82-T/A

Hey guys,

I've been seeing a number of wheel-offset kits for sale on eBay and at 944online.com. Looking at pictures of my 944, it looks like the rear wheels could benefit (at least from an aesthetic stand point) by having a 1/2" offset (extending the track of the wheels by 1/2 an inch each on both rear wheels. The fronts look fine to me.

My question though is... does this cause any kind of problems in terms of handling or anything? I know it seems rather silly, but I would really like the look of the added width in the rear to help fill out the rear wheel arches.


Thanks!

J Silverman

Wider track=more grip. In terms of handling, increasing the rear track width will make the car understeer.

82-T/A

Thanks Silverman,

That would be OK though, right? I mean, the handling of the 944 is pretty neutral, but doesn't it have a slight bias towards oversteer as it is anyway? I'm still going through my car (I have to do suspension next), but my experience is that while it's very neutral, the back end does tend to want to come around a little bit when I'm really hauling *** through a turn.

V2Rocket

if you have problems with oversteer you could just put a bigger front swaybar on and that should cure it.

what size wheels do you have? my '85 has 7s in the front and 8s in the back (3/4" spacer) and the front is filled right up to the fender edge, although i imagine a 9 might fit in the back.

82-T/A

I have the wheels that came stock on it. I believe they're the ones that everyone calls the cookie cutters. I know they're not that popular, but I think they're totally cool looking. The black centers, with the polished dish... pretty cool.

They look to be 7" wide wheels, but I didn't notice if they were different sizes. I've had this car for about a little over a year now, so I'm still learning about it. it's come a long way since I towed it home though...

V2Rocket

stock NA wheels were 7's, the extra inch in back really makes a big visual difference. after being used to my car with the BBS wheels when i saw a 944 with stock sized wheels it looked kind of silly haha. those big curvy fenders need to be filled out.

82-T/A

That's exactly my thought too!!!

They don't sell the cookie cutters in 8", do they? That was my reason for wanting the off-set plates.

V2Rocket

never heard of an 8" cookie. you may find youll need a new hub or longer studs, or you could switch to steel lugnuts. aluminum nuts need alot more thread to be secure, steel ones can deal with alot less.

J Silverman

99% of the cars sold in the US (944s included) are set up to understeer from the factory. The logic is that a car that understeers is safer than a car that oversteers. Now increasing the rear track slightly will not have a big effect on the street. For a track car you might have to tweak alignment/suspension settings to compensate. The oversteer you describe is most likely the result of how you are driving the car, unless you have made considerable changes to the suspension/alignment.

drift a 944

i have found this chart to be extremely helpful over the past few years.

http://www.cantonia.com/wheel_offset.html