Jon B.

I'm looking at having a set of wheels made for my '86 here in a few months and would like to see who out there has experience in this area, and what the best possible fitment would likely be so I can be sure to get my moneys worth. I plan on going with either Fikse or CCW, but have not decided on what wheel I want yet but both companies should be able to make whatever I need. I am considering the FM5 from Fikse, and the Classic or Lip Meister Series from CCW.

My car is a US '86 that will also end up having a complete S4 suspension and brake swap done at the same time. So, the fitment will have to take that into consideration. I already run MY02 wheels with 225/40 and 295/30 tires respectively. I have to run a small spacer out back and rear fitment is really a non-issue if the S4 swap doesn't change much but I do have access to a fender roller if it needs just a tad more. Ideal sizes would be a front tire around 255 and the rear can stay as it is, but again, suggestions are welcome.

I was also toying with the idea of going from the current 18" wheels and having 17" wheels made. I feel the car may ride better with the 17" variant. But I'm sure I'll be limited with larger brake options down the road if I go with a 17. It IS my DD, but will be taken out of that role around the same time period so I can make it my NICE car. I'll probably end up doing some sort of suspension work (springs/shocks/bars) and I really am shooting for the ultimate street/track setup. Thanks in advance!

928er

go with 18's and fikse... I'm on my 2nd set of fikse's and would buy them again.....17's may start having problems finding tires in a few years....

77tony

With Sterling on this. Go with the 18's and you won't look back. Consider going with a deeper dish for the rears if you like that look. You will probably have to cut the studs a bit, or you will have to run open lugs. Contact: alan@fikse.com Let him know if you will be flaring the fenders, or any other mods. He will know exactly what you need for best fitment. Order them soon, custom rims take a while. 77Tony

Jon B.

So, Alan at Fikse knows these cars well enough to make a set that won't have fitment issues?

Sterling/Tony, what are the front offsets for your wheels if you don't mind my asking? The rears would be of little help since I don't have GTS flares.

77tony

Jon, Alan does this every day, and knows his stuff. Alan suggested for the fronts: 18 x 8.5 57mm. rears: 18 x 11.0 64mm. I did not want to go as massive as Sterling did, but his do look great. I just felt there was a much broader selection of tires in the 285 & 295 range for the rears. Another nice thing about custom ordering rims, you will not need spacers. 77Tony

hernanca

I would also let him know exactly what you currently have, including spacer thickness, and how that fits your car today.

I don't know about the 86, but between the two 86.5's I currently have, the 5-speed rear has longer studs and was using the optional spacer, while the automatic rear has shorter studs and did not have the optional spacer. So, at least between the 5-speed and Automatic 86.5, there are differences.

Would hate for you to do a custom wheel that does not fit how you hoped!

Jon B.

Carlos, my car has the long studs and used the big "S" rear spacer. I am currently using open-ended lug nuts with a small spacer in the rear. I would probably be fine with a 285, but the 295 is just a bit large for a perfect fit on the inside of the wheel well.

Looks GOOD though with fat rubber!

FredR

I am not entirely sure about your model year and what offset it normally runs but I suspect it is probably the same as [or very similar to] the S4 and later variants, stick with a front wheel offset of 68mm, preferably go with a 9.5 inch rim and then you can fit either a 255 or, as I do, a 265x35x18 section.

If your model year has a different fitment profile to the S4, find out what the differences are and work around it. At least with the dimensions I quote, they can be sold on later to later model owners if they are correctly spec'ed.

For the rear, assuming the sensible rubber proportions you indicated, go for a 10 inch rim with 60mm offset. If you need spacers they can always be worked out but I ran the rear on my late S4 with no spacers and a 285x30x18 section. On the GTS chassis I use a 24mm spacer to optimise track but I use open wheel nuts because of the extended protrusion of the stud due to the narrower spacer [stock GTS spacer=38mm].

Another thing your wheel supplier needs to understand is the front brake spacial profile, the wheel has to clear the caliper [there is not going to be much clearance] and simply meeting offset and rim specs does not guarantee that. You should also ensure that the front wheels can clear the front bearing housing cover and preferably you should be able to fit stock wheel centres trims- not much clearance there either.

Anyone who knows their business should have all this covered.

Regards

Fred

FredR

You should also ensure the rim thickness is sufficent for road use [6mm?] and the rim alloy strength is a good spec [6060 series?]. Track rims do not like potholes!

Chaos

Consider Forgeline

Ispeed

CCW C-10
9.5x18 et 68 front with 265/35/18
10x18 et 52 rear with 265/35/18 or could use 285/30/18.

Stock '87 S4, I had no rubbing issues with non-rolled fenders.

hernanca

Yep!

+1000 (Though a spacer can remedy some interference problems, but might mean a cooresponding modification to the fender as well, if you are already pushing the fitment limits.)

Benton

Hey Jon, I still have that set of 17" Fikse FM5s waiting to be powdercoated, with 928 offsets. Drop me an email if you are interested. I'd give you a good deal for them including the new BFGs mounted. Rim halves are in excellent condition, as are the faces (cleacoat was peeling). Will fit GTS front brakes. The tires are 245/45R17 front, 275/40R17 rear. I'll have to double check on the widths as I can't recall off the top of my head, but I believe they are 9"/11".

I've been waiting to powdercoat them until I had sufficient practice powdercoating; now that I've PC'ed some other parts, they are ready for a makeover in any color you would like. I tossed around the idea of putting them on the 993, but they deserve to be on a 928 given the offsets/widths.

If you want to strike a deal, I could probably have them ready for you by the beginning of next week (will be out of town for a few weeks after... getting married!). I have a good bit of powdercoat colors here, or I can order pretty much anything you want.

Jon B.

Thanks for the info everyone!

Mark, if I remember correctly the Fikse wheels that were on the Red car were something other than the FM5 weren't they? I am now leaning more towards 18" but I still think we should talk. Shoot me an email or PM once you get settled after your marriage (Congrats!) as I'm not currently in a position to spend money on ANYTHING other than bills.

Benton

Argh, my mistake, Jon. They are Mach Vs. I'll get in touch towards the end of this month--remind me if I forget. Thanks for the congrats!