This is in response to the ad for the '89 club sports that are for sale. I've been thinking about getting a set of those for my '86 951, but I'm not sure what spacers I'll need. Do I also need to change out the wheel studs? And if so, would I still be able to use my '86 Fuchs? I did a quick search but didn't find anything specifice to the club sports. And since these may sell quickly I was hoping for some advice...

 

What is specific to the club sports that would be different from any of the other 1000 threads on this?

 

Well the other 5000 threads said it depended on each individual wheel when determining the offset differential. And for stud length. I didn't see any particular threads about the club sports and I don't know where a chart is that lists their details. I was also hoping for a quicker answer so I didn't have to spend 3 days searching and reinventing the wheel. (No pun intended.)

 

Guess I'll contradict myself and tell you "don't believe everything you read"

This isn't directed at you, really. I guess I can see how reading the other threads can be misleading.

It's really simple. There are early offset wheels, and late offset wheels. There's no magic.

Everyone seems to think the wheel they're buying is somehow different from all the thousands of other porsche wheels that were made. They're not. Differences of ~5mm are irrelevant.

The link below is all you or anyone else thinking about wheels needs to know.

http://members.rennlist.com/951_race...Q-spacers.html

 

You're gonna need spacers on all four wheels of more or less ~30mm, plus new lug studs of ~equivalent extra length, just to bolt those wheels on your car.

Then, there's the matter of extra weight and stresses on the '86 suspension hardware, which was not designed for those wheels, making them somewhat questionable for your '86, from a safety/engineering standpoint.

So, even though those '89 wheels are marginally lighter than whatever you may be using now, by the time you add the extra weight of the needed spacers and longer lug bolts, the weight advantage of the '89 wheels may pretty much evaporate, coupled with aforementioned safety issues.

Alternatively, you may wish to consider installing '87+ control arms, tie rods, half shafts, hubs, yada yada yada to bring your '86 up to '87+ geometry.

 

I went through this decision on my Simmons wheels. Here is the crux of it...

DONT do the 87+ update... it costs WAY too much and is time consuming job... also it makes your old wheels redundant.

DONT do the longer wheel studs as this also leaves your old wheels are redundant.

DO use hub adapters, you can take them off, use your old wheels, add additional spacers behind them safely. Gives you flexibility if you find other wheels in either offset.

I used 30mm on the rear and 25.4 on the front.

 

Thank you for the responses. That link was helpful. I've always liked the Club Sports and I thought they might be a good upgrade since I could go with a wider tire. And @ $550 for the set I thought that was a pretty good deal. I currently have the Fuchs on the car. I also don't really want to have to update all of the associated hardware to '87+ specs.
Rob

 

As it happens, the good ol' OEM Porsche Fuchs are very light and very strong, and of course already fit your car perfectly.

So, aesthetic preference for the '89 wheels would be the only reason to change, if you can't stand the Fuchs.

I went the whole nine yards and put D90s on my '86 951, primarily for aesthetic reasons, as the stock phonedials never floated my boat. That said, if I had it all to do again, I'd look for a good set of Fuchs as a direct bolt-on replacement. Got any to sell?

 

I actually really like my Fuchs and I don't want to sell them. Thanks. I was looking for another set of wheels to use with some R-compounds.

 

I would do the long lugs and just use open ended lug nuts. I'm not a big fan of the hub adapters. Heavier than spacers and longer lugs, and also you can't check the tightness of the lugs underneath the wheel.

Now, I've never had a lug nut work itself loose so I can't give any good reason why the last bit is critical but maybe it's just a personal preference.

 

personally I would use the Fuchs on track and club sports on the street.

If you HAD to use a spacer better to not use it on the track. A spacer on the street is not that bad since you are not pushing that hard.

On the track with R-tires I would feel 1000 times safer on fuchs with no spacers at all. Yes long studs with open nuts are pretty good as you can swap the spacer with wheel. The studs will be way long for the fuchs, but if they are track only...