Plus Sized - Rolling with the Phatness
08-17-2018, 12:33 PM
#78
Rennlist Member
Love the subtle colors of the finish, plus totally jealous of the dish of those rear rims.
It's going to look mega, and totally change the look of the car. Nice tie together with the black mirrors and brake ducts!
It's going to look mega, and totally change the look of the car. Nice tie together with the black mirrors and brake ducts!
08-17-2018, 09:29 PM
#80
Drifting
Thread Starter
Thanks guys... I was so pumped today about fitting the new wheels until a major snag hit and my ego got deflated. No Fuchs for me, still rocking the HREs. 
My HRE setup is very aggressive and I am already rubbing on the front liner to the point that it has a nice gaping hole in it, however it is purely cosmetic and I am not hitting any components (although close to the oil cooler fan). When I ordered the new wheels, I went 1/2" wider to 8.5J but I changed the ET accordingly and only decided to go 3mm more aggressive than the HREs. To figure out if it would be a bigger problem, I put 3mm worth of washers on the studs, remounted the HREs, and asked my daughter to turn lock to lock while I checked the clearance. I did not see anywhere where the extra 3mm made it worse than before when trial fitting with the HREs, however when trying out one of the new Augment Wheels, it appears that the tire is crashing into the front liner much more. I will measure the new wheels to make sure the specs are correct but assuming they are, this has me completely puzzled and I am not sure why this is happening. The other issue I ran into is that I have extended studs that are not threaded all the way and with a fairly thin mounting pad on the new wheels, I feel it is borderline to use and since I am officially too old to take risks, I decided not to run the wheels until I get new studs.
To make it clear, when I turn the steering to the left, the front outside edge of the right tire crashes into the front liner and the rear outside edge of the left tire gently kisses the rear liner. I am already running a low caster setting, so I will have to check if there is more adjustment left. Now with the car on the alignment rack, the rubbing starts just under 1/2 turn of the steering from reaching the steering lock (based on Prototipo steering wheel). Between the last 1/4 turn to full lock, this is when I get most of the rubbing and it does not make me comfortable. While on the rack, I noticed that the 964 has the original 6mm steering stop as opposed to the updated 10mm one that Porsche recommends on their TSB. I have no idea how much the updated steering stops will compensate for but my plan is to purchase a pair, and then go back to the shop so we can put the car on the rack and take measurements at the tie rod when the steering wheel is turned that last 1/4 to 1/2 turn. If it is ~10mm, then we can pop the Porsche steering stops and call it the day. If I need just a little more, I can have a local shop machine slightly wider stops as long as my turning radius is still acceptable. Anything wrong with this approach? My mechanic thinks it would be best to send the wheels back and have them rebuilt with a much more conservative offset, but I think it should be my last resort. I think that having the updated steering stops can't hurt and it is the path of least resistance. Then if this does not help out, I can either switch to a 245/35 tire or have the wheels rebuilt, or both.
Thanks Harold. I would soooo love to convert it back to a Targa, that would be my dream. I have been scoping parts availability but I am not sure how feasible it is unless I find a wrecked Targa and pick what I need from it.
Pics because everyone loves them...
My HRE setup is very aggressive and I am already rubbing on the front liner to the point that it has a nice gaping hole in it, however it is purely cosmetic and I am not hitting any components (although close to the oil cooler fan). When I ordered the new wheels, I went 1/2" wider to 8.5J but I changed the ET accordingly and only decided to go 3mm more aggressive than the HREs. To figure out if it would be a bigger problem, I put 3mm worth of washers on the studs, remounted the HREs, and asked my daughter to turn lock to lock while I checked the clearance. I did not see anywhere where the extra 3mm made it worse than before when trial fitting with the HREs, however when trying out one of the new Augment Wheels, it appears that the tire is crashing into the front liner much more. I will measure the new wheels to make sure the specs are correct but assuming they are, this has me completely puzzled and I am not sure why this is happening. The other issue I ran into is that I have extended studs that are not threaded all the way and with a fairly thin mounting pad on the new wheels, I feel it is borderline to use and since I am officially too old to take risks, I decided not to run the wheels until I get new studs.
To make it clear, when I turn the steering to the left, the front outside edge of the right tire crashes into the front liner and the rear outside edge of the left tire gently kisses the rear liner. I am already running a low caster setting, so I will have to check if there is more adjustment left. Now with the car on the alignment rack, the rubbing starts just under 1/2 turn of the steering from reaching the steering lock (based on Prototipo steering wheel). Between the last 1/4 turn to full lock, this is when I get most of the rubbing and it does not make me comfortable. While on the rack, I noticed that the 964 has the original 6mm steering stop as opposed to the updated 10mm one that Porsche recommends on their TSB. I have no idea how much the updated steering stops will compensate for but my plan is to purchase a pair, and then go back to the shop so we can put the car on the rack and take measurements at the tie rod when the steering wheel is turned that last 1/4 to 1/2 turn. If it is ~10mm, then we can pop the Porsche steering stops and call it the day. If I need just a little more, I can have a local shop machine slightly wider stops as long as my turning radius is still acceptable. Anything wrong with this approach? My mechanic thinks it would be best to send the wheels back and have them rebuilt with a much more conservative offset, but I think it should be my last resort. I think that having the updated steering stops can't hurt and it is the path of least resistance. Then if this does not help out, I can either switch to a 245/35 tire or have the wheels rebuilt, or both.
Pics because everyone loves them...
Last edited by LPMM; 08-17-2018 at 11:06 PM.
08-26-2018, 04:59 PM
#81
Drifting
Thread Starter
Is it Christmas yet? New toy arrived on Friday, UPS guy was awesome by dropping it in my garage and taking the pallets and cardboard back with him. New Contis ExtremeContact Sport also arrived and I will have them mounted to the Fuchs on Wednesday.
08-27-2018, 09:55 PM
#82
Rennlist Member
What size tire is that on the front? It looks rather large.
Also, sounds like you did the test fit and added the 3mm in offset but not the .5" in wheel width.
I run an 18 x 8.5 et39 in the front, seems like this should be an easy fit at your ride height and on a WB.
Also, sounds like you did the test fit and added the 3mm in offset but not the .5" in wheel width.
I run an 18 x 8.5 et39 in the front, seems like this should be an easy fit at your ride height and on a WB.
08-27-2018, 10:24 PM
#83
Drifting
Thread Starter
The tire in the pic is the 225/40/18 we dismounted from the HRE and remounted to the Fuch, but for some reason it appears to be bulkier on the Fuch. Not sure why that would happen or if it is just an illusion, but I thought that the diameter would be unchanged or perhaps a bit shorter if the tire is being stretched. Anyway, Bill V. had mentioned to run a 245/35/18 up front so I bought a new set accordingly and I am hoping that it will help with the clearance, along with adding the 10mm stop. All I care about is that I have enough clearance with the oil cooler fan and that the rubbing is only cosmetic, then I will be able to reshape the plastic liner accordingly.
08-27-2018, 10:34 PM
#84
Rennlist Member
Crazy, I never would have guessed that as 225/40. Good luck, I hope the new tires work out for you!
08-30-2018, 11:35 PM
#85
Drifting
Thread Starter
The wheels are on! 
I am very happy with the results although I have some fine tuning to do on the fronts due to the aggressive offset. I have not driven it like that yet, so the next few days will be telling when I get a closer look at the front clearance (or lack thereof). The wheel are from Augment Wheel Company and my experience with Dan was beyond my expectations. He answered all of my questions, took my phone calls even after hours, and delivered a beautiful product. I was really nervous about the color based on the pictures Dan sent me, but he told me to trust him and I am glad I did. The color is very hard to capture as the hue changes based on lighting, but I think it really works. Lastly, when the shop I used to do some fitting gave me grief about fitment and also said they would not cut down my studs to use my aluminum lug nuts, Dan promptly took his titanium open end lug nuts off his own car and mailed them to me at no charge. Now, that is what I call customer service. For anyone looking to have a custom set of wheels done, Augment Wheel can help and they do some cool stuff. Also kudos to Tire Rack for the excellent customer service and discount on the Contis, and to Audi Grapevine for the great care taken to mount and balance the tires. They use the same machines as the local Porsche dealer but without the P-car markup and with a friendlier attitude.
Cell phone pics before it got too dark...
I am very happy with the results although I have some fine tuning to do on the fronts due to the aggressive offset. I have not driven it like that yet, so the next few days will be telling when I get a closer look at the front clearance (or lack thereof). The wheel are from Augment Wheel Company and my experience with Dan was beyond my expectations. He answered all of my questions, took my phone calls even after hours, and delivered a beautiful product. I was really nervous about the color based on the pictures Dan sent me, but he told me to trust him and I am glad I did. The color is very hard to capture as the hue changes based on lighting, but I think it really works. Lastly, when the shop I used to do some fitting gave me grief about fitment and also said they would not cut down my studs to use my aluminum lug nuts, Dan promptly took his titanium open end lug nuts off his own car and mailed them to me at no charge. Now, that is what I call customer service. For anyone looking to have a custom set of wheels done, Augment Wheel can help and they do some cool stuff. Also kudos to Tire Rack for the excellent customer service and discount on the Contis, and to Audi Grapevine for the great care taken to mount and balance the tires. They use the same machines as the local Porsche dealer but without the P-car markup and with a friendlier attitude.Cell phone pics before it got too dark...
10-01-2018, 11:54 PM
#87
Drifting
Thread Starter
Thank you.
So, I ordered the 10mm steering stops Porsche recommended for 17" wheels, along with new tie rod boots and since I was replacing just about everything, new outer tie rods went in as well. Big difference between the 2 steering stops and just what was needed.
The steering stops and tie rods went in with no issues but that was not the case for the boots, no matter how much I pulled/pushed/ and swore, they would not go on the rack. I have a small metal hook that I thought about using but I did not want to take a chance of poking a hole in the boot, so I went to REI and bought a set of bicycle tire levers.
Best $3.50 I spent, I used two of them by the hook side and the boots were fitted over the steering rack in 5 minutes. Now the front end is all buttoned up, the only thing left will be to install the poly bushings I just ordered for the steering rack.
The prior shop really screwed up the coilover setup and alignment, so next was to redo everything correctly. So over the past weekend, I measured and put the car up and down what it felt like a million times while I carefully set the coilovers (front first, then rear). I settled on RS-1 (124mm) for the front and RS+8 (231mm at the control arm boss) for the rear, although I may bring the rear down 4 or 5 mm. I also home brewed the alignment and to my surprise it drove pretty well when I took it down to Mayo Performance today. We put it on the alignment rack and all the parameters were good, except for a little too much toe on the front.
From the new coilovers, to the refreshed suspension and steering bushings, to the much better tires, the car is totally transformed and rides so much nicer. Also, the 10mm steering stops did the trick, the tires now hardly rub the front wheel liners and a little heat to massage them will definitely cure things.
So, I ordered the 10mm steering stops Porsche recommended for 17" wheels, along with new tie rod boots and since I was replacing just about everything, new outer tie rods went in as well. Big difference between the 2 steering stops and just what was needed.
The steering stops and tie rods went in with no issues but that was not the case for the boots, no matter how much I pulled/pushed/ and swore, they would not go on the rack. I have a small metal hook that I thought about using but I did not want to take a chance of poking a hole in the boot, so I went to REI and bought a set of bicycle tire levers.
Best $3.50 I spent, I used two of them by the hook side and the boots were fitted over the steering rack in 5 minutes. Now the front end is all buttoned up, the only thing left will be to install the poly bushings I just ordered for the steering rack.
The prior shop really screwed up the coilover setup and alignment, so next was to redo everything correctly. So over the past weekend, I measured and put the car up and down what it felt like a million times while I carefully set the coilovers (front first, then rear). I settled on RS-1 (124mm) for the front and RS+8 (231mm at the control arm boss) for the rear, although I may bring the rear down 4 or 5 mm. I also home brewed the alignment and to my surprise it drove pretty well when I took it down to Mayo Performance today. We put it on the alignment rack and all the parameters were good, except for a little too much toe on the front.
From the new coilovers, to the refreshed suspension and steering bushings, to the much better tires, the car is totally transformed and rides so much nicer. Also, the 10mm steering stops did the trick, the tires now hardly rub the front wheel liners and a little heat to massage them will definitely cure things.
10-02-2018, 09:30 AM
#88
Race Car
Looking good! Keep it up. Fantastic car...
If you don't mind a little less steering radius, you could add another 1-2mm spacer to the steering stop to stop the rub...if the massaging doesn't cure that. Or if it just rubs on the fender liner...you can cut that section out and add some space behind and plastic weld a dimple into it...
If your car wasn't originally shipped with the wider steering stops, check to see the tsb was done for the 45 degree cut out on the area where the bumper cover meets the fender. I can't imagine on that year car that it wasn't done...but you don't need that point cutting your tire if it wasn't done.
If you don't mind a little less steering radius, you could add another 1-2mm spacer to the steering stop to stop the rub...if the massaging doesn't cure that. Or if it just rubs on the fender liner...you can cut that section out and add some space behind and plastic weld a dimple into it...
If your car wasn't originally shipped with the wider steering stops, check to see the tsb was done for the 45 degree cut out on the area where the bumper cover meets the fender. I can't imagine on that year car that it wasn't done...but you don't need that point cutting your tire if it wasn't done.
