Cosmo Kramer

Positive offset, measurement from center of the wheel to the back of the mounting face. Higher offset wheels will sit further into the wheel well, lower offset sticks out more. Standard offset is 65 front and rear varies depending on the combination of factory rims and spacers. My 85 originally came with 65 mm F/R with 21 mm spacers on the rear (which makes the effective offset on the rear 44 mm).

gregeast

I had a similar issue with Boxster wheels on my 951. In my case it wasn't the dome of the dust cap that was interfering, it was that the prongs on the center cap were bottoming out on the flat part of the dust cap. I trimmed 2-3mm off the pointed ends of the prongs, which allowed the center cap to hook on the back side of the wheel and all has been well for over 4 years.

HTH

dr bob

Pull the dust caps and cut them 1/4" with a hacksaw. Dress the cut edges with a file. a
Tap the caps back in gently, just enough to get the wheel cap back on but no more. Too much cutting or tapping on installation risks the dust cap rubbing on thebend of the spindle.

Removing the dust cap takes a few seconds with a piece of one-by lumber a d a hammer. Using wood here means no scratching of the cap.

Using front spacers is a step in the wrong direction, especially if you are using low negative offset wheels. Wheel ends up too far out, results in tramlining, poorer handling, excessive steering and suspension wear. Trim the bearing dust cap instead. Fast, easy, very cheap, plus you have a chance to look at the front wheel bearings some whilebthe cap is off.

Benton

Lathe? Man you guys take this stuff seriously. Unless you have a lathe in your garage, grab the hacksaw or cutoff wheel and do as others have said. I hammered it flat a bit, too.

Cosmo Kramer

LOL I have a friend that works at a school that trains machinists, so I get it done for free!

aircooler

Well guys, I’m sorted.

In a tribute to “Occam’s Razor”, I evaluated my options, and decided to dust off the BFH. Implementation of the BFH was fast, easy, accurate, and successful.

I first tried to get the dust cap off to put my Dremmel to work on it, but as Cosmo wrote, it is not an easy task. There must be a knack to it, like Cosmo’s muffler clamp, or the good doctor’s block of wood, but the difficulty I encountered quickly led me to re-evaluate my options.

Darien suggested tapping in the top of the dust cap, and that worked perfectly.

Here is the front cap, needing a 6mm haircut…





I used the ball of my BFH (tapping with the BFRH) to tap in the top of the convex dust cap. Just a couple taps. Once I had a depression, I tapped in along the perimeter of the depression to smooth out the cap to a nice concave shape. I did not need to “bash” the cap. It was multiple taps to massage the cap to the desired shape reducing the center height about 6mm.







The wheel center cap now fits perfectly…







I have not had the chance to drive the car yet, but may raise the front ride height 7.5 mm. I will have to see how the car settles.

As for the rear wheels, I think I am OK. I purchased a set of spacers from Garth a few years ago. Garth, if memory serves they are 19mm, but I would have to check. With my GTS quarters I think the spacer gives me max outward wheel placement, but with no rub. Once again I have to check once on the road.





Garth, I want the RH 3.6’s (Speedline copy) for the 3.6 Turbo look car. I also have a set of Speedline Alesio wheels, but have not decided which way to go. I also need to get one of my rear 3.6’s repaired…. Again! How’s my 993 3.6 viaro cam engine doing

Hi Ragnar, the big Audi is actually an A8. I picked it up for my wife a few years ago, and put on S8 wheels, S8 brakes, S8 steering wheel with thumb shifters, and an S8 cluster. I badged it as an S8 for fun. With its weight, Quattro drive, safety, power, and beautiful ride, it’s the best winter car I have ever driven. The car does have an infamously problematic transmission though, and I know what you mean about fuel. My wife and I have a commute to work that has risen to 75 minutes, and I don’t think it will be replaced with another A8.

Merlin, Thanks for the mud flap info.

Thanks to everyone else for their input

I’ll get back when I have a chance to asses post drive fitment.

Cheers,
Michael

Jadz928

Good way to check outer tire rub is to put one of the rear wheels on a curb, all other three on the ground.

BTW, looks great!

Darien

As advertised...good job

Those wheels look new, where did you find them?

aircooler

Thanks Jim.

Darien, I got them from a PCA listing. They were replacement wheels from the P-dealer given to a 996TT guy who had his stolen from his car when on the dealer lot. He did not put them on the car when he got them. New