Will 16X9s fit an 83?

[Speedo959]

Wheels are reproduction 16X9 Fuchs with 5 1/2 in of backspace. I want to put them in back. Also what size tire should I use? I am new to the 944 scene...well being active anyways. I have owned this one for about two years. It has been sitting the whole time. I had to replace the front drivers side lower A arm and strut. My grandpa was the previous owner who decided to take it off a small cliff. So it is now mine since he doesn't drive anymore. I'm looking forward to getting this thing going and hopefully getting some track time down at Buttonwillow.

[Speedo959]

Here is a trial fit.

[Speedo959]

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[CJFusco]

Hmmm. I know that 16X8 will fit in the rear. 16X9 might be pushing it a little... but someone else might have better knowledge... in any case, the wheels look great

[AA_Ezra]

What do the numbers say on the wheel 16x9j et?. At any rate those wheels look pretty clean. WHere did you get um they look brand new. You can do up to 10's back according to performance products who sells them that size for early offset style cars.

Do you still have the spacer in the rear on? I have them on my 83 and it helps push the wheels out a lil more, I guess you could remove it or put a smaller one if it look's a lil to wide.

Discount tire show's that fora 16" tire you can use but i think it's going off of a wheel that is 7-8" wide atleast it get's you close. But i'm sure dantilla will know if he read's this

Plus One
205/55-16
225/50-16

[tifosiman]

Your 83 should have a factory supplied spacer on the rear on each side. You'll need to remove it, then they will fit perfectly with about 1/2" of tire clearance to the outside fender lip at the 10 and 2 oclock positions with a 245 tire.

I have 16X9 fuchs on the rear of my car occasionally and they fit perfect.

[tifosiman]

Here is a shot of my car with the 16X9 on the rear, so that you can see the clearance and look with the spacer removed from your 83:

[Speedo959]

Cool, thanks for all the replys.
Yes it does still have the factory spacers on back. I took them off and tried that too. The only problem I could see was that after the spacer was removed the studs were too long and were not threaded all the way down.
Did you have to change out the studs?

AA_Ezra they were given to me by a friend here in town. The other wheel is kinda messed up. They were chromed at one time and it is now peeling off. I am thinking about blasting them and powder coating them black.

One more thing, I have my choice between 16x7 or 16x8 to go in front. What do you guys think?

[tifosiman]

Originally posted by Speedo959
Cool, thanks for all the replys.
Yes it does still have the factory spacers on back. I took them off and tried that too. The only problem I could see was that after the spacer was removed the studs were too long and were not threaded all the way down.
Did you have to change out the studs?

AA_Ezra they were given to me by a friend here in town. The other wheel is kinda messed up. They were chromed at one time and it is now peeling off. I am thinking about blasting them and powder coating them black.

One more thing, I have my choice between 16x7 or 16x8 to go in front. What do you guys think?

I didn't have to change the studs because mine is an 85.5 and for that year they dropped the spacer (for some unknown reason) and went with shorter studs. However, I have seen this done on another early car (16X9's without the spacer) and the threads on the studs were enough, but the user had to use open-ended lugnuts verses the closed-end factory alu ones.

In regards to fronts, I have 8's on mine with 225's on them. I think with 7's and 205's on the front the size deparity is too great and would only exaggerate the 944 tendancy to understeer in stock format. It's true you can cram 225's onto a 7" wheel, but I think there is too much sidewall buldge and the best option is the 225 on an 8.

Hope that makes sense!

If you decide you don't want the 9's or don't want to mess with refinishing them, I know someone local to me that would take them off your hands.

[Dantilla]

I have had 255's on 9.5" wheels on the rear of my 944 with no problems whatsoever. The car really looks great with wide tires in back.

That being said, you should know that a 944 is much more fun to drive with the same size tires front and rear. Going wider in back induces understeer. The car feels so much more "tossable", more nimble when the rear is not planted so firmly. What makes a 944 so enjoyable to drive is the wonderfully balanced chassis. Putting huge rubber on one end upsets that balance.

I race with 225's on 7" rims all the way around. The car looks great with 255's, but they are used only for getting the car on and off the trailer. Better ground clearace than low-profile Hoosiers.

If you can swing it, go with the 16X9's for when the car is sitting in front of Starbucks looking good, and go get a cheap set of 15x7 Cookie Cutters for track duty.

[Speedo959]

Originally posted by Dantilla


If you can swing it, go with the 16X9's for when the car is sitting in front of Starbucks looking good, and go get a cheap set of 15x7 Cookie Cutters for track duty.

Are you watching me? My wife works at Starbucks and yeah it would be sitting in front. LOL That is hilarious. I even day dreamed of what it would look like sitting at her work with the wheels. Man I must need a life. .

That's good to know about the balance. I think what I will do then is drive it around with the cookie cutters and get to know the car. I can go ahead with the 9s later and if I don't like them, I can use them for what I originally got them for..... my 914 project.

[tifosiman]

I don't agree regarding tire size and balance. My car handles great with 225's and 245's, and that is a very common tire combo for these cars. I'm fairly certain that the TurboS cars came with this combo from the factory, and no one complains about the way they handle/drive.

[Dantilla]

Turbos came with 205/225 tires. I autocrossed one for quite a while that way. Wanna make it more fun? Go with 225's all the way around!

A friend who autocrosses the S2 I used to own just stepped from 225/245 to 245/245.

The factory sets the car up for mild understeer. All new cars come that way, as it is safer for the average (poor) driver if things get out of hand.

The Porsche factory also matches springs, shocks sways, yada yada to the tires. The later cars were designed to go a step wider in the rear, while the early cars came with the same tire all the way around.

On early cars, the standard wheels were 7" Cookie Cutters. The optional Fuchs were 7 & 8, but still had 215/60/15 tires both front and rear.

For average street driving there may not be a big difference in 10 or 20 mm difference, but it sure shows up on the track. And going all the way to 255 in the rear is a gross mis-match if you keep the stock 205 or 215 in front.

Of course, all this assumes a stock suspension. If you want to start swapping suspension components, you can set the car up for neutral handling with 205 front and 275 rears. But that would not make it a fast car. You simply have to reduce traction in the rear so the wide tires do not overpower the skinny fronts.

So, yes, 225 and 245 can be a fun setup on a 944. But that does not prove that wider is always better.

[tifosiman]

I think we are basically in agreement, but my point was in reference to the TurboS, not just the Turbo. The TurboS did indeed have 225/245 tires from the factory.

[Dantilla]

Correct. As did the S2. The 951 I used to own was an '86. It originally came with the 205/225 combo.

Another friend is being very competative with his 1986 951 running 245's all the way around.

It's nice that there is enough room to play with different combinations. The early 911s are very limited on what you can do without modifying the body. I can cram 275's in the rear of my 911, but only because of the fender flares that were welded on.

[Brando]

Funny, my '88 has 205/60/15s all around. No wonder the steering feels soggy with that much sidewall.

Soon to come: 17x7.5"s with 225/45s and 17x8.5" with 235/45s.