Hi,

Has anyone run the stock 16" cup wheels all the way 'round on the 968? They're light weight, relatively inexpensive, and 16" tires are a little cheaper than the larger diameters. If I go this route, I'd probably go with 225/50 tires.

What's been people's experience with this setup for DE events? Would you recommend it for a stock car? Cheaper, lighter...I like it.

Thanks

 

Yes, with great success, though I would suggest 245/45/16s all around.

The primary advantage beyond more neutral steering was that you could rotate tires front to back, as well as just side to side. I more than doubled my tire life this way.

 

If it's for DE starting out then that would be a great way to learn the car and track. If you want to maximize the car then 285-30-18 are the way to go.

 

225 is not enough tire IMHO, even on a stock 968. I suggest at least 245 all around IF you are going with 16x8 rims.

FWIW I currently run 285's all around on 18" rims. (hoosier a6s and r6s) I've run every tire combo you can imagine over the last 10 years.

A common (cheap) thing is to get a set of 17x9 wheels and run a square 275 setup. This works well too, I still have a backup set of 17x9 Cup2's with 275 Hankooks on them.

 

I use a square setup on my 944S2. I like it. 245s all round. I was Using 245s on 7s and 8s, but I prefer 8s all around for the rotating reason. I could notice a slight slight difference in T9 at summit when I went with all 4 wheels the same size.

 

I ran the 16x9 clubsports with 245/45 square for years with good success. Yes tires are cheaper but are becoming more scarce. I have tried 18's as well but with the smaller profile tires the handling of the car got a bit more "skitterish". Currently running 17" with 245/40 front and 275/35 rear and really like it. YMMV.

 

agreed with the 245/45-16 all around.....I ran that size for a long time on my 928's with good results....BUT if you are new to DE-track driving just run street tires....they are more forgiving when you are learning....mostly due to the extreme howling near the limit and this extra little bit of info can help you find the limit more easily....some slicks barely squeal at all......

 

Thanks for the replies.

I compared the weight of Bridgestone RE-11 tires in 245/45/16 (with 16" 968 cup wheels) vs the 255/40/17 (17" Cup 2 rear wheel on the car) and there is about a 6 pound difference at each corner (tire + wheel). The RE-11 is the only street tire that TireRack sells in the 245/45/16 size. So is ~6 pounds worth of savings at each corner with the 16s enough to negate the extra 10 mm of tread width of the 17s? I don't intend to go to R compounds anytime soon as I've only a couple of DE days under my belt. I just want the car to be balanced for street and track, and maintain that sweet steering feel it currently has.

 

You should be able to run nitto nt01 245/50/16 (my plan for next year, but might not be a good street choice). Or run any number of 225/45/16 high performance street/track tires.

 

I ran 17X9 square for a while. I think the tires were too tall, can't quite recall. But I believe that there is a 255/40R17 out there that would be a good option. Regardless, I agree wiht the overall theme that you need more tire. Given the relatively recent 275 Musche referenced, the notion of going back to 17's and running that square is interesting. I think that would be a great setup. The 17X9's from the 996 aren't the best looking wheels out there, but they are somewhat plentiful, and not too expensive.

 

Stick with the skinnier tires (~245-255) until you have the experience to actually USE the grip wider tires offer, and are ready to spend some money on suspension upgrades to match the stickier tires. (more grip, = more body roll)

 

Just wondering if a rim with this kind of crack is fixable and trustworthy for road and DE use? I am super conservative when it comes to safety so I'm not going to pursue these rims, but I wanted your thoughts.

Thanks.

 

No F'n way I'd put that wheel on my car.