jweale1

I am looking to get some all season tires and have run smack into the twin walls of no 245/45-16 all seasons and my ignorance of what are safe alternate tire sizes for the wheels. A couple questions:

1. Is there a Porsche winter alternate tire size recommendation for the '89 turbo in the handy owner's manual that I have cleverly misplaced?

2. Any recommendations on safe (and more common) tire sizes for the wide rear rims? Could I throw 225/50-16's back there, and if I do would it be wise to put 205/55-16's up front to keep some stagger?

I hope to someday autocross and DE this car, but since "fit a @$!$# child seat in, somehow" is way above "replace the blown rear dampers" on the to-do list, I think it's safe to say that these tires will be for spirited street driving at best. I have dug up more than enough grist to chew regarding the question of what tire to go with, now I just need to nail down what sizes I can use (or if I need to get narrower winter rims).

Thanks for any help (additional help actually - there are some great posts in the archives) or pointers to info sources!

wampir

I think that in the manual you have 225/50/16 on all 4 wheels.
I had 944 n/a and drove on 205/55/16 (7" rim) on front and 225/50/16 (8" rim) on the back in winter with no problems. Now i don't use the car in winter.

M758

205/55 16 Front and 225/50 R16 rear is the stock size on non S turbo's. The only issue you have with those sizes is the 9" wide rear wheels. I am not sure if you can fit a 225 on 9" wheel.

Of course maybe you can get a set of 16x7 and 16x8 D90's and use them as winter wheels. They look very similar to the club sport wheels you have now, but are cheaper to obtain and would be perfect for a 225 winter tire.

jweale1

My issue is indeed finding an all season tire that will fit the 9" wide rear rims. I have been playing around with a tire size comparison tool (can I post links? http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp) and I can't find any common size in 16" diameter for a 9" rim width. As M758 warned, the 225 claims to only cover a rim width range of 6-8.5".

I guess I should be looking for a set of winter wheels, it doesn't sound like there is any simple tire size swap solution. Failure is not an option - this car has to mediocre or better in winter weather or it goes into the garage for the season. And last time the season lasted 1.5 years - I work from home and once that insurance cost is dropped, it's hard to justify starting it back up... .

MPD47

225 width hakkas all the way around is your best bet.

jweale1

MPD47 - Your location gives your rec a bit of added weight... Have you successfully run 225's on the 9" rear rims, or are you also suggesting I run down a new pair of rear wheels? Thanks!

MPD47

No, you will need new rear wheels unless you want a stretched tire VW style. I would recommend getting a set of cheap wheels (Cup 1's or phones) and running those for the winter. I used to daily my 951 in the snow and continued driving it when it was a Vitesse Stage III car from time to time. It's all about throttle management and good tires, I like to keep things evenly setup for winter driving. Let's be honest you're going to slide it around no matter what you do, but you might as well be prepared, my 951 was FANTASTIC in the snow.

Jfrahm

My Turbo S came with 225s on the 9" rear rims. They fit but the lips stuck out and were trashed from curbing. I do not think it was a proper fit, but the tires were on there and held air. Stupid tire shop.
I would suggest a set of narrower wheels, even 7" fronts all around (or 928s wheels) or 7/8 928S4 or 944 option wheels. If you go to 17" you could get a larger variety. Plenty of good snow tires in 17"

-Joel.

951Saga

Same as Jfrahm without the curbing. My wheel and tire set were from a fellow lister. 225’s are recommended for an 8” wheel, but really don’t look too stretched.
My first winter driving was on Cleveland, OH snow in a ’78 Olds open diff rwd boat. I’ve only been on about 4” of snow so far, but the 951w/lsd and Blizzaks = a blast and is much more controlled than any rwd I’ve driven. I especially like how well it changes lanes through snow ruts.

gt37vgt

well i believe that a small stagger is better in the wet as the fronts kind of cut a path for the rears but the benefit of running 4 the same kind of out weighs it you can rotate them you can have a spare that is effective .

spammajamma

I've researched this for two years and
no tires exist that work for your rears..sp5000's were discontinued two years ago and they were the last alternative..DONT rely on siping from Discount, a summer tire will always be a summer tire..my summers were siped by discount and the results were negligible on ice and snow..and it probably reduced their cornering ability.. find some new/used rims smaller that stock, I found a set of used wheels from a 91 c2, 8" rears and 7" fronts that allow me to put any type of tire for any season..but for me only winter..good luck!

jweale1

I guess I'm on the hunt for winter wheels. Craigslist has a set of 16 x 8" and 16 x 6" off a '94 911, "stock hollanders"... off to search the archives for wheel info.

Thanks all!

spammajamma

you'll need longer studs and wheel spacers to fit these..I bought 8mm spacers and steel lugnuts and found that I should have longer studs...barely got seven turns from the wrench before they were snug, so be careful to make sure they fit

Animus

I used 205s on the front and 225s on the rear of my turbo S and it worked fine for the winter. I'd recommend Blizzaks if you're going to get winter tires. Even though you have them on, you're still in a rear wheel drive car.

StyleLab

are you canadian? where are you located? I have a set of D-90 rims cheap that would fit your car.