More Wheels

[jsb944]

So do I have this right? My 84 NA has 23.3mm offset wheels....same as all 944 NA's thru 1986.....after that they are something like 52mm offset...so when I look for phone dials I need 15" wheels with a 23.3mm offset eg: from an 86 or older car?

[cduke]

That's the way I understand it. The only factory 16" wheels with our offset were the 86 turbo wheels. Good luck!

CD

[jsb944]

Just makes it more of a challange when shopping on ebay!

thanks for the confirm! Happy Holidays!!!

[diannone]

or use spacers

[cduke]

I'm kinda wary about spacers. Any of you using them? It seems like $400 or so extra to spend on something that's not as strong as the stock setup. Am I wrong?

CD

[diannone]

youd be surprised how many porsches use spacers, their concentric so they fit the hubs and wheels, dont get the cheap ones that arent.

[jsb944]

If I was going to use spacers to allow me to run with newer phone dials (with the 52mm offset) where would I find the spacers ....eg: who sells them , and also how do I know what to get? Is as simple as "I need 29mm spacers because my car is set up for 23mm offset and I have 52mm offset wheels"????

[jsb944]

Now I am more confused!

Went to the Performance Products site to lookup/lookat spacers......I see that they vary in both price and style....some are steel...some are aluminum...some require longer studs and some do not. Also still not sure what size I'd need....(52-23=29 but I see alot of 25mm spacers????)?

[shlim]

Joe,

I bought the H&R spacers from Performance Products (the ones with that you bolt on to the original studs and has another set of studs coming out from them) and have been using them for a couple of months now. Made 2 major trips up north (800km each) and lots of spirited drive through rough, single lane roads with pot holes and uneven road.

If you can get the rims with the right offsets, that's best. But if you're like me, unable to find a proper set of 23.3mm offset but still want to use 16" rims then spacers is the easiest choice. The spacers do not degrade the performance noticably (seat of the pants testing) but I'm not sure if there is any long term effects on the suspension components. I did find the steering heavier but I'm not sure if it's due to the spacers or the new rubbers. I've now got Bridgestone Potenza S-03 tires, which is a vast difference from the crappy low rolling resistance ContiEco-contacts that the previous owner put on the car.

But overall, I found the H&R spacers well made and reasonably light. Lighter is always better (if it's strong that is..) especially on the unsprung portion of the car.

BTW, check the width of the rims carefully - I ended up with a set of Carrera (design 90 from a 964) rims that was only 6" upfront, 8" back. Looks like a number of the earlier 911 standard rims are 6" upfront. As a consequence, I've got bigger spacers upfront (not ideal !) to compensate. I would have preferred 7" upfront.

shlim
85.5 944

[drew1]

Early 944 come with a spacer on the rear wheels.

drew1