dumb tire question

Jgordon · 06-03-2004, 09:30 AM

I just got a set of 7X16 fuchs for the front of an 89 911. I have a pair of pretty new SO3s in 205/55/16 on sixes right now. I thought that the consensus was to use the 205s on the 7s as well, but the local dealership (I know, I know) advised against it, citing that "it would look weird, and instead of rolling in, the wheel lip would be more even with the edge of the tire". Yeah guy, I know. I'm still pretty sure it'll work, thanks to research on threads, but I wanted to ask anyway.

my questions are -- does anyone know whether I'll need to roll the fenders? I know each car is its own story, but are people running SO3 205s on 7s relatively easily?

And: Was the dealership tech right? I thought the point of going to 7s on a 205 (aside from the *****in deep-dish look) was to square up the sidewall, and get a crisper turn-in.

as always, thanks for the advice.

jmohn · jmohn's Garage

#1 Mount em up. The 205's will be fine on 7" wheels.
#2 Don't talk to that "tech" again.

Roll the fender lips? Almost certainly not, but you won't really know 'til you mount them.

Jerry M
'78 SC

Eric Coffey · 06-03-2004, 11:36 AM

Yep, what Jerry said. Oh, and I'd go back to the tech and ask him: So, did 205's on 16x7's that came from the factory on 930's "look weird" too? hehe.

Jgordon · 06-03-2004, 12:02 PM

yeah, the guy's a moron. I went in last week to ask about the same thing, and he was supposed to check the factory specs on what rubber should go on a 7X16. Never called me back. This time, he tried to get me into a discussion of my motivations for making the swap, and tried to convince me it would be at least an hour if I wanted them to change the tires. An hour of their time equals $105. I walked out of there laughing at him. On the other hand, the parts guy who gave me two copper washers was a standup guy, and overall I've had good experiences there. One idiot though, in charge of Porsche Service, can do a lot to erode that.

no substitute · 06-03-2004, 01:36 PM

Did he understand these were for the front, and not for the back (225-50)?

Just like the manufacturer suggests, and so many others do too, I run 205/55-16 on the front, and 245/45-16 on the back, with 7's and 9's respectively. LF required a slight bit of roll up in the center top area of the lip.

Jgordon · 06-03-2004, 09:22 PM

yeah, that's about all he understood. I took them to the local tire place, took my wheels off the car, helped the guy there mount them, put them back on my car, all in about 45 minutes. The porsche dealership should send their guys down the street for lessons.

Honestly, I've heard the stories, but I didn't really know how out of touch dealerships were with older cars. These guys would probably be hard-pressed to work on a 993 at this point. All they understand is boxsters and 996s. Oh yeah, and cayennes. It was really disappointing/frustrating. Oh well, live and learn.

Wil Ferch · 06-04-2004, 10:02 AM

Hey No Substitute....
so what if they *were* for the rears? Not ideal....but factory cars came that way too ( 225/50-16 on 7").....

---Wil

wrx paul · 06-04-2004, 11:50 AM

dig thru tireracks site. They have a spreadsheet for all the tires they sell and the sizes of rims that work for each tire. I just found my 225's are something like 6-8" wheels so I'm sure they'll have yours.

no substitute · 06-04-2004, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wil Ferch
Hey No Substitute....
so what if they *were* for the rears? Not ideal....but factory cars came that way too ( 225/50-16 on 7").....

---Wil

Sorry, but you lost me. I assumed his mechanic wanted him to go to a larger tire on the larger 7" rim. My car came with 7" rims and 225-50-16 on the back, so perhaps that's what the mechanic was thinking for whatever reason.

Wil Ferch · 06-18-2004, 07:54 AM

My point is that Jgordon had 205's on 6"s before...and wanted to put that same size on 7" but was advised against it by his mechanic. My point then was to say this shouldn't be problem...the factory put 225's on 7" for the rear ...so either 205 or 225 should be no problem for 7"s....regardless of whether they were considered for front or rear fitment. We're talking rim width vs tire size.
---Wil

dfink · 06-18-2004, 08:48 AM

Maybe I missed something. What size wheels and tires are on the rear of the car. The 205-55-16 on 7" on the front should look just fine. In fact since that is what is on mine I think they look real good no rolling needed and I have never touched the fender even during autocross. Question is what is on the rear. I would think you would want 8"X16" on the rear with 225-50-16. Again this should require no fender rolling.

Wil Ferch · 06-18-2004, 11:04 AM

There should ( now) be no confusion if we re-read the first post. The concern ( whether front or rear fitment...dosn't matter) was the pairing of 7" rims with a 205 section width. As many have said here, this combo shouldn't be a problem. I run that myself in the front of my 85 Carrera. What's in the rear didn't get any mention...and shouldn't cloud the question.

---Wil

efhughes3 · efhughes3's Garage

I've got that exact size on my '84, and I HAD to roll my fender lips.