marc abrams

Well I made the decision to sell my 86 Daytona Turbo Z C/S and it looks like it's going to sell. I want to recycle the gelt I get for the Daytona into my 944. When I first got my 944 it had old, dry rotted Yokohama 833 tires which I replaced with Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum Grand Touring All-Season tires​. I don't know what type of tire the Yokohama's were but the Kumho's I have now don't have nowhere the grip of those old Yokohama's. So I need to go to a 16 inch wheel. I've been racking my brain out and over thinking what to get.

To stagger or not to stagger. I like the idea being able to rotate the tires front to rear but I would like more rear grip. But is a stagger setup really needed on a 143 HP car?? I kind of like the fat tire look on the rear but looks are the last thing I'm​ considering.

Euromeister's or Maxilite's. (Replica wheel hater's please refrain) In Euromeister's description they say they are fully X-RAY. In Maxilite's description they say they are TUV rated. Euromeister's are heavier (stronger??) than the Maxilite's. Euromeister's are cheaper but I also don't want the ride of a bobtailing Freightliner Cascadia.

Tires, l'm leaning towards are Kumho's Ecsta PS31 Ultra High Performance Summer tires​ or BFGoodrich's Ultra High Performance Summer tires g-Force Sport COMP-2, 205/55-16, 225/50-16 in the size.

I'm really just a weekend cruiser. My car has a rebuilt front and rear suspension with Stock parts. Stock springs with upgraded 24mm front, 16mm rear sway bars. Sachs Supertouring struts and shocks.

Thanks in advance and I do apologise if that old Cowsills song is now stuck in your head.

Taxi?

Marc, if you're just a weekend cruiser then I doubt you'll notice different weight wheels one way or the other. I think the tire choice will be much more important than the wheel choice. I have Euromeisters on my 911 but in all honesty I haven't had them long enough to develop a positive or negative opinion, except about the price, which is why I bought them.

marc abrams

My concern with the weight of the wheel was more with ride quality over performance. The Daytona's suspension components are heavier than the 944's and was very apparent over bumps. Unsprung weight and how much it affects ride is a unknown to me.

V2Rocket

the 16x7 euromeister is supposed be around 18lbs. i have been looking at them too.

your ATE cookie cutters are supposed to be about 14lbs each (15x7).
any tire in that size will probably be 20-22 lbs...so you're talking about 4 lbs per corner.

with stockish suspension i dont think youll notice anything.

porscharu

The other option is to pick up a cheap set of D90's and spend the rest else where. It all depends on the look you are going for. D90 is a tough and light wheel.

V2Rocket

problem with D90 is that he'll need spacers for his car.

porscharu

Brain fart, the "86" from the dodge clouded my mind. Disregard.

marc abrams

The Kumhos I was considering are 2 lbs lighter than the tires on the car now. So I may only be adding 2 lbs a wheel. If you guys say I won't feel a difference, That's good enough for me. The stagging is the real question now. Should I do it? They would be 7x16 and 8x16 wheels.

marc abrams

BTW, I wasn't asking if the Euromeister's were good to use over the Maxilite's to save a few shackles, I just wanted to find the better wheel of the two. Unfortunately neither of the two hasn't had enough wide spread usage to get a good opinion.

951Dreams

The Turbo came staggered, I was trying to fathom the reason, since most seem to disapprove. But I've read somewhere it's done because the rears have to handle not only traction for keeping the car ON the road, but also needs to provide traction for acceleration THROUGH the corner. So while the fronts only need handle lateral grip, the rears provide traction in all directions (well, hopefully only 3) . But I haven't researched that at all. But it makes sense in my head.

As for rotating, while I'm sure there are benefits for a full rotation, I've had several cars that for "reasons" I had to just rotate left to right. I never noticed any great difference over a 4 wheel rotation. Your mileage may vary (pun intended).

marc abrams

I read the same also. I think the 89 8V NA had the stagger setup as a option. A lot guys here added the stagger setup to their cars and really like it. I agree switching a tire from a steer axle to a steer axle does nothing. Over the weekend I pulled the trigger on two 7x16 Maxilite wheels. eBay was showing only 2 left. The guy is coming this week for the Daytona. So hopefully I can order the other two 8x16 wheels and the tires. Hope I like the stagger setup.

951Dreams

I like mine fine on my 951. Love the look. Just today I was feeling a little frisky and turning onto my road off​ the highway (90° turn) I came in a little hot, dropped it into 2nd and hammered it. It felt like my outside rear tire started sliding then the LSD kicked in and it hooked up. I've also felt something similar when speed shifting from 1st to 2nd under boost. We'll, as much boost as you can get in first. It's more likely shifting at 5.5-6k that's doing it. But I'm always glad for that extra meat out back when that happens.

Now that I've gotten more used to the car, I've been pushing it trying to experiment with its limits. It came with all season tires, abet "ultra high performance" ones. Kumho Ecsta 4x's. Even so, I've yet to squeal them. I'm going slow learning the limits. But even with the staggering, I'm not feeling any over or under steer. Very neutral, just like a 944 should be.

Once I get my ball joints replaced, I'm going to find a nice open area and try to really find its limits. I can give a better assessment of the setup then.

marc abrams

Thanks for your findings. The Kumho Ecsta ultra high performance tires that you have are one of the four tires I'm considering for my car also. l'm leaning towards the BFG summer tires but I'm still undecided.

951Dreams

They are pretty nice. On Tirerack they are not ranked all that high, but their dry and wet traction is rated pretty high. I might go with the 1st ranked Pilot Sports when these wear out. I really like the g-force, but being directional tires, and with my staggered setup, I'd have to remount to rotate at all.

I need all season, but not so much for driving in snow, but for the better cold rubber compound. I drive year around, and don't want to find myself in a ditch because it's cold outside and the tires wouldn't stick. For wet, hydroplaning is my only concern. I don't push it in rain. I also try to avoid snow, don't want salt on the Porsche. But I want to be able to drive in all conditions if I have too.

Tread wear is also an issue for me. It's almost a daily driver. I take it any time I drive alone. I don't want to replace tires every year or two.

So, I'm really thinking of trying the Pilot Sports next round. See if they are worth the extra cost. But I'll have to find I'm hitting the limits of my Kumhos first. So far I'm not. They do have a bit more sidewall flex than I was expecting, but they are 16s, not 17s or 18s. So there's going to be some. And not having anything to compare with.... My thinking is I'll go "best in class" so I can have something to judge by. Then if they are not enough better than the Kumhos I can go back or pick something else that's isn't so expensive. Those pilot sports ain't cheap.

marc abrams

Pilot Sports, Nice!!
I didn't know it got that cold in Arkansas. Anyhow I've decided on BFG comp-2, all season tires. Summer tires would have been a issue for me too. I was a little complexed about this because I've read reviews on Tire Rack and people saying they have no problem using summer tires in the snow?? According to Tire Rack, they start to lose grip after 45 degrees and the rubber can crack at 20 degrees. I don't drive the Porsche on salty roads but I do drive it in the cold. Anyhow, got the 7x16 Maxilite's today and got paid for the Daytona also today, so I ordered the 8x16 Maxilite's.