Is wider better?

[911Twnb]

I recently purchased my 85 Carrera equipped with the stock 6 & 7 x 16 fuchs.
I like the look of a wider stance but I'm not sure whether to replace with wider wheels/tires or add width by using spacers. I looked through Wayne's 101 Projects and didn't find any mention of the use of spacers. Any advice?

[SRISER]

Is wider better? Tires generally yes, a$$es, not really.

Put the 7's on the front and find some 8's for the rear. If you are going to AX or DE then maybe think about some 9's.

Here is how she may look...

[North Coast Cab]

Spacers make it look nice from the sides, but 8's or 9's with 245's make it look great from the rear as well.

John

[twin plugged targa]

I tried spacers and liked the look but ended up getting some 8's for the rear.
Looked handle MUCH better!
I was doing auto - x and ended up buying toyo proxies ts1 all round 205's up front and 225's on the rear. The car handled like a dream.
(this is my old 86cab)

[911Twnb]

I am planning on some DE so Sam's idea of swtching the 7s to the front and putting 9s on the back is probably the way to go. What's the market for selling my 6's and/or trading for 9's? Would I then need new tires all around? Looking at Sam's photo, It looks like the body has been lowered. How difficult is that to achieve?

[SRISER]

6's will fetch between $200-$300 per set depending on condition and market...

9's are a pretty penny if you can even find them...which is another reason why I stuck with 8's...more plentiful and cheaper.

Dropping the car is a lot of work but doable...the front is 25" fending lip to ground and rear is 24.5". You will have to re-index the rear. The front is just barely aligned within spec. Any lower and you will probably need to look at drop spindles or live with uneven tire wear.

[adomakin]

nice looking car

[geof33]

Originally posted by SRISER

9's are a pretty penny if you can even find them...which is another reason why I stuck with 8's...more plentiful and cheaper.

Generally, this is true. However, 8's can be more pricey than 9's. I think, on balance 8's are generally more marketable due to potential fitment issues. Some have a bit of trouble with 9's. 8's too with some 245's.

Basically, your looking at a 1000.00 a piece for an 8 or a 9. Search Ebay and you'll score a deal every now and then. Basically, if you buy a full set of 7-8 or 7-9 your paying for the 8's or 9's and getting the others for free. Even used, 8's and 9's are in the 1000.00 each range.

[Joe Bob]

Originally posted by SRISER
6's will fetch between $200-$300 per set depending on condition and market...

9's are a pretty penny if you can even find them...which is another reason why I stuck with 8's...more plentiful and cheaper.

MMMmmmm, I would say less for the sixes....shops TRY to get that price and do, when someone needs one NOW.... but 100 is norm and 150 upper average....I've seen fair to good, go 100 a pair at the Pomona swap.

8s will fetch 4-600 each, with USED 9s going for as much or even more than new...see ebay

Wheel Enhancement used to cary new 9s, heard they were out of stock for awhile....you need to call, but they were the only game in the US for awhile.....

[geof33]

Mike,

don't know where you shopping (not ebay) but everywhere I looked when I purchased mine (8's) wanted around 800.00 each if they had them. 9's couldn't be found used... new, they were wanting 1300.00. CRAZY... I scored a whole set on ebay for 1300.00 7/8's. Can be found, just gotta be patient!!

[dd74]

By all accounts, I think wider is better. With spacers you'll have a wider track, but still the same amount of rubber on the road.



This is my narrow body with 8-inch rims on the rear with 225-50-15 tires. It's as much rubber as an SC. The handling is much better than when I had 7-inch rims on the rear with 205-50-15s.



The aesthetic quality, however, may leave something to be desired depending on the owner. Personally, I like the tire jutting out of the wheel well - it makes the car look fairly mean.

[nostatic]

Tyson and I were talking about this today...an SC/Carrera with 6/7s looks weird after you spend some time seeing ones with 7/8s or 7/9s. I went with 8s becuase we were able to find a pair for a reasonable price (well under $1K for a pair), then I had Al Reed refinish them. I'm running 225/50/16s on the 8s. While you can run 245s, I think you get a little less sidwall flex running the narrower tire.

[Joe Bob]

Local guy to me....screen name of "ronk" has a set that he is cleaning and painting....16x7s and 8s....I believe he is asking $1500.00....do a name search and PM him.

[trj911]

I just went from 6&7's on my '83 to 7&8's. I like the stance much better with the wider wheels and tires. The first picture is with the old wheels and the other 3 are with the new. $1500 is about the going rate for a set of 7&8's.

[Bill Verburg]

I like the look of a wider stance but I'm not sure whether to replace with wider wheels/tires or add width by using spacers

A thin <6mm spacer is ok.

Most if the responses here, as usual, are justifications for personal decisions. Most are not addressing the question.

For street use 7&8 is fine, there is little appearance difference in going to 7 & 9.

For DE, racing, AX or anyone else that is looking to maximize the performance of their car wider is better and worth whatever hoops that are be necessary to jump through. Hoops consist of but may not be limited to cost, fender mods & oil line mods.

A conservative setup that fits well on 99.9% of all lowered cars is 205/55 on 7x16 front and 245/45 on 9x16 rear. Assuming of course SC/Carrera flares are present.


Wider tires w/o sacrificing height is beneficial but will entail increasing amounts of pain on your part

I am planning on some DE so Sam's idea of swtching the 7s to the front and putting 9s on the back is probably the way to go.

Good decision

[dd74]

Originally posted by Bill Verburg

Most if the responses here, as usual, are justifications for personal decisions. Most are not addressing the question.

I thought I addressed the question...

[Bill Verburg]

Only indirectly. And most should be some.

He is concerned w/ the difference between 8 & 9 rears.

[nostatic]

as I understand it, both 8 and 9 will handle a 245/50/16 tire, but the 9 will have a bit less sidewall bulge. Becuase of the offsets, the track on the 8 is actually pretty close to the 9. I recall a diagram showing all the possibilities...and it may have been Bill that created it.

[Joe Bob]

This?

[nostatic]

it's like Mikez is the Amazing Kreskin...

Yes...thus the track of the 8 is almost the same as the 9, so it should come down to tire patch (225 v. 245) or tirewall flex (for the same size tire it should be less on the wider rim, right?).