blown 87

Need your thoughts and opinions on wheels and tires for my 87 with GTS rear quarters.

To do it the cheapest I can run these rims that I own from my 89 parts car.
I think they are 18 inch and the widths are 8/10, no idea about the offset but I am going to guess maybe 50 on the fronts which is not enough IMHO. (if any body knows about these rims, please speak up)
I am sure these are some cheap wheels from China or Italy.



Just buy a set of Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110 245/35/18 for the front and 285/30/18 for the rear

Next cheapest option is to buy the same tires and get this set of after market rims, they are replicas of a Carrera III wheel, has any body got any feed back on them?
They are 57MM offset on the front.



The next step up, which is getting into some real money for me anyway is to buy a set of OEM wheels from Wheel Enhancement, I really like the looks of these wheels in chrome, but we are talking about 2,500 bucks and I still need at the least $750 worth of tires for the Hankooks, or north of $4,000 for the Michelins and rims.



I know some folks have had a lot of good things to say about the Hankooks, but my tire guy does not have anything good to say about them, he suggests the $$ Michelins.

I would appreciate any input anybody has, this whole offset thing still eludes me and I do not know how they would look as far as the tire sizing I have chosen, but these are as close to the stock circumference as I can get.

I know this subject has been about beat to death, but I need some help.

blown 87

I have been looking at wheels and tire threads for days, bout to go nuts, but I still have to get some new rubber for the 87.

Mike LaBranche

Well, my .02... spend the money on the rubber, get the best geometry from the wheels for the best bucks, put the rest into grip.

Mike

blown 87

So buy the Michelins and what rims?

svp928

Greg, I just put a set of Firestones on my car, and I am very happy with them...reasonably priced and very sticky compared to the dead Michelins I took off.
As far as wheels go, you get what you pay for...Rob Edwards just got a set of replicas and has a post about them somewhere here. Talk to Damon at Tire Rack- he knows what offsets you need.

Good luck!

blown 87

If I had the money I would have a set of rims made, but I just can not see putting eight grand worth of wheels and tires on it at this point. (yep, I own a 928 so funding is a bit lacking)

Hilton

Greg,

There are also some hard-to-find Carerra III wheels with a wider rear that'll fill the GTS quarters nicely. They're:

18x8 ET57 front, 18x11 ET51 rear

They're from widebody versions of the 997, which I think is the C4S only - when I was watching US ebay for a set to ship to my in-laws in California to bring back, I used to see them for $1400-1600 in scratch-free condition.

I've since got myself a set, and am now wondering whether to put smaller rubber on the rears and use them as-is, or upgrade my '89 to GTS quarters (it needs paint anyway).

Wheel Dynamics aren't the bargain they used to be.. at least judging by their prices these days.

hacker-pschorr

I purchased four sets a couple of years ago, 100% OEM from different dealerships off eBay. Two of them were 11" rears (Tim Murphy took those...)

All came with new summer tires (some were offered with snows) and the average price I paid was $1,400 shipped to the door.

Once and a while a set still pops up on eBay.

blown 87

Thanks Steve
What made you get the Firestones over the other brands?

PS, I know what you mean about dead tires, the Corvette needs a set also, just looking at the throttle is almost enough to spin the rears.

blown 87

I have been looking on E-Bay, nothing yet, that is a great price if they come with tires.

blown 87

I have thought about putting 11's on the back, but I worry about what effect it will have on the ABS (if any) if I do not go to a very short sidewall.

That is why I was trying to stay with about the same circumference on the tires as the 16's that are on it now.

Rob Edwards

18" 235 and 295 Sumitomo HTR Z III's on Communist Chinese 'Cup 4' wheels for $1411 delivered. Will know soon whether they're junk or not.

Hilton

295/30/18 are pretty close to the stock wheel diameters, so you shouldn't have any issues with ABS. I think I've seen various poster's here posting that they're using the 295/35/18 that come on these wheels off the 997's and haven't raised the issue either?

svp928

Greg, the Firestones were recommended to me by an instructor at Skip Barber Racing school- he said they had good grip, communicated slip well and wore well on cars he had been in at the school. Plus, they were the only ones who made both the sizes I needed. And, reasonably priced. Way cheaper than Michelins, which I was not that impressed with. By the time I replaced them, the Michs were getting wheelspin in 3rd gear in the damp. Scary. The 'Stones, I can't hardly break loose in 1st...kind of annoying...
The stones also took very little weight to balance, compared to the michs- and they are very smooth and quiet.

Hilton

For tire size calcs, this one's good:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Compare stock 245/45/16 S4 rears - the 295/30/18 is 0.3" taller, and speedo will read 60.7 versus 60 on stock.