markpaul

It looks like I'm going to have to get new tires for my 16" D90's or I won't get my next warrant of fitness. Man this is harder than the last time I searched! The existing rear tires are 245/45-16 but the outer lip of the wheel itself sticks out further than the tire - a nightmare for curbing. I thought I'd try a wider tire to fix this - does anyone know if I would have any problems with a 255/50-16 such as the BFGoodrich G-Force Sport Comp-2 from Tire Rack? I can't find any 265/16's with a low enough profile.

vanster

50's don't really work all that well. They are not stiff enough and the car will wallow a bit. I put a set of Toyo's on the D 90's and they worked well.

Chalkboss

Lots of discussion here in the last few months about this very issue. The 245/50s will fit, they just look "camaro-ish" because of the taller sidewall. Flip of the coin whether people like that look or not- I don't and will get the Toyo Proxes 245/45s if nothing else materializes before then.

I wish they made a 255/45 but no such animal exists in 16 in. diameter.

vanster

It's a bummer to have to go to 17" wheels on my 86 but I had no choice. At least the tire options are better. I think Conti makes a 245/45/16 which are a very good option. 50's just don't work.

Chalkboss

Van, where do you find these Conti's in 245/45/16? I have not seen them recently.

vanster

Don
I think you are right as they are NLA. After I wrote that I started to think how long ago this was. Time flies. I drove the '80 for 10 years and over 40,000 miles. Also I had changed the wheels a few times.

markpaul

Okay sounds like the best bet is to go for Toyo T1R 245/45's for the rear. Thanks everyone for the input

chart928s4

Bridgestone RE11 is manufactured in stock S4 sizes but is made sporadically, so you might have to wait. Better reviews than the Toyo and reasonably priced. I have them on my manhole covers and they work very well in warm weather wet and dry.

FredR

I rather suspect It will be a small to non existent market in your location for such rubber. Will you have to place a custom order and wait months for them to arrive in NZ or do they actually have them in stock?

DeWolf

Conti's still available here, I'd think you can still find them. I really like them. They are a large tyre for the size.

https://www.tempetyres.com.au/tyres?...ntact&RunFlat=

F18Rep

I'm a little surprised there isn't more interest in the outside diameter of the tire. My 83 5-speed manual trans works much better with tall tires and the series or profile of say 50, doesn't seem to guarantee that OD. Maybe I don't understand how the profile is derived but I've learned a hard lesson on finding out what the OD is before a new tire goes on the car. At least for me, I need the tall tire to get the most out of my manual trans.

"Your car is intended to run with a rolling diameter of 25.0 inches."
This quote (from a recent tire thread) is the only thing I've found on this topic and got me thinking. So, I swapped on wheels/tires from my other car (moving from OD of ~24.5 to OD of 25.75") and felt like my 928 drove and shifted much better. So now I don't find myself starting out in second or doing the 1 to 3 to 5th gear skip anymore.

To make it even crazier, my other car (951) which now has 928 wheels (I try to refer to them winter wheels, if anyone even remembers that term) doesn't seem to care - its noticeable but the turbo likes the higher revs. Bruce

Red Flash

The Continentals are available in Europe. Nobody in the US wants to import them. So, it must be the same problem for you in NZ.

I heard that the Porsche Classic program will import them for you in the US, but then I guess you will have to pay dealer-like prices. Probably NZ is similar?

Maybe I am wrong... I'm going to have to do a round of 16" tire buying later too... So the thread is interesting!

markpaul

It looks like I can get the Toyo's here in NZ which is great.

Chalkboss

I just ordered the PIRELLI P ZERO ROSSO ASIMMETRICO, N4 (PORSCHE) SL from Tire rack. They are another $300 above the Toyos I currently have installed but I was not really happy with the ride quality and grip compared to higher quality tires (I had Bridgestone RE11 before). Those RE11s really transformed the car handling and ride comfort.

In case you don't know these Pirelli tires were recently created by Pirelli for each vintage Porsche model and contain the original N designation the factory tires came with (http://flatsixes.com/porsche-product...hoosing-tires/).

Additionally, the Toyos are W speed rated compared to the higher rating of Y on the Pirelli. Speed rating is more about heat dissipation and sidewall strength than ripping around at max speeds, so the higher rating usually equates to improved performance at more mundane (legal) speeds.

I have never been a fan of going cheap on tires, sort of like buying a cheap pair of shoes, and these old girls need the best shoes you can put on them IMO! The Toyos were the only brand available in the proper size when I bought them 2 years ago.

I will report back after they are installed and alignment, probably a few weeks out as the rear tires are in production right now.

Chalkboss

Turns out what is listed on Tire Rack site is incorrect- the rears are not available, back ordered with no ETA. Talked with a rep and he said the only thing available in the 245/45 is the Toyo, so back to those again. Bummed.