at least the driver's side fender lip. Remember tires are flexible, just because they aren't hitting now doesn't mean they won't when you're cornering. On one of my old cars I used to have tire marks on my front struts, even though the tires were about 1/4" away when the car was at rest.

hpservertech

if you think it's just your car bring the wheels out to St. Charles. we can fit them on my car and see if the problem happens. I have a late 85 as well.

If you can't get the bat trick to work right I know an awsome body shop out here that might be able to roll them for you.

Anaheim944

They drive exactly the same as the Pirellis to me. Both are a tiny bit noisy. Funny though, when I bought the Kumhos the salesperson kept talking about how they were going to do much better in the rain than the Pirellis. Hasnt rained so I wouldnt know.

vanclan@cablemo.net

Kurt,
Thanks for the info. I thought I read that they were made in Italy somewhere, but I would be more inclinded to believe they're from China. The quality and finish on the wheels is excellent. They look great. Not sure how well they will hold up. They are much heavier than my phone dials, but I am going from 15" to 17" here. Here's the weight comparion.

OEM Phone Dial + 215/60VR15 BFG Comp TA = 38lbs
Sport Edition Cup3 + 205/50ZR17 BFG gForce= 48lbs (front
Sport Edition Cup3 + 255/40ZR17 BFG gForce= 55lbs (rear

Besides the fixment issues, the wieght increase is the only thing I'm not too happy about.

I'll see if the offset is written on the back of the wheel today.

thanks,
Van

vanclan@cablemo.net

Hey thanks for the offer hpservicetech. I just live over in Maryland Heights off of Dorsett Road. After remeasuring my car and hearing that the "baseball bat technique" is commonly needed for these size wheels, I'm starting to think that my car is okay.

I may want to get that body shop number from you, if I have problems with the roll. Not sure if I should try that today, or wait to talk to the Tire Rack guys tomorrow.

thanks,
Van

vanclan@cablemo.net

Guys,
Here's the damage on that tire. The shaved piece is about 1/8" thick. I'm hoping Tire Rack will replace it since this is a fitment mistake on their part. Should I press them on this? Would you think the tire's performance would be degraded much by this? I'm not sure how big of a deal this is.

thanks for you help on this,
Van

[IMG]

Note in this photo that the lug nuts are so deep that you can't see them!

KuHL 951

When I first bought the black 86 the PO had installed Mille Miglia 993 Cups. The 255-40/17 on 9" wheels rubbed terribly in the rears. I think all those 'built-in' spacers on aftermarket wheels are sized incorrectly no matter what Tirerack says. I replaced them with a 275-40/17 on 10.5" wheels (R) and 255-40 on 9" (F) and have never had an issue yet. It's all about the correct offset and getting a well made wheel. Personally I would complain to Tirerack and get the correct wheels. Another thing to consider is most after market clone wheels are incredibly heavy when that huge spacer is cast into the design. And yes many 951 have less clearance on the drivers side, don't ask me why though...I have no idea.

The much larger tires in 1st the pic below do not rub on an 86. I could even add a 7mm spacer in back and still clear. The second pic is the smaller Tirerack aftermarket wheels for early offset that gave me fits and shaved rubber even after rolling the fender lips.

The Good:


The Bad:

vanclan@cablemo.net

Thanks for the info, Steve. It's not encouraging that your tires rubbed even after you rolled the fender lips.

I am confued about these offset numbers. Tirerack says that the offset on the rear wheels is +15. But, as you can see in the photo, these wheels have a huge built in spacer. It seems like the offset rating on these wheels would be +115! It's 4 to 5 inches. Can anyone explain this?

thanks,
Van

hpservertech

Sent you a PM with the shops info Van.

V2Rocket

I thought wider wheels just had a bigger barrel on the outside of the center, not the inside...

like the rears on this:

vanclan@cablemo.net

Just did the bat job on the driver's side. Looks like it worked pretty well. It did create some tiny stress cracks in the paint along the bend line on edge of the fender, but I expected that. I might go and do the passenger side to, just to be save.

I pulled a front wheel off and confirmed that TireRack sent the wrong wheel. It's clearly marked ET52. Also cast into the back is "Made in Italy". So the fronts need to go back for sure.

thanks,
Van

hpservertech

From what I understand heating up the lip some will help with the paint stress & cracking issue. I have one if you want to borrow it for the passanger side.

xsboost90

looks like you have late offset front wheels- 52mm- and early rear wheels 23mm- you have an early car-86- so 23 would be what you need. Take the fronts off and see what offset it says they are. If it say ET52 then you either need spacers 29mm- or you need to exchange your front wheels w/ the tire rack for the proper ones. The rears camber in slightly as you compress them so they miss the upper lip. The way that they swing upwards and forwards though makes them contact in the front on early cars for some reason. The DS rear wheel also sits out just alittle more than the ps so it will contact more frequently than the PS. Believe me, im running 295's in the back w/o rubbing so ive been over all of this.

KuHL 951

I think the +15 offset you see stamped on the rear is to make up 7mm for the added wheel width over the PD's. I assume that your new wheels are 9" or 9.5" in the rear correct? My MM's (9") said the same thing. In reality what they are saying is these wheels will fit a car needing a +23mm in OE wheel width. Unfortunately they aren't centered correctly and seldom fit right. Hopefully rolling your fender will work for you. It worked around town on mine until I started pushing it on bumpy roads or nailing the go pedal. Mine would rub on the left side under hard boost every time and I wasn't about the grind any more of the lip off. I fubared a newer set of tires. Just having to lift that heavy rear wheel combo was enough to make me go with a lighter wheel setup...my old 255's were 54# compared to the 275's at 42#. You will definitely feel that added unsprung weight compared to your old setup.