944 turbo widest 18 inch wheel size

[Absolutecarrera]

What is the widest 18' wheel size that can go on an 87 944 turbo ... i.e 18x? front and 18x? rear ??

[azbanks]

I have fit 295/30 tires on 18" X 11" rims on the back of a 1990 944 S2 which has the same suspension offset as the 87 944 turbo.
The wheel offset is a critical factor in getting them to fit.
You may get some rubbing on the fender and/or the inside wheel housing. Expect a slightly different fit from left to right.
I know some guys have fit 18 X 10 wheels in the front but I don't know the tire sizes or wheel offset they are running.

[Stoneguy]

My wheel setup is as follows:
Front 18x8 ET50 + 7mm spacer = 57 front offset
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S 225/40 ZR18

Rear 18x10 ET47 + 7mm spacer = 54 offset
Pilot Sport 4 S 275/35 ZR18

I have the Brembo 4 piston Porsche calipers and the car is slightly lowered.

Good clearances all around. No scraping or hitting anything front or rear.
My 944 is an 86.

[70tangerine]

I am in process of doing a set of 8.5 x 17" Front and 10x 17" rear on my 1987 I did not want to take a chance on rubbing so stayed away from the 18s and I did want a good sidewall to help with some bad roads and potholes. These will fill in the wheels well pretty nice. My car is a Turbo Cup from 1987.

[Absolutecarrera]

Thank you everyone for the input/advice

***azbanks. what offset are you running on the rear? I'll be using 18" as well.. I have a set of kinesis centers and will be getting the inner/outer barrels soon for my car... you mentioned a slightly different fitment from left to right ? is that rear or front ? or both ?

[azbanks]

I am running :
235/40 ZR 18 X 8 50et front
and
295/30 ZR 18 X 11 45et back

I had to do some SERIOUS fender rolling/flaring to get the backs to fit.
Most people will tell you that you can't fit that size/et on a late offset. You can, it just takes a lot of work. In my case I will have to fix the paint after doing the work. My car needed a repaint anyway so it wasn't a concern.
Since you are getting the barrels, I would shift the offset in to reduce the amount of fender rolling you need to do.
The different fitment is in the rear and varies from car to car. I had the same wheels on my old 86 turbo and they fit fine. On my 90 S2, I had to take a 5 pound hammer to the inner wheel well to make some space so they don't rub on the inside and roll the heck out of the fender so they don't rub on the outside.

[Absolutecarrera]

**azbanks, thanks for the photo's of the fenders.. my car also needs a repaint and I've already rolled/bashed/talked sweet and said a lot of swear words to get them where they are now.. not pretty! lol. I'm doing a mild " I say mild but I know I'll do this/that and all the other stuff" restoration motor/trans build on the my 87 951

[walfreyydo]

How wide you can go completely depends on the offset spacing... a 10" wide wheel at 56et has different clearance than a 10" wheel at 23et spacing. What et spacing you will use depends on how far in or out you want the wheel to sit relative to the fender

[Absolutecarrera]

I'm looking for the wheels F/R to fit nice, tight in the wheel well/fender .. no real gap at all with a nice lip, On the F/R outer barrels of the wheel... 3" on the rear 2" on the front

[Stoneguy]

Absolut,
This is a visual of the setup I listed previously

[Absolutecarrera]

***Stoneguy, Looks fantastic ! appreciate the photo you added to get the visual .. beautiful 944 you've got

[Stoneguy]

Thanks,
I've had it since 1987.
The low profile tires look nice but I do sacrifice a little ride comfort.
Not much of a sidewall cushion on a 35 series tire.
I just cruise around in the summer anyway. Just a fun car.

[Racerbvd]

With the 968 dead, these will be available.