Operator

please, humor me. what im trying to do is figure out a good front/rear tire combination for my new C2 5spoke wheels: 6x16 / 8x16. I want it to pretty much match the current diameter I have now: stock 215/60-15 tires.

so ive been doing calculations (ok i was using this but its really accurate) to figure out what would be best. heres what i came up with:

215/55-16 ... +.1inch radius
235/50-16 ... +.1inch radius
this is compared to the stock 215/60-15. problem is not many tires come in 235/50, only about 7 show up on tire-rack and of the 7 i dont know if any actually have a 215/55 model. so im not sure about this set up...

then theres
205/55-16 ... -.3inch radius
225-50-16 ... -.3inch radius
this is a more common setup right? i think its the stock setup on newer 944s with 16" stock setup.

then theres all kinds of other combinations, ive heard 205/55 + 245/45 but the rears are going to be larger than the fronts with that one
or 225/55 + 205/60 but these tires are going to look a lot smaller eh?

does it matter? i want to attempt to keep the same diameter, if not for anything else than just for looks. and i dont know how good of an idea it is to have the rear tires physically larger than the fronts (in terms of total radius when mounted).

Just looking for any wisdom anyone might have. The other thing, I dont want to spend $200/tire, and I would like something that will work in the rain, and possibly the snow
Kumho's look cheap and get good reviews.. sounds too good to be true. I was thinking of maybe the Bridgestones or Dunlops.. I know if I go to my local place they will try to sell me Toyo's but those arent too shabby either right?

thanks =]

joseph mitro

205/55 and 225/50 is the stock tire size for 944's (or 911's) with 16" wheels. that's what i would go with

incidentally, i used to have the same wheel combo on my first 944. the 6" front wheels will make your car understeer quite a bit. i suggest you find the correct 7" fronts. additionally, they will look a bit small and the offset puts them sitting a bit more inbound.

Operator

really makes that much of a difference huh? ive been looking for 7" fronts but all the big boys (wheelenhancement/paps) want 200 a wheel and they're only worth ~100 ...

joseph mitro

yea, it does make a difference. so much so that when i replaced the 6" with the 7" on my first 944, i was so excited that i posted my first rennlist message (didn't get too many responses though).

you can try searching ebay. occasionally the wheels will turn up. the other alternative is to buy a complete set of wheels and sell the ones you have now

Operator

well, i just bought these problem is .. theres no way ill get more than 400 for them, and a new set is at least 800 - 1000 if not more.. but i dont need a whole set, i can buy 2 fronts, and sell my 2 fronts, but what i need is a set of 2 wheels for $200 not $400.. trust me, ive been looking.... eventually im just going to give up and put tires on these.

anyway, irregardless of the rim issue, the tire size issue remains the same, is that the only combo i should even be thinking about?

joseph mitro

in my opinion, yes. tire choices will be much larger, plus a wider tire in the back will increase understeer

Jonas Goldsmith

In the next autox here in san diego, i will be running on 16' rims for the first time... John Anderson has so graciously agreed to let me burn up the current tires on them... They are cup 1's and they are running 245's in the rear and 225's up front...

Operator

as far as i can tell the tire selection is the same.. on 6 and 7 inch rims.. they all say they will fit from 6"-8" for the sizes im looking at...

mick944

I have 83 with(BFG TA- 225/50/16 on frt and 245/45/16s on the rears.They look and work great but I think thats about the limit(size wise).

Matt H

I am using 225/245 new S-02's on 7/8 inch D90s. If I had 6 and 8 I would use 205/55/16 and 225/50/16. That is a very common setup. Just an FYI the 993s were using 225/40/18 and either 265/35/18 or 285/30/18, either way the rear is marginally taller than the front. Dont re-invent the wheel use a 205/225 setup and you will be fine. .3 inches from stock is not even noticable and in actuality it is .2 inches. The 215/60/15 is 25.2 inches and both the 205 and 225 are 25" even. I would be happy to send you a special friend discount card if you want the Bridgestone or Firestone products. It would save you a substantial amount of money. You might want to try the RE-750, it ranks 3 out of 45 on the Tire Rack site and cost 113 in a 205/55/16.
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emilysgranny

Matt ;for my own Sake, I am under the impression that the second # (SIDEWALL WIDTH) is a % of the width of the Tread of the tire . Is that correct.

Operator

emilys: im pretty sure its a %

matt: thanks for the info
i would definitely take you up on a discount on some bridgestones, what kinda discount? email me about that..
also, you dont agree with Joseph that 6" fronts might mess with handling in a negative way?

soundboy4

The front are 205/55 with 225/50 on the rears, shameless plug for ecsta MXes:

nine-44

225-50-16 and 245-45-16, on my old wheels and 225-45-17 and 255-40-17 on my twists, on my phonies it's 225-60-15 all the way. On mom's Fuchs it's 215-60-15 all the way. Good e-nuf?

AndyK

I always think that the engineers who designed the car knew the best size tires for the car. 205/55 and 225/50 makes sense to me. Why question the masters Simon?