Tires for 1979 911 SC

[NickW21]

Hi folks,

I’ve got my first real purchase upcoming. Brought my 911 SC to a local mechanic and he said I desperately need new tires. Any suggestions? I won’t be on the track circuit, but do like tires that will give me good handling on fun country roads. I don’t want tires so performance focused that they sound loud and make normal diving too firm. What you got for me peoples?

[darrin]

what size wheels/tires do you currently have? There are a LOT of threads about this. If you have 16x6(front) and 16x7(rear) Fuchs and plan to drive your SC in cold weather, I'd definitely recommend looking at Michelin Pilot Sport AS4 tires -- they're all season tires, so don't get rock hard in the cold, but are definitely on the performance-oriented side of the all season spectrum (aren't going to be great in icy/snowy conditions)

[Mark Salvetti]

Nick, I remember your first post about the under tray. From the BAT link we know you have 16-inch wheels. Do you plan to drive the car when it's cold? Some of the extreme summer tires lose a lot of grip below 40F, and could actually crack if rolled when temps are below freezing. Something to think about.

The Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 are pretty popular, as are the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4. Just do a forum search for "Tires" and you should find a few recent threads.

What shop did you use? Was that brake fluid on your strut?

Mark

[NickW21]

Thanks for the suggestions Darrin and Mark! I took it to a local guy near me. It's in Framingham, called RenSport. The owner, Rene, is a great guy. He's 62 and has been working on air-cooled Porsches since he was 17. He Pointed out that my fan must have been replaced at some point right when he opened the hood, because it's too small. He had a 78 SC on the lot and popped the hood to show me the difference. It was subtle, but clearly bigger. Guy really knows his Porsches. I'll definitely be bringing it back to him for a more thorough examination. At the time, I was just looking to get the oil changed and see if there was anything obvious that needed correction, as I had hoped to enjoy it on the long weekend. However, Mother Nature had other ideas and it stayed in the garage

Mark, I'm not sure what that was, but I've put about 200 miles on the car since I got it and have not noticed any issues with the breaks, so it must have been something else. Thanks for thinking of me, though! I need to get my Fuchs restored. Any local recommendations?

[Locker537]

from MA

Dunlop Direzza ZIII is another good option. I use them as a track tire.

Your Fuchs look pretty good. You could paint them yourself. I would focus on all the mechanical systems first.

[theiceman]

i just put on firestone firehawk Indy 500s and im very happy with them , reasonably priced too..

[L Sjoberg]

Originally Posted by Mark Salvetti

Nick, I remember your first post about the under tray. From the BAT link we know you have 16-inch wheels. Do you plan to drive the car when it's cold? Some of the extreme summer tires lose a lot of grip below 40F, and could actually crack if rolled when temps are below freezing. Something to think about.

The Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 are pretty popular, as are the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4. Just do a forum search for "Tires" and you should find a few recent threads.

What shop did you use? Was that brake fluid on your strut?

Mark

I would second the Conti DWS06, it's a great all-around tire and you will almost for sure get 2x the miles out of the Contis as opposed to the Michelins. I run them on our 83 Targa, as well as a Boxster S and 951, all with great results.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by NickW21

Thanks for the suggestions Darrin and Mark! I took it to a local guy near me. It's in Framingham, called RenSport. The owner, Rene, is a great guy. He's 62 and has been working on air-cooled Porsches since he was 17. He Pointed out that my fan must have been replaced at some point right when he opened the hood, because it's too small. He had a 78 SC on the lot and popped the hood to show me the difference. It was subtle, but clearly bigger. Guy really knows his Porsches. I'll definitely be bringing it back to him for a more thorough examination. At the time, I was just looking to get the oil changed and see if there was anything obvious that needed correction, as I had hoped to enjoy it on the long weekend. However, Mother Nature had other ideas and it stayed in the garage

Mark, I'm not sure what that was, but I've put about 200 miles on the car since I got it and have not noticed any issues with the breaks, so it must have been something else. Thanks for thinking of me, though! I need to get my Fuchs restored. Any local recommendations?

This does not sound right
all 911s from at least '69 -89 use 245mm fans, except '78-79 SC which came w/ 226m fans, The shroud needs to match the fan

[Superman]

Originally Posted by Bill Verburg

This does not sound right
all 911s from at least '69 -89 use 245mm fans, except '78-79 SC which came w/ 226m fans, The shroud needs to match the fan

Agreed. The '78-79 fans and shrouds are smaller, and those fans are also fairly desirable. If your fan is smaller, then it is probably one of these desirable/valuable ones.

I cast my vote for the Continentals also. Great tire.

[NickW21]

Originally Posted by Bill Verburg

This does not sound right
all 911s from at least '69 -89 use 245mm fans, except '78-79 SC which came w/ 226m fans, The shroud needs to match the fan

Very interesting. Thanks for the insight Bill. Is there a part number that I’m able to reference to know if the blade/housing matches? I took what he said with a grain of salt. The fan looks to be in good condition so even if it is the wrong size, I’m not inclined to change it seeing as I’ve got other priorities with the car. Knowledge in this forum is second to none. Love this place, especially for newbs like myself!

[Mark Salvetti]

It's pretty easy, just measure across the diameter of the fan. My stock 1979 is about 9 inches. If you have a 245mm fan the housing would also have to match.

To confirm, here is a listing of shroud casting numbers from a Rennlist post by Iceman:



Here is the casting number on my shroud:



Mark

[porsche930dude]

Originally Posted by theiceman

i just put on firestone firehawk Indy 500s and im very happy with them , reasonably priced too..

My brother has them on his camaro they are cracked so bad i cant believe they hold air. I forget the year but its not very old. And they started cracking when they were only a few years old. Stored outside of course

[911obgyn]

I second the Michelin PS 4 i can drive the car on wet tree leaf covered roads in 40 degree weather very predictably. And they work good when its warm

[NickW21]

Thanks for the advice and suggestions everyone! I will only be driving her in the May-Sept timeframe, so not worried about snow. Also won't drive her in the rain outside of getting caught in a stray shower/storm. I went with these - Continental ExtremeContact Sport - Seemed to get good reviews and could even withstand some fun track outings should the need arise

Also, thanks for the notes about fans. Indeed my mechanic was incorrect about the fan being too small. It seems that the fan is fine. My part number is correct (same as yours Mark) and the fan and shroud look good. I'll have to give him some crap about that