Tires

[Darcy built]

I have a 77 Targa. I inherited the car from my brother. The car has 16" Fuchs rims. The
tires on it rub the fenders so obviously too wide. Is 205 60R 16 the right size for this?
Car has been in storage for 8 yrs and am sorting out some issues. I got the above size
from a photo of a nice 77-911 on BAT. I drove this inherited car too long ago and I can't
wait for spring!! Thank you for your expert input.

[Nditiz1]

I'm rocking 205 55 r16 all around with 6s and 7s. When the 4 cyl was installed it never rubbed. With the 6 cyl in there I got very little rubbing in the rear. Pretty much a tiny strip on the sidewall. Also only when the tire would go up into the fender.

[HarryD]

205/60-16 is a bit tall. 205/55-16 is close the correct diameter.

[darrin]

which tires are rubbing? front or rear? do you know the width of the Fuchs (front and rear)?

[trond]

you could also, if you need smaller tires use Bridgestone 205/55 S-02 N3s. Measure about 1/2'' narrower than others and fixed my rubbing issue. Also a great tire for old 911s. My preference

[Darcy built]

The car has 205-55 r16s on it. It looks like the front only rubbed. Not sure of the rim
width although my assumption is they are the same front and back given the same tire
size?? I'll see if I can fiqure the rim width. The left front tire looks a lot worse than the right front. Perhaps the suspension was weaker on the left front.Appreciate all the input!

[pampadori]

my lowered 83 targa has 205-55 and 225-50 on 16" fuchs. No rubbing for me.
Drivers's front has that washer tank and the fuel expansion tank in the inner fender infront of the tire. If not fitted correctly, i could see you rubbing those.

And if you're like 475 lbs, (no judgement here) but it might could contribute too.

[darrin]

Originally Posted by Darcy built

The car has 205-55 r16s on it. It looks like the front only rubbed. Not sure of the rim
width although my assumption is they are the same front and back given the same tire
size?? I'll see if I can fiqure the rim width. The left front tire looks a lot worse than the right front. Perhaps the suspension was weaker on the left front.Appreciate all the input!

thanks for the follow-up -- suspect you'll find that you're running 16x7 Fuchs up front (and likely on the rears) -- stock 16" front Fuchs size for narrow-bodied cars is 16x6 and since 16x7 Fuchs push the tires out a bit further, some folks (me included) have experienced (and resolved) rubbing problems with 16x7 Fuchs up front.

Fortunately, a good # of solutions -- first, what specific tire model are you currently using? Some tires run wider than others (e.g. I've had good luck with Michelin pilot as3+ -- and Trond recommened Bridgestone so2 -- but I found continental extreme contact dw tires to be a fair bit wider) -- second, your front fenders have inner lips to them. The rubbing is generally exacerbated by the lips being pulled out/down by initial rubbing, but can be alleviated by rolling the inner fender lip in/up to give the tires a bit more room -- have your front fender lips been pulled down/out or are they rolled up/in? rolling the fender lips can frequently solve this issue. Finally, if all else fails, alignment "tweaks" can also help alleviate this as well.

[75 911s]

205/55 looks great all around on the narrow body midyears.

I ran 205/50 on 16X7 for a long time. Front left would rub occasionally > I ended up rolling the top a bit.

[Darcy built]

All great points! My brother was a big guy so perhaps that was a contributing factor in the tire rub.
Car has 16x7's on all 4 corners. Thanks so much! Love the white 911 above.

[darrin]

if car's properly set up (aligned/fenders rolled, etc.) , shouldn't rub regardless of load