17" Wheels - Plug and Play?

[Swoboda]

I've read a lot of discussions about wheels, but have not seen a simple answer to my question:

Can I replace my original wheels with 17" wheels without having to adjust things or add pieces? Is it as easy as just taking the old ones off and putting on the new ones?

I have the original 6s and 7s on my 1985 911 and ride height is stock for North America.

Thanks.

Lawrence

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by Swoboda

I've read a lot of discussions about wheels, but have not seen a simple answer to my question:

Can I replace my original wheels with 17" wheels without having to adjust things or add pieces? Is it as easy as just taking the old ones off and putting on the new ones?

I have the original 6s and 7s on my 1985 911 and ride height is stock for North America.

Thanks.

Lawrence

yes, as long as you get wheels w/ reasonable o/s and width and then use reasonably sized tires, the bigger the wheel and the bigger the the tire the more limited ET will be and the harder the eventual fit.

Easy fit
8ET30 & 9ET15 w/ 225/45 & 255/40 tires, the front ET has up to -5mm ET leeway and the the rear has a little on the - side too.

Go any wider/taller w/ either wheel or tire and the level of difficulty to fit rises geometrically

[FrenchToast]

If you're looking for an OEM production Porsche wheel that fits, there are none.

If you want newer Porsche wheel-style you can get Cup I or III replicas by Mille Miglia, which aren't good for any high performance driving.

There are also numerous Fuchs replicas out there, some better than others. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/669569-lets-catalogue-all-17-fuchs-repros.html (keep in mind not all are a 'plug and play' fitment.

After that, you need to get a custom set of wheels from HRE, Kinesis, Fikse, BBS, CCW, etc. etc.

Luckily for you, this has been done many times, so there are plenty of secondhand custom wheels in the correct fitment for your car.

Be sure to visit the 'wheels' link in Bill Verburg's Signature.

P.S. Bill - I've seen your 993 in person (I think) at some tracks, looks fantastic! Color and RS package are terrific.

Take care!

[Swoboda]

Bill, what does "8ET30" mean? Thanks.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by Swoboda

Bill, what does "8ET30" mean? Thanks.

8" bead width, ET30mm


The widest oe SC/Carrera body front wheel was 7ET23.3 w/ 205/50 tire

an 8ET30 w/ 225/40 x17 is 6mm closer to the lip and 19.4mm closer to the chassis than the oe 7ET23.3

On my own car I've use 8ET25 w/ 235/40 and 225/40 tires, the 235 was a max in my lowered chassis and required a lot of work to fit, the 225/40 is a very comfortable fit on that same wheel, the 8ET30 just gives you a more relaxed fit wrt to the lips than an 8ET25

an 8ET25 w/ 235/40 sits 11mm closer to the lips than the oe 7ET23.3

[Hodgey]

I put Cup II wheels on my 87 with spacers front and rear ..no issues at all....

[sparkle84]

Check out Osomoores post about wheel problems before you decide.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by sparkle84

Check out Osomoores post about wheel problems before you decide.

That thread is worthless as he never reveals the ET of the wheels he is unhappy with

As I said w/ the right width, ET and tire choice it's an easy fit, go too far off w/ any of those things and it's not.

[Swoboda]

I feel dense; I still don't see what ET means.

What represents the ET in your diagram (which is very helpful, by the way)?

Thanks.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by Swoboda

I feel dense; I still don't see what ET means.

What represents the ET in your diagram (which is very helpful, by the way)?

Thanks.

ET - the offset of the wheel center line from the mounting face

[ArmbrusterJo]

I still don't see what ET means.

[Arne2]

If the width and offset of the 17" wheels you want is the same (or very close) to the factory 16" choices, you will be fine. So for a 17x7, look for an offset (ET) of around 23mm. For a 17x8, you want 10 or 11. For a 17x9, look for 15 or so. That will take care of the wheel selection.

For an explanation of offset (ET), go to Wheel Tech - Offset

[PatrickB]

The Less expensive alternative, is the Rota Fox 17x7.5/9. Could be a plug and play if you get the right tire set up... Do a search for "Rota" on the forums here, and you will see plenty of examples given with different tire sizes, suspension mods, etc.. I went with the biggest tire I could stuff under the fenders, and it did require some mods to make it work, but looks pretty cool!
245/45/17 & 275/40/17





and with Fikse FM10

[Arne2]

Originally Posted by PatrickB

The Less expensive alternative, is the Rota Fox 17x7.5/9.

The finally available Euromeisters are even more affordable, and are available in 7, 8 & 9" widths with factory offsets. Should be even easier to fit.

[Jeff Alton]

Follow Bill's advice regarding width and offset (ET). We have built/sold 100's of wheels falling into his ranges. 8.0 et24-31 front and 9.0 et14-19 rear.

ET is offset. It is the distance, in mm, that the hub pad (mounting face) is from the centerline of the wheel. + offset means the hub pad face is outboard of the wheel centerline, and - offset means it is inboard of the wheel centerline.

Cheers

[Swoboda]

Thanks very much for the advice and education.

Lawrence