pwengland

Im just about to start the slippery slope of racing a 944 in a classic series here in Malaysia. Have never raced on slicks before (other than on a bike) so just looking for any views on best wheel and tyre combo's to consider. The car is being built from a bare shell in the UK. They run standard 16 wheelers and threaded tyres in the series in the UK but just wondering if I would have better slick options on 17s. Any advice on wheel and tyre combinations for slicks on 944 greatly appreciated

pwengland

Sorry meant 16in wheels and road based tyres.. Not 16 wheelers and threaded !

M758

what are your rules limitations? What are your budget limitations?

Potomac-Greg

If you could dumb down to 15" the options (and cost) get better and better.

Scootin159

If you're running stock sized brakes and can run 15's, I'd do it - they'll be lighter and cheaper to buy tires for. 16's or 17's can also be made to work, but I'd really only go to them if you need to for more width (wider tires tend to be available for 16 or 17" rims) or if you need to clear larger brakes.

The bigger question is what width to run - you'll hear answers all over the board, but as a general rule I'd say the higher the average speed of the track the narrower you want to go, and vice versa.

pwengland

Thanks for the replies... Diameter is free and widths are max 9 front rear 10. Tyres are free I.e. full slicks and wets are ok. Sepang F1 circuit is where we do all the racing and it has two long straights, about 1km each and in total is about 5.5k. Other than the straights is a fast flowing circuit. I'm leaning towards 16s but just wasn't sure how much choice of rubber there is. Budget wise I don't mind spending more money if it bring lap times down

pwengland

Will be running big reds (993 turbo brakes ?)

ubercooper

with 10" rears you will probably want something like 275 or 285s but that will be tough to find for a 16"

also you will need 17s for big reds

sounds like a fun series.. post pics when its done!

M758

well start with 9" front and 10" rear. Go with as wide a tire that will fit under the fenders. That is about 275 front and 295 rear with custom wheels to get the offset right. Sure these are big wide wheels. But if you get high dollar light wheels it will offset the weight. My guess is you will need 18's to ensure you can get a slick tire in the ride width. I don't know slicks well, but I don't know how many there are in 16" wheels any more.

Any restrictions on final drive ratio? If none then overall diameter is not big factor since you can re-gear to compenstate.

I run 225/50 R15 on 15x7 wheels with stock gearing. This is faster than running 225/50 R16 with stock final drive due to the smaller diameter. However since you can go 9 and 10" wide do it. I am limited by rules based on cost containment to the tire and wheels I run.

Lemming

275's on all corners with 17x9's.