Dr. No

I've read a lot of wheel/tire threads and it seems like all of the 8" front 10" rear options are 18" wheels. Does anyone run or have feedback on the same width set up on 17" wheels? My thought is maybe a bit more dry grip with same ride quality?

kkim

I too have been on the lookout for some 17" wheels in those widths, but I have found other than going with custom built wheels ($$$), they do not exist.

I also agree with you on the pluses of such sizes, but you will loose the "bling" factor.

Dr. No

Hey, at those prices, you can always get them chromed!

KOAN

Before you go too far down that road, look to see that the tires you are interested in will be available, and will benefit from the 17x10 rear.

Crimson Nape Racing

I have Fikse FM-10's, 17x8 and 17x10. They fill up the wheel well nicely and I have no problems rubbing. I don't remember the rear tire size I presently have, but I remember I had 275/50 track tires a couple years ago.

Dr. No

How do you like the ride quality? Can you compare them to 18s?

Thanks.

steve930t

I have Kinesis Supercups that are 17" X 8" & 10" on my car. I bought them used here on Rennlist and I'm real happy with the fit and ride. The tires are 275/40 and 245/40.

Dr. No

my favorites! Your car is Ocean Blue, isn't it?

Crimson Nape Racing

I have the ROW M030 suspension and really like the ride. My 84 was a club racer and too stiff for the street, so I promised myself I would keep this one civilized. That (and $) is the reason I decided to stay with 17's. I can't compare them with 18's, since I never had any. Another reason to stick with 17's would be wheel damage - my buddy with an M5 is getting his 18's straightened once a year or so (then again, it is his wife's daily driver).

Martin S.

When you are mixing up tires and wheel sizes you must be certain that the rolling radius of the front to rear wheels does not exceed 5%. If you do exceed 5%, you will probaly turn off your ABS..

Example, you put on monster 17" rear wheels, you'll need to match up the rolling radius with the fronts...let's hope those tires are available.

Another point, monster rear tires will probably have a low profle, probably 30%...the widest they will be is about 315mm. You pick up 40mm over the present 275mm wide tires. But the tires will knock your fillings out.

This is the reason I dumped my 18" wheels. The 30 and 35 series tires were just too stiff...and tires are part of the suspension system...those 30 and 35% tires don't have much play, ability to absorb bumps.

Dr. No

My idea was to maintain the OEM rolling radius while duplicating the footprint of an 8" and 10" 18" setup with a 17" wheel for a little more street comfort. Just seemed funny that the OEM profile for a 17" wheel is a 50 series tire. I have 17x8 and 17x10 on my BMW now and that's about as much meat as I need to put on the road - but now the 993 tires look skinny!

steve930t

It is Ocean Blue...great color.

Edward

I normally ran 225/45 and 275/40 on my 17" rims on the track (NB car) and it was absolutely great. I thought I'd get too much understeer, but that didn't happen. The car handled completely neutral with the PSS9s and 22mm/21mm sways ...sorry that was a digression. As for ride, it's hard to tell since those were R-compounds with stiff sidewalls, but with 45 and 40 series sidewalls, I'd have no reservations about using these sizes. And if you're going to 8s and 10s, you're even better off than what I had (7"/9"). Let us know when you get them. FWIW, I also agree with staying with 17s ...less costly at tire purchase time and a more compliant ride than 18s if driven daily.

Edward

Alan C.

I had a set of Kinesis K20's 8's and 10.5 x 17 and they worked well on my 95 993 NB. I also have a couple of sets of Forgeline 2 pc wheels which are 8 and 9.5 x 17. They work fine with 245 and 275 tires.

centerpunch

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How's this for responding to an OLD (18 year old, in fact) thread lol!

Hi Alan- I assume you're Alan in Cincinnati? Paul Allen here, looooooong time no see.

Hey, I just found some 8x17 oem cup wheels at a ridiculously cheap price on ebay, hoping to put them on the front of my NB 993 C4.

Do you remember what offset your front 8x17 Kinesis and/or Forgeline were? My incoming wheels are 70mm, but I can space them out from there if needed.

(I'm keeping the 9" rears, I run 225 on front with my 7's, but an 8" wheel would be better for that.)

Anyone else with info on what front offsets work with 8x17F, please jump in!