Tires for 6 & 7 x 16

redstack · redstack's Garage

I"m Looking at the nice set of 16 x 6&7 for sale on the used parts. They would be for my 84 RoW Carrera. Can anyone give me a hint of what width tires you could run on the these?

I would figure that the max for the 6 would be a 195 or so, but they do have 205's on them I guess. Is this normal for a Fuch?

The 7 I would normally run a 205 on and maybe a 225 on. All these in the 50-45 aspect ratio.

Can anyone offer any guidance on this issue?

fasterlaster · fasterlaster's Garage

Some of the decision depend on your body. I have a 74 with regular flares and when I moved to 16x6/7 I had to shop around for the proper clearance. I have a set of Dunlop 205/50 front 215/50 rear that really look good on those rims.

Tidybuoy · 09-20-2013, 01:12 PM

It depends on the year of your car.

I have a '74 narrow body and so I am limited. I'm currently running 205/50/16 front and rear. I cannot get any wider on the rear (unless you have 951 8x16 Fuchs which have a different offset).

I believe the standard size for SC and Carrera with 16's is 205/50/16 Front and 225/50/16

I previously ran 195/55/16 on the front and I liked the look and handling. But with my most recent tire purchase, I couldn't find 195's in the tire that I wanted so I went with 205's all the way around.

nineball · 09-20-2013, 03:13 PM

i run 205/55 & 225/50 and on my 6&7 x 16 fuchs i have no issues at all. when i got a set of 7&8 x 16 msw ceres wheels i could no longer run the 205/55 in the front at the track without rubbing on 3 corners at mid-ohio, and that was with the fender lips rolled and the exact same tires switched over. it was ok for street driving but not the track.

redstack · redstack's Garage

So that's part of the Magic of Fuchs, you can run wider tires on the narrow rims and still not have any issues with rubbing.
Cool to know.

cabmandone · cabmandone's Garage

I've got he same setup as 9ball. Those are the sizes the sticker under my hood says are stock.

nineball · 09-20-2013, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redstack

So that's part of the Magic of Fuchs, you can run wider tires on the narrow rims and still not have any issues with rubbing.
Cool to know.

i think it had more to do with the 6 vs 7 wheel width, but i like your style of thinking better so i am going to go with it.

Arne2 · Arne2's Garage

Factory sizes for an '84 with the optional 16" Fuchs (6 & 7) were 205/55-16 and 225/50-16. Same for US and RoW. Those sizes fit perfectly.

redstack · redstack's Garage

OK so the next thing is back to tire rack to see what tires are available in those sizes.

javadog · 09-20-2013, 06:23 PM

Buy Bridgestone RE-11's.

JR

Arne2 · Arne2's Garage

If you can get by with a Summer-only tire, the RE-11 (or the newer RE-11A) is hard to beat.

If you need a tire that is more tolerant of colder weather, the brand new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 seems to be the ticket, according to all the tests and reviews. I will probably get a set of the Michelins next Spring.

redstack · redstack's Garage

OK so Dunlap Direzzas are a reasonable tire I think, seems like they did well in the last Grassroots tire test.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?&autoModel=911+Carrera+Coupe&tireMake=Dunlop&i3_Qty=2&frontTire=055VR6Z2&autoMake=Porsche&autoYear=1984&rearTire=25VR6Z2&vehicleSearch=true&i1_Qty=2&autoModClar=&tireModel=Direzza+ZII

But wouldn't it be better to go with a lower profile if possible? Is a lower ratio tire going to fit differently? I mean for driving not looks.

Rather than the 55 and 50 they have the 205 50 and 225 45.

Arne2 · Arne2's Garage

Changes your gearing, bigger fender gap, less road clearance.

Arne2 · Arne2's Garage

Smaller sizes need higher pressures to support the load as well, so worse ride quality.

redstack · redstack's Garage

Right, I was thinking that for autox and such that the lower gearing would be better anyway. I"m thinking of strictly driving aspects, not ride comfort or looks.

So it could be done then with out rubbing on anything? I noticed that on some of the fitment guides it looked like the lower aspect would be a tighter fit.
I've been going crazy trying to figure out the fitment guides. So much scrolling back and forth is making me batty.

17's for DD and looks, and 16's on fuchs for autox and DE

redstack · redstack's Garage

Right, I was thinking that for autox and such that the lower gearing would be better anyway. I"m thinking of strictly driving aspects, not ride comfort or looks.

So it could be done then with out rubbing on anything? I noticed that on some of the fitment guides it looked like the lower aspect would be a tighter fit.
I've been going crazy trying to figure out the fitment guides. So much scrolling back and forth is making me batty.

17's for DD and looks, and 16's on fuchs for autox and DE

kjchristopher · kjchristopher's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by redstack

Right, I was thinking that for autox and such that the lower gearing would be better anyway. I"m thinking of strictly driving aspects, not ride comfort or looks.

So it could be done then with out rubbing on anything? I noticed that on some of the fitment guides it looked like the lower aspect would be a tighter fit.
I've been going crazy trying to figure out the fitment guides. So much scrolling back and forth is making me batty.

17's for DD and looks, and 16's on fuchs for autox and DE

For purely autox performance, I would go with a narrower tire. The 225 looks great on the 7" wheel, but a 195 or 205 will generally perform better. About the only DOT tire (at least in recent history) that tolerates under-rimming would be the A6.

I'm currently running 225s on my SC (7" on all corners) and am considering 205s for the next set. That said, the SC isn't my autocross car. Just daily driver and fun cruiser. But I tend to prefer precision even in that scenario. Which is why I need to get off the sofa now and get started on the rebel racing rear bushing install....

Tidybuoy · 09-21-2013, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tidybuoy

I'm currently running 205/50/16 front and rear.

I stand corrected, my fronts are 205/55/16

nineball · 09-21-2013, 10:29 AM

i picked up a set of hankook ventus rs3 for the track and absolutely love them, and i can drive to the track on them. from what i was able to find they are the closest thing to an r compound that you can still use on the street. the only bad thing i could fin is that they are not for use at 40F and below, but in nw fl i don't think that should be a problem for you.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hankook&tireModel=Ventus+R-S3&frontTire=055WR6Z222&rearTire=25WR6Z222140&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

redstack · redstack's Garage

Interesting the idea of using skinnier tires for autox, I always was searching for the fattest tires I could fit under my car.

I think any of the modern "extreme summer" tires are going to be good enough to match my driving skills. I'm just glad that I can find some of them in the sizes we need for 16" rims.

So tell me, the idea of staggered front to back sizes to help offset the oversteer concern, how much should I pay attention to that idea?