964 wheels

[roofbolter]

Thinking about what size wheels to get for my 90 C4, wanted to see what all of you are running. Wheel and tire size.

thanks Steve

[Bill Verburg]

W/ a C4 you need to have a very close match between f/r. Factory used
205/55x16 & 225/50x16, 0% delta in tire heights
or
205/55x16 & 245/45x16, ~1% delta in tire heights
or
205/50x17 & 255/40x17, < 1% delta in tire heights

[Dan (almaden)]

On my newly acquired C2 I have 993 cup wheels in 7x17 in front and 9x17 in the rear. ON the rear I have 1/2" spacers. they look very nice.

currently has 205 50s and 255 40s

will be switching to 225 45s on the front and 255 40s on the rear

[911JC911]

I had the Cup 1's on the car but switched to the 996 10 spoke wheel. I decided to stay with the 17" rim.

[roofbolter]

Can I run 18" wheels?

Steve

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by roofbolter

Can I run 18" wheels?

Steve

18s were never approved for 964 by the factory, but lots of people do use them anyway.

The same caution about using tires w/ diameters that are very close f/r applies
993 C4 used any of the following
225/40 & 265/35 x18
225/40 & 285/30 x18

additionally a steering rack brace(standard on 993) is a recommended addition for 964 w/ 18s(it would be a good idea w/ 17s too)

[roofbolter]

How would the drive-ability of the car be affected with 17's or 18's? Better or worse compared to the stock 16". Pictures above show 10 spoke black wheels are they 17's, Look good to me.

Steve

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by roofbolter

How would the drive-ability of the car be affected with 17's or 18's? Better or worse compared to the stock 16". Pictures above show 10 spoke black wheels are they 17's, Look good to me.

Steve

As long as the tire heights don't get too big drivability will be unaffected. All of the listed factory spec'd tires are ~25", the 18s are a tad taller than that and will adversely affect gearing a little bit

[911JC911]

Originally Posted by roofbolter

How would the drive-ability of the car be affected with 17's or 18's? Better or worse compared to the stock 16". Pictures above show 10 spoke black wheels are they 17's, Look good to me.

Steve

Yup...17's.

[roofbolter]

If I were to buy 8" and 10" X 18's, what offsets would I need to avoid using spacers

thanks Steve

[Bill Verburg]

8 should be ~ 50 - 52
10 will be tight but ~ 45 - 50 seems to be what most 964 owners are using

[douglas751]

16" by-far drive better and make the car feel quicker and more fun. 17" will be more stable around corners and offer more ultimate grip. 18" are overkill but if you want cool looking BBS wheels, then you must get 18". I have tried them all on two different 964 coupes, one a C4, the other a C2, both with stock and then modified suspensions. In all cases, the 16" ended up being the best in my opinion. 17" and 18" both tramline like crazy and are hell to drive on less than perfect roads.

I always used the top of the line Michelin Pilot tires for the 17" and 18" and have Bridgestone S01 in 16" since Michelin does not make a set of good tires for 16" 964 sizes.

D-90's are my choice of wheel, a bit plain but strong and not offensive in any way.

[voodoo964]

I've been using 16" for the last 2.5 years. I just picked up a set of 8x18 10x18 Classic II's They look much nicer in person but there is a noticable difference in drivability. it feels alot harder, doesnt accelerate as quickly.

so i guess its a balance between look and feel

front are 225/40/18
rear are 265/35/18

i reckon i could get away with another 5mil front and back, may soften up the ride a bit.

Before:


After:


BTW thanks Bill for the spacer advice - you got it exactly right!
wheel offset 65 with 18mil spacer

[craig001]

I have a set of 17" 993 2 piece Targa wheels by Speedline on my Targa. Personally I really like the look of the wheels. Think about lowering your car some as well.

[voodoo964]

whats springs would you recommend?

will there be a difference in ride?

thanks

[911JC911]

Lowering and changing out to stiffer springs will affect ride. Handling will improve a bit but ride suffers. But these 911's aren't luxury cars known for their ride and plushness.

[roofbolter]

Hate to keep asking stupid questions but there are a set of wheels on ebay off a 944, 8" X 18" front and back with 48 offsets. Anybody know if they will work?

thanks
90 C4

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by roofbolter

Hate to keep asking stupid questions but there are a set of wheels on ebay off a 944, 8" X 18" front and back with 48 offsets. Anybody know if they will work?

thanks
90 C4

JMO, but you want staggered wheel widths, 7 - 8" front and 9 - 10" rear

[Imcoz]

Good info here, great thread. I'm looking for Cup 1 (911JC911's wheels pictured above). What sizes are optimal for my 92? These wheels seem hard to come by, but I see some for sale off of turbos... I assume they will not fit a narrow body car.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by Imcoz

Good info here, great thread. I'm looking for Cup 1 (911JC911's wheels pictured above). What sizes are optimal for my 92? These wheels seem hard to come by, but I see some for sale off of turbos... I assume they will not fit a narrow body car.

Depends on how you use the car and how much fiddling you are willing to do

stock 7x17 ET55, 7.5x17 ET55 are easy, 8x17 ET52 & 8x18 ET52 are also easy though not stock

in back stock 9x17 ET55 is easy, 9.5 ET 68 w/ spacers is a little work and 10x18 ET 47 a little more work