1987 Carrera - What size/make tires on Fuchs 7s & 8s?

[cafePorsche]

Hello Forum-

I am in a bit of a quandry to find out what size tire (street use) would best fit on a stock 1987 Carrera with 16x7 & 16x8 inch Fuchs.

I was running 245/45/16s on the back but they did seem to rub a bit in spirited driving and there is next to no selection for street oriented performance tires in 245/45/16s now.

Also - any opinions on what brand/model tires are the tire of choice.


Thanks in advance for your insights.

[McLovin]

205/55 and 225/50 work perfectly.

There's still many different brands available for those sizes. Lots of good ones, IMO brand and model mostly comes down to personal preference on what you want in a tire.

[megerian]

Here is some light reading:

Can anyone recommend a great tire?

[Flat Six]

I'm running 7X16 / 8X16 Fuchs on my '85, and have 205/55/16 front, 225/50/16 rears [Bridgestone RE760 both]. Am lowered to 'euro' height and don't experience any fender clearance issues.

I'm very happy with these tires -- affordable, quiet, sticky, and cruise well at speed without squishiness or tramlining on grooved freeway pavement.

Just my $.02

[djcdmv]

Like my Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 StarSpec tires. Same size as those listed.

[Carrera3.2LG50]

Originally Posted by Flat Six

I'm running 7X16 / 8X16 Fuchs on my '85, and have 205/55/16 front, 225/50/16 rears [Bridgestone RE760 both]. Am lowered to 'euro' height and don't experience any fender clearance issues.

I'm very happy with these tires -- affordable, quiet, sticky, and cruise well at speed without squishiness or tramlining on grooved freeway pavement.

Just my $.02

I could have written that response! All I'd have to change is '87.
Great tires in my opinion.

[Jgordon]

I run the same sizes above, Bridgestone Potenza S-02. Great tire.

[CJP5]

I'm running Kumho Ecsta ASXs and like them.

[JWLindsey]

Originally Posted by djcdmv

Like my Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 StarSpec tires. Same size as those listed.

Ditto. I have run them in stupidly heavy rain, autocross, and daily driving in those sizes on 7's and 8's on an '87 Targa. Never a problem and still plenty of tread after 8k of hoonage.

-JWL

[jdbunda]

I just installed a set of Conti ExtremeContact DW, 205/55-16 and 225/50-16 on the same width Fuchs. So far so good, but I've got all of 50 miles on them, so it's really difficult to say.

I considered the Dunlop Star Specs, but went with the Contis instead, if only to get a little longer life for my 99% street driving. I've also been really happy with the Contis on my E46 M3, so I decided to try them on the Targa. One thing I noticed immediately with the Contis over the ancient Falken Azenis 512 they replaced - MUCH quieter, amazingly so (I hope they stay that way).

[rdonahe]

Sorry if this is a noob question but I'm confused here. I have 6s & 7s on my 82 and I'm running 205/55 & 225/50 on those. What's the advantage of switching to 7s & 8s if I'm not getting more tire on the ground?

[Arne2]

Wider rims gives a slightly quicker response from stretching the sidewall a touch. Probably not noticeable for street driving. Most people prefer the looks of the wider wheels, especially how they fill the rear flares better.

[Wiese]

Originally Posted by rdonahe

Sorry if this is a noob question but I'm confused here. I have 6s & 7s on my 82 and I'm running 205/55 & 225/50 on those. What's the advantage of switching to 7s & 8s if I'm not getting more tire on the ground?

16x8 Fuchs look really great and allow you to run 225/50 which are readily available. The 16x9 Fuchs requires a 245/45 tire which is harder to find and way more expensive. I am still running my 16x7 in the rear with 225/50 and thought about getting the 16x8s, but they are very expensive.

[scotricker]

Mostly , well, then you'll look cooler... that's it I guess. I'm looking for some 9s.

[rdonahe]

Sooo, what is the downside then of me running 205/55s on my 6s in front, 225/50s on my 7s in back and spacers to give me the wider track that the wider wheels would?

Maybe another way to phrase the question is; what is the downside of spacers?

[Boomtown Rat]

Well I'm running 205 and 225 Kumho Ecstas on one Targa, 205 and 225 Bridgestone S-02s on the other and 205 and 225 Conti SportContacts on the the third. In terms of value for money, the Ecstas are great. In terms of overall excellent performance, my money is on the Bridgestones. I won't be getting Contis again (too pricey, performance isn't in line with the price).

[Arne2]

Originally Posted by rdonahe

Maybe another way to phrase the question is; what is the downside of spacers?

Increased unsprung weight, effective offset changes the wheel bearing loading, won't pass some tech inspections for track days or DEs.

Again, probably not too big a deal for street use...

[tocobill]

Ive got a set of P Zeros 205's and 225's for sale at about half what they cost. Let me know if your interested.

[rdonahe]

Originally Posted by Arne2

Increased unsprung weight, effective offset changes the wheel bearing loading, won't pass some tech inspections for track days or DEs.

Again, probably not too big a deal for street use...

Appreciate the replies Arne2. I guess where this is coming in for me is the swap from 6/7s to 7/8s is mainly for aesthetic purposes on a street car. I had thought people were doing it to get a bigger contact patch down.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by rdonahe

Appreciate the replies Arne2. I guess where this is coming in for me is the swap from 6/7s to 7/8s is mainly for aesthetic purposes on a street car. I had thought people were doing it to get a bigger contact patch down.

Takes flex out of the sidewalls. I don't think that is cosmetic. However, the tire you choose is a huge factor. I have all seasons on my Targa, and high performnce Summer tires on my coupe. The difference is HUGE.