86' 951 phone dials onto 86' 944 na

[Lino Landeros]

I have just swapped out the stock 15" x 7" phone dials on my 84' 944 na for a set of the larger 16" phone dials from an 86' 951.

My question is if there are any adjustments which need to be made to the alignment settings (cast, camber, etc.) when doing this swap? The steering with these tires feels a little "funny". It felt better with the stock 15" phone dials. I should mention that the 16" wheels are straight and I just had the tires balanced. One other thing I should point out is that the tires are worn down to the point where they need replacing very soon, could this be a cause for the "funny" steering feel.

Any info. would be appreciated

[Pilot_951S]

Shouldn't be any beed for an alignment change.

The funny feeling you feel is probably due to the shorter stiffer sidewall of the 16" wheel/tire combo. it is goign to respond much more quickly than the 15" setup, the car will feel twitchy until you get used to it. Also rememebr the 16" wheel/tire package requires different air pressures than the 15"

16" wheels with 205/55/16 front 225/50/16 rear pressure should be 36psi front and rear.

The 15" setup is supposed to be 29 front 36 rear.

Also if the tires are really worn they are probably past their useful life and are going to be fairly slippery, this is due to the tire becoming harder with time and heat (can't stop vulcanization).

[This message has been edited by Pilot_951S (edited 04-27-2000).]

[Lino Landeros]

Pilot_951S,

Thanx for the info. Twitchy is exactly the word I was looking for. I'll drive it like that for a couple of days and see if I get more used to it.

[Oi-Punx]

Pilot is right, you should not need an alignment. I very recently went from 15" cookies to 16" fuchs on my early 944 and immediately noticed the steering was more responsive, and felt "ligher". Give it a couple days...you will love the difference. Oh yeah...get some new rubber on those wheels ASAP.