Something about your post does not quite seem to add up here.

If the front and rear wheels have the same offset and had the same tire section fitted they would both look similar when fitted. If you have a rubbing problem with the 8 inch wheel fitted on the front then to me that suggests maybe you have a 245 section fitted on it [std fitment section on S4's] noting that in my experience a 225 fitted on a 52mm offset rim should not rub [caveat- I am not entirely sure of the steering geometry on your model]. Assuming you have a 225 section fitted on the 7 inch wheel perhaps you can confirm that you did check the section sizes stamped on the tire wall. I would be mighty surprised if you mounted a 245 on the front axis and a 225 on the rear axis- for sure it would look odd and it will rub.

Do not be embarrassed if you and your friend did make such a gaff- this list is here to help educate- not humiliate- we were all new to 928's at some stage. If you have 225's all round then I am somewhat puzzled.

If you have noticeable uneven wear then indeed your alignment should be checked [after the suspension has settled- these cars need some running after lifting the wheels off the ground before alignment can be performed]. Your tire shop should be able to advise you whether the tyres need replacing but I suspect that most on this list will advise you not to attempt rotation on these cars.

Pity you are not closer- I have a set of stock S4 wheels in really good condition that I cannot give away over here. They will probably get binned shortly and that really irks me.

Best wishes

Fred R

 

Hi Fred,

I did have the 8inch wheels on the front with 225's and they actually did not rub but did knock the wheel well plastics off since the plastics were loose and I didn't realize it. I thought it was rubbing the fenders. It was a tight fit and if I did get into trouble somewhere it surely would have messed up the fenders.

I had the 8 inch wheels on front to even out the wear and for better steering in the corners but it did not feel right. Also cause I did not have an extra 500 bucks at that time.

Presently I have the following on the car as of last night. 36 bucks for rotate and balance.

Front = 7 inch ET52.3 offset wheels with 205 tires
Rear = 8 inch ET52.3 offset wheels with 225 tires

These look almost identical when looking at the car. Rear tires look just a tad wider but hardly noticeable.

I am not sure if I should go with the extra width and get 245's on the rear when I need new tires.

Does it really matter on a 1981? Will they fit okay inside wheel wells?

I am thinking it would fill in the well a little more but not much.

PS: Thanks Fred for info..much appreciated. I now know not to rotate but had to try cause I could. ha-ha.

Mark

 

You could easily fit 245's on the 8" ET 52 S4 wheel, shouldn't be an issue with clearance.
Also you shouldn't have any problem with 225's on front with the 7" wheel, as the 52mm offset should be enough to fit the wheel/tires.
The profile of the tire is also important; the original S4's had staggered wheels front to rear not only in section width but profile (series) too. The S4 original profile was 50 series front and 45 rear, so that should work work fine as long as you buy the correct tires.
There is no way to rotate tires; though you could switch right to left if you swapped the tires...

 

Mark,

Not sure what tires were fitted to original early 928's but I suspect all variants supplied with 16 inch wheels had 225x50 upfront. At this size the 928 is under tyred and with a 245 on the rear it pushes quite severely in hard cornering.

Considering the weight of a 928 and the fact that the weight is evenly spread resulting in around 400kg per corner, I would not want to ride around on such a skinny front section no matter what. Not sure what the laws are where you are but in parts of Europe if you tail ended someone because you ran out of brakes you may well be prosecuted. Your front wheels did come off a Porsche but it was a 944 and they are quite a bit lighter I suspect.

If I was running your model the minimum I would want to run around on would be S4 spec wth S4 brakes up front but that is me. On the other hand, when you upgrade a 928 from 225 front rubber to 255 or [like mine] a 265 section the difference is enormous so I would say what is the point of owning a 928 if you only have 205 rubber up front?

If you were going for a high speed run on Bonneville Salt flats and needed minimal rolling resistance fair enough but as someone who likes to corner spiritedly -no it would not do for me.

If your rear tires are newish/good condition get them mounted on the front wheel and some 245x45 on the rear. Just make sure the 225 rubber is 50 profile.

Regards

 

"Pity you are not closer- I have a set of stock S4 wheels in really good condition that I cannot give away over here. They will probably get binned shortly and that really irks me."

Fred, do not throw them, as I run the stock wheel and would be interested in taking them off your hands. I am in Dubai.

 

I would be delighted to see them go to a good home

Fred

 

Fred, I'll PM so we can suss out how I can get them from you.

 

Wow, how did you know that is what I am doing, yep salt flats. Kidding. The tires came with the car and I was just using them to find out what to put on in a few months.

Thanks Fred - I will go with your suggested minimum of 225/50 or upgrade to 255/? front and go with 245/45 in the rear.

Sounds good and I appreciate you offering the wheels. I hope it works out for the other member wanting them.

Mark

 

Mark,

You will not be able to fit anything wider than 225 on those 7 inch front wheels. A nice option when you find them are the 16 inch mag alloys fitted to the SE and Club Sport models- they are 8 inch with a 60mm offset if my memory serves correctly but they are rare and expensive. With those wheels you can run 245's all round. Another good alternative is the special version of the cup 1 wheel, 9x17 inch. If you can find a set you can run a 255 up front and 275 on the rear. Beyond that you are then into 3piece forged alloy territory and big $$$'s.

Regards

Fred

 

gearz, Appreciate your advice and writing and reading will help me to remember what to buy. 245 and 225 with above profiles. mucho gracias