WMRiceman

What is your favorite tire size for the track? My wheels are R 17X9 Offset 55, F 17X7 Offset 55. Street recommendation is 17 205 50 front and 17 255 40 rear. At the track I’ve noticed rear tire size matching this but front tires a little wider. Kumo Victoryracer tire sizes start at 215 and then go up to 225. The Michelin PSC have a 205 17 50 but I don’t see anyone with these. Can I fit the 215 or 225 tires on the 7” front wheels or should I stick with 205s?

Next question is the Replica Cup Wheels sold by Vertex and Performance Products. Are these made by the same company as the Stock Porsche Cup Wheels? Obviously Porsche doesn’t manufacture wheels and has to get them from someone. I’d like to have a set of track only wheels and these replicas are selling for around $350 a piece, which make them attractive. Are these Replicas suitable for the Track?

Greg_L

225's should make for fun cornering at the track. More front grip should head the cars handling properties towards oversteer. You'll be fine with 225's on a 7" rim, but always ask the tyre dealer first(some tyre brands make wider tyres than others).

Replica cups are almost always heavier and softer (hence the low price). I'd use the lighter orig wheels for the track, replica cups would be ok for the road though imho.

joey bagadonuts

I use the MPSC 225/255 combo at the track. Nice handling.

As for the wheels, I'd strongly recommend you consider "takeoffs." These are slightly used, Factory wheels which the owners swap out for a larger size. The offsets are usually correct (55mm f/r) and come in 7 x 9 x 17.

As Greg mentions, Factory wheels are usually lighter than replicas and their quality seems to be a few notches better. In my own experience, I've never heard of Factory wheels cracking at the track but I've actually seen damaged replicas.

I'm not sure what 17" 964 cups weigh, but the 993 cups weigh 19 f / 22r and are a nice look for our cars, IMHO. Plus, the 993 guys are always trying to dump these wheels so there are definitely bargains to be had. Don't overlook the 996 and 986 takeoffs, though, these are also great options. Check the Rennlist classifieds as well as the PCA Mart and ebay.

Bill Gregory

I've seen two sets of Cup II's (circa 993's) that had a cracked spoke, and know someone who has seen another at the track. Haven't seen/heard of similar problems with other Porsche wheels.

Tom W

The PO of my car actually squeezed a 235/275 combination onto the 7 & 9 inch rims. While I expected a lot more sidewall flex and less than optimal handling, the combination actually worked pretty well at Laguna Seca last weekend. the tire are the Yoko DOT R (A032R?). I also swapped them out for my MPSC tires (205/255 on 7 & 9 inch rims) and found them pretty similar. It was hard to make a direct comparison due to changing track conditions and new (Yoko) vs "old" (MPSC). Spacers and rolling the fenders was required to get the 235/275's to fit.

Both sets of wheels are Porsche. I'm haven't check the part numbers, but I think both are Cup II's (I know the one set is as I bought them from a fellow 993 owner). You can get a set of cosmetically imperfect track wheels of the cup flavor for as low as $500 for the set. I prefer cheap and functional to beautiful and expensive or extra-fancy when it comes to the track as I'm not a good enough driver to appreciate the difference a pound or two of unsprung weight would mean.

WMRiceman

Thanks for all the advice. I think I'll try and find some used factory wheels.

Jeff Curtis

Mr. Riceman, good to see that you are back and out of harm's way.

Get a set of USED wheels, from Rennlist, 17" x 7" and 9" 55mm backspacing all four and use 225s up front - period.

ALL the available track tires out there in 225 form will fit on the 7" fronts.

255 works well on the rear.

At one point I was using 245s up front and 275s in the rear - and saw no point in continuing to do so...no matter what spacers and longer studs I had - they rubbed a bit.

Use 3mm spacers on your fronts...trust me on this one.