911 SC Wheel Replacement
 

I have a 80 911 sc w/ factory FUCHS wheels I woudl like to replace w/ updated porsce rims. Anybody have any experiences with this? Tire sizes/rim sizes? I've not done any body/ suspension modifications, so it should be pretty stock.

Thanks!

Chuck

It will help if you have an idea of what wheels you'd like to update to. You might call Wheel Enhancement at (310) 836-8908 and discuss it with them.

Chuck:

I just replaced mine with the Mille Miglia Cup 1 wheels from the Tire Rack (many other shops also sell the same wheel - although I have always had good experiences with my purchases from the Tire Rack). It is a Porsche replica wheel. I found that there really is not a lot of applications for the SC due to its older offset. There were really only a handful of choices (while it is a personal choice, I only found about 4 to my liking - 3 were Porsche replica wheels and the forth was the Kinesis Supercup). I actually wanted a wheel from RH but they don't make them for the SC. Anyway, for tires I went with Bridgestone RE730's - 205/50 17 on the front and 255/40 17 on the rear.
Now, I do have a problem. I have a problem with rubbing on the front driver's side fender. This could be due to the cars lower ride height than U.S. spec. I have since rolled the front fenders and it appears to have solved the problem. I am still concerned about hard cornering at higher speeds though. Both Tire Rack and Wheel Enhancement suggested the tire and wheel set up I choose. I contacted Tire Rack about the issue. They have been great...I am going to call them tomorrow and possibly go to a lower profile tire on the front. Tire Rack offered to send me out replacement tires and are really concerned about helping me solve the problem. Given that you are at the stock U.S. ride height, I would not expect any problems with a similar set-up.

[ 12-06-2001: Message edited by: J-RAD ]

[ 12-06-2001: Message edited by: J-RAD ]

My 911SC is very lowered. When I run my 8" 944-offset Fuchs with 225/50x16 tires, there was rubbing on the left side until I also rolled the fender lip in. Right side has been OK. This, by the way, is a common problem with 911's, that when we put more tire under the wheel wells, the front left causes problems before the front right.

What camber are you running? Of course it's a compromise between wear and performance, however, more negative camber pulls the inside top of the tire away from the fender edge. I'm running about 1.25 degrees negative.

The other consideration on wheels is what you'll be doing with them. If you're driving on the street, virtually any wheel is OK. Of course if you smack something hard with your wheel, ie, bad accident, a forged wheel, like Fuchs, will give and deform, while a cast wheel will shatter. If you plan to take your 911 on the track, then you need to really consider which wheels you get. Forged are generally stronger than cast, although some castings, recently, are pretty good. If you think you'll be spending time on the track, I'd recommend Fuchs, Fikse, BBS, Kinesis, and HRE to name a few. They are all, I believe, forged wheels. I'm told, 3rd-hand, that Wheel Enhancement has a decent deal on new 17" Fikse's.

Chuck,

If you're not dead set on the actual Porsche designs and since the only Porsche design that's "correct" for your SC is the Fuchs then I would look at ROH. I have a set on my 930 and I'm very happy. They are heavier than the Fuchs but lighter than the Replicas and IMHO built better. Check them out at JD Wheels
BTW, Mine is the white turbo on the opening page and on top of the ZS section under Germain cars :cool: The owners car is the dark SC with the ZS wheels.

I recently acquired a 1988 911 coupe and am also interested in this possible "upgrade"

I personally like the 17" turbo twist type or the C2 cup type.

One thing I do not like about my Fuchs is the fact they they seem so recessed in the wheel wells. i would prefer a look that appear to fill the wheel wells.

That being said, will doing so adversely affect the handling of the car? Shorten the life of the suspension/hub bearings?

Weight is also a concern.

Interested to see the outcome of this thread. Thanks.

[ 06-24-2001: Message edited by: Periokid ]

Chuck,

Have you made a purchase yet? I'd love to see how your car looks.

[ 06-30-2001: Message edited by: Periokid ]