I've got my eye on 4 17x8 wheels for sale and want to know if anyone has used this size all around on a 951 or if it really needs the wider wheel in back. I've noticed people running same size tires all around but usually with wider wheels in back. And if I used these wheels, would 255-40 tires fit in front or what size would be best? Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

I run (as many do) (4) 16x8 wheels with 245/45 tires all around. Great for the track, but depending on your alignment, the front can track on uneven roads. I think 255 would be too wide for the front.
245/45 would be fine with a mild alignment for street.
HTH
Jason

 

So do 951's like the same size tire all around? I know many (especially on the track) run the same size, everything from 225-16's to 275-17's. From my own experience with the stock 16's, I think I would definitely like more tire up front. So does the factory run the staggered sizes to induce understeer or what was their thinking?

Also, these wheels I'm looking at are off of an '83 yet the guy says their offset is 52 and he had them on the '83 without any spacers. Is this possible? Do they just sit in too far (looking really stupid) or is this guy wrong on something?

 

My track car had 245s F&R on factory Turbo Cup wheels. It now has 255s F&R on 17" BBS mag center 3 piece wheels.

These cars can be set up to run square or staggered wheels and tires. Its just a question of selecting the spring rates to balance everything out. I've seen highly competitive cars with both sqaure and staggered setups.

The offset is another issue entirely. The wheels need to fit right.

 

Yeah, I know--I was just asking 2 questions at once. I'm trying to figure out if the seller has either:
1) early offset wheels
2) late offset on an early car with no spacers
3) late offset with spacers

If the wheels say et=52 then that must be what they are. I just can't figure out how he had them on an '83 with no spacers. I guess I was hoping he was wrong and they were early offset which is what I need.

 

you sure you are looking at 4 wheels for sale?

 

n/m I was looking at the wrong one.
Wheels that are straight off early offset will fit your 86 w/o spacers.
Yes they look like late offset to me too (I thought that when I saw it first time as well).
Dunno. Ask if he had spacers

 

"So do 951's like the same size tire all around?"

Yes it works well. The even-sized tyres all around help reduce the inherent understeer. If you've got 52mm offset wheels, they CAN fit with 225/45-17 tyres, but not correct-diameter 255/40-17 ones (they'll rub the strut). You can get clearance measurements in the "944 Wheels FAQ" section of my 951 RacerX website. Also has a section on adding spacers to early-offset cars to use late-offset wheels. Once that's done, you can use both early or late-offset wheels easily. Even mix & match them if desired.