rare wheels but wrong tyres

[dickster]

i have the rare (apparently) 7 and 8 x 15 fuch alloys. i also have the wrong sized tyres on the front - 195/65. (rear 215/60).

b anderson rec. 205/60 which i'm ready to go for, but what are you 15 people using??

hopefully it will help with the handling?

whats a set of 15's worth then? maybe i could raise some cash here.

[Bill Verburg]

My Carrera 3.0 originally came with 7&8x15 Fuchs. I used both 205/55 and 205/50 frt with 225/50 rr. I particularly liked the 205/50 frts as it dropped the front end right down to the pavement helping the aero issues a lot(this can be an issue on driveways). Unfortunately there aren't a lot of other choices either, unless you want to go back to the old fashioned 185/70 & 215/60 sizes used on the original RS series in '73

[dickster]

bill,

thanks for the info.

i had 205/60's in mind, now you got me thinking.

did you notice much diff in handling between the two fronts, cornering etc (apart from dropping the frnt end)?

Factory size 15 inch wheels are:

185/70x15 front & 215/60x15 rear. At some point (can't remember what model year) they changed the fronts to 195/65x15.

So your tire sizes are original spec. No Carrera 3,2 came with 205/60x15 as far as I know.

Richard
Just realised that I might have misinterpreted your question.

I've seen a number of 911s with 205/55x15 front and 225/50x15 rear. I guess that's a popular setup. Just remember that it changes the overall gearing on your car (inaccurate speedo).

[Bill Verburg]

No the handling was great. That(205/50 & 225/50) was the setup originally used on the 76/77 930s & optional on the C3s. As I said the front was low, my shoes wouldn't fit under the chin spoiler.

The thing you want is the same or slightly shorter tire on the front.

Just as an example for Bridgestone SO3s

• 205/55x15 23.9" tall
• 205/50x15 23.1" tall
• 225/50x15 23.9" tall

The 205/50 will drop the front a bit less than .4" relative to the rear. unfortunately I can't find my ride height notes from those days, if I can I'll post the fender heights with that set up.

You can investigate other possibilities by going to the manufacturers websites

Bridgestone S03

Dunlop SP9000

Kumho

Michelin Pilot series

The shorter the rear tires the shorter the rear gearing(way cheaper to replace tires than r/p)

[Wayne 962]

The 15" wheels are not necessarily rare - they are usually found on European cars, and grey-market Euro cars imported into the states. Most Carreras here had 16" wheels...

-Wayne

[dickster]

As I said the front was low, my shoes wouldn't fit under the chin spoiler.

i've already got clearance issues!

i'll see whats available at the tyre shop. thanks for the invaluable advice bill.

wayne,

an indie near where i live told me yesterday. he said the racers use them? said if he gets a set of 16's in he'd happily swap if i want. might make sense now i've got turbo brakes to fit.

[Keith S]

Richard - 7s & 8s aren't really 'rare' but I do admit that, in the UK at least, 8x15 Fuchs rims are hard to find as they are soughtafter by the rally guys. Porsha-Part had a single 8x15 for sale at Bramham Park for £160. I just bought a second set of refurbished wheels for my car (7x15 and 8x15) and had to pay £700, complete with brand-new unused 205/50 and 225/50 Yokohama A008Rs.

The 205/50x15 tyre looks way too small on the front unless the car is slammed. Likewise the 225/50x15 looks lost in the rear arches. The size was used on two or three cars at Wiscombe hillclimb I was at yesterday but there was still a 3in gaap between tyre and fender lip. On a comp car you can get away with the looks but on a street car, it (IMHO) looks very odd. I'll keep the Yokos for when I hillclimb the car but stay with 195/65s at the front and 215/60s at the back for the street.

The factory used the same size tyres for the 6x15 and 7x15 combo as they did for the 7x15 and 8x15, at least on the Carreras. The stock front tyres were 185/70x15 and the rears 215/60x15. The 185/70s are hard to find and there is little choice these days. 195/65s have virtually the same overall dimensions and are easy to find.

To look right, if you want to run 50-series tyres, you'll really need to go to 16in rims. Hope this helps....

[obrut]

I have 7 and 8 x 15's on my replica 2.7RS Carrera track car with 215s on the front and 225s on the back. (the tread width on the 225 15s is very similar to 245 16s)

[dickster]

appreciate the input.

i have front clearance problems now with the damn speed humps in this country so can't lower further. i think this means the 205/60's seem to be the way to go for me. at least they'll be the same as the rear.

[obrut]

Thought of a few more things
1- my race car is very low and has all guards rolled but the 215s fit easily in the front (using turbo studs and small 15mm? spacers)
2- using smaller 6mm? spacers on the rear with the 225s
3- tyres are Bridgestone RE540S street/track tyres (and are excellent - even leave them on to drive to the track)
4- here's a pic with these wheels on my now departed 88 Carrera (they have now been returned to their rightful place on my race car)

http://www.porscheclub.org.au/images/gallery/March02/neun11.jpg

[dickster]

obrut,

that looks great!

don't wanna roll my fenders though