scjayhawk

Let me start off by saying that I love my car, but I hate my wheels. It must be a guy thing because my fiance' doesn't notice wheels at all. "Ooooh, I like that car," she says. But I reply, "Yeah, but look at those ugly wheels. Yuck." Anyway, I digress. I've got an '87 951 with what I think are commonly called "cookie cutter" wheels. The previous owner had them dipped in chrome and they are just a little too shiny for my tastes, not to mention the fact that I'm not crazy about that wheel design in the first place.

I'm thinking of upgrading to a five spoke wheel that was originally (I think?) on the 993. My questions are these:

1) I've read in numerous posts about different offsets between '86 and earlier and '87 and later. Is there a good resource on the web that explains the offset issue?

2) Are the 993 five spoke wheels a direct replacement on the '87 951 or would I need some sort of adapter? It appears that maybe there are different sizes of the 993 wheels - which would fit the best???

3) What is a reasonable price to pay for a set of these wheels?

4) Would the center caps from my current wheels fit these new wheels, or would I need to plan for the extra expense of new center caps?

5) I've seen "993 One-Piece Wheels" in Tweeks for $299 ea (front) and $359 ea (rear) - but also seen posts regarding "three-piece wheels" that are lighter in weight. Are the ones in Tweeks "knock-offs"???? Would I be better off finding "three-piece wheels" on ebay or as take-offs?

Some of the above questions may reveal my ignorance, but a wheel upgrade is a pretty big expense and I want to make sure I get it right the first time.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

streckfu's

The 87 and later offsets are the same for the 993. I have the Cup 2 design from a 993/968/928.

Stick to the 7.5x17 front and 9x17 rear. They use the 225/45x17 and 255/40x17 tire sizes.

Look at the pics in my profile to see how the look on the car.

The Porsche original wheels will be expensive but worth it if you may go to the track as they are stronger than most aftermarket knock-offs.

If it's a street only car, you can save some $$ by using the knock-offs. Mille Miglia is a common brand that has several Porsche designs available for reasonable prices.

Check <a href="http://www.tirerack.com" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a> for some ggod prices. Pick up a copy of Excellence magazine for wheel manufacturers and distributors.

Also, look on e-bay and <a href="http://www.pca.org" target="_blank"> PCA</a> websites for used wheels. Partsheaven and other Porsche salvage specialists are good sources of info.

joseph mitro

i agree with streckfu. i would tend to steer away from tweeks or any other aftermarket wheel seller. the wheels are overpriced, overweight, and under-engineered. you can find some decent OEM 17" 993 wheels for a good price. $8-900 for a nice set.

icat

I purchased 993 take offs from a local speed shop for $800 for the set (17x7.5 and 17x9). They are very light and make a vast improvement in looks. These same wheels would be a direct bolt on for your car. Mine's an 86 so I had to add the spacers and that added a significant cost. But for your needs, I think the real thing would actually be less expensive than the knock offs - which by the way are VERY heavy. The 993's are about the same weight as the Phone Dials they replaced. Pics in the profile. <img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />

MichelleJD

Here's what it will look like when you're done
<img src="http://www.p-caronline.com/directory/images/michellejd/michellejd_image2.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://www.p-caronline.com/directory/images/michellejd/michellejd_image1.jpg" alt=" - " />
And no more sh%t about the house! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

streckfu's

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by MichelleJD:
<strong>
And no more sh%t about the house! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">I liked that house....

wjk_glynn

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by icat:
<strong>I purchased 993 take offs from a local speed shop for $800 for the set (17x7.5 and 17x9)</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">I did the same for my S2 and they look good.

One thing, 993 front rims are 7", not 7.5". How come yours are 7.5" (the size is cast into the rim lip)? Those Porsche original 7.5" rims are hard to find.

Karl.

<img src="http://www.weissach.net/images/10197/2003-03-08-B-005-Med.jpg" alt=" - " />

MichelleJD

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by streckfu's951:
<strong>I liked that house.... </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica"> <img border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" title="" src="graemlins/bigok.gif" />

Karl - you've got GREAT taste <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> I want that S2 rear wing! (where's a drool icon when you need it?)

streckfu's

[QUOTE]One thing, 993 front rims are 7", not 7.5". How come yours are 7.5" (the size is cast into the rim lip)? Those Porsche original 7.5" rims are hard to find.

Karl.

They came with the car. I'm pretty sure that they are 7.5" as they had 225 profile tires (currently running 235's) instead of the 205's that came on the 7". I'll check them next time I pull the rims.

wjk_glynn

streckfu's951 - A lot of people run 225 tires on 7" rims, its quite common though there's a school of thought that says increasing the tire won't necessary increase grip because a too-wide tire will "crown" thus reducing the contact patch.

I'd go with the rim-width specifications by the actual tire manufacturer. They supply a "safe" rim width range for a given tire width. Here's an example:

<a href="http://www.bridgestonetire.com/dpp/sizespecs.asp?passproductid=227" target="_blank">http://www.bridgestonetire.com/dpp/sizespecs.asp?passproductid=227</a>

When you look at your Porsche rims, you'll see 2 numbers cast into it on the outside.

The first will be the width in inches, the second is the offset in mm.

MichelleJD - Thanks! Our cars look so similar. Having the '91 wing is nice. Here's a few more photos:

<a href="http://www.weissach.net/WP0AB294XMN410197-Gallery.html" target="_blank">http://www.weissach.net/WP0AB294XMN410197-Gallery.html</a>

BTW, nice house. Is it your own?

Karl.

scjayhawk

Thanks everybody for the quick responses. Thanks especially streckfu, MichelleJD, and Karl for pics of those wheels on a black 944 - shows me how great they will look on my black 944 and confirms again how badly I HATE my wheels.

In sum, I gather that I should be able to get a set of OEM wheels (7.5x17 (or is it 7x17?) and 9x17) for about $800-$900 that will bolt directly to my car, and I should steer away from heavy "knock-offs" from places like Tweeks.

Two more questions:
1)How can I tell the difference between OEM and knock-offs?
2)Will my center caps still work?

Karl, love the wing.

MichelleJD - glad to see there is a least one woman out there who appreciates nice wheels. BTW, in your box of 64 crayons, what color is that house??? Periwinkle? Lavender? Cornflower?

C5Driver951

Simple to tell the real thing. They have part numbers on them on the back side.

streckfu's

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Karl Glynn:
<strong>streckfu's951 - A lot of people run 225 tires on 7" rims, its quite common though there's a school of thought that says increasing the tire won't necessary increase grip because a too-wide tire will "crown" thus reducing the contact patch.

I'd go with the rim-width specifications by the actual tire manufacturer. They supply a "safe" rim width range for a given tire width. Here's an example:

</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">I'm aware of crowning and what happens when running an oversized tire (a lesson I learned from riding motorcycles). I'm pretty certain they are the 7.5"
<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

Tremelune

Heh, I'm always chiming in with cheap bastard solutions...I love the 993 wheels on a 944, but if you just don't like the way your wheels look, you might just want to paint them.

I've seen some all-silver cooie cutters and I hate them, but I love the black inside/silver rims. Before you toss those wheels (or even after they're relegated to snow duty) you might just want to grab some spray paint and some masking tape and see what comes out.

Uh, and if you're looking for someone to take them away... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

Eddie McLaughlan

I think the 7.5" came only with the 94 and 95 968's, they were optional. <img src="http://members.rennlist.com/eddiemc/duel.gif" alt=" - " />