GT flares Fuch suggestion AND feeler gauge

[farleyd]

Hi everybody, if only i had had this forum in 87 with my first 914, it wouldnt have caught fire, and it would be in a junk yard...

Now, my first question :
i am about the ad GT Fiberglass flares on my 914. What is the size of the rims i should use to fill the flares considering I am gonna use 1 inche adapter/spacers (4to5 lug?

Second (simple enough):
whre can i get a feeler gauge for valve adjustment.

Thanks to all

[mejulihn]

Uh, oh... the dreaded double post!

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

First of all, let me say that I thoroughly dislike the adaptors. I don't think they're safe enough, even for a street car. Then again, if you've seen the way I drive on the street, you'd understand why I think things that aren't strong enough for autocrossing aren't strong enough for the street...

As for wheels, you can go with anything that you can afford, pretty much. I have heard of people putting up to 10" rims in the back. Maybe more, in some cases. The M471 package from the factory used flares and 6" wide rims, but had to use spacers to move the wheels out to fill the fenders. I think I remember reading that the spacers were 1" wide, but I'm not certain.

EDIT-- Oh, yeah! Forgot the feeler gauge question. Just about any FLAPS (Friendly Local Auto Parts Store) should have feeler gauges. So should Sears. So should any Snap-On truck. So should anywhere that sells tools.

--DD

[This message has been edited by Dave_Darling (edited 10-14-2000).]

[farleyd]

Thanks for reminding the M471 package. Thats what i had in mind.
I could have a good deal on 8in Fuchs, but i think that WITH the 1 inche spacer, that would be too wide, i just mesured.
I am leaning toward 6x16 Fuch with 1 inche adapter with 215/55/16. What do you think?

About the feeler gauge for valve adjustment, where can i find/buy one?

[farleyd]

Excuse me Dave, i didnt see your edit about the feeler gauge. Thanks.

Could it be simplier - instead of using adapters - to simply have the front and rear hubs/rotors drilled to 5-lug? What would be the bad sides of redrilling apart having to redrill every rotor you replace?
I dont want to got the whole 911 front suspension conversion.
Many thanks.

[Jim Smolka]

One bit of advice when installing the flairs.

Be sure to have the rocker panels w/flairs on the ends on the car when determining the location of the fiberglass flairs. Other wise, the location will be off...

IMHO



------------------
Smoke Daddy

[rich]

My car has glass flares. I'm running 15"X8" Fuch's front and rear with 125mm spacers. If you get the wheel and tire combo before installing the flares you can make any nessesary adjustments during installation.

[JTB]

I have GT Racing's GT flares and for the track/autox am running 8's and 9's x 16. I should have gone bigger. I can fit 10's all the way around, but will go with 9's and 10's (maybe on 17 in wheels). I don't use any spacers.

For the street, i am running my old 6 x 15's. These fit on the car before I flared it. They really look stupid. Too damn skinny. But, too many other parts to buy for the track first.


John

[S Schroeder]

Wow!
10's all the way around? My flares are fiberglass and I *might* be able to squeeze a 9" wheel in the rear if I shaved the fender lip and the wheels were offset perfectly. I run 8x15's on all four corners with a 205 and 225/50/15 respectfully. I tried to put a 245 on the rear and didn't have a prayer - it rubbed both on the inside and outside of the wheel well. My wheels are the standard 911 offset. Are your flares wider than the usual GT flares?
Scott S

[This message has been edited by S Schroeder (edited 10-19-2000).]

[farleyd]

I am the one who started the topic. Thanks to all. I am not really trying to put the widest tires within the flares. I am trying to duplicate the M471 package offered by Porsche as the public version of the GT package.
The M471 package consists of:
GT flares
6x15 Fuch 911 early offset
25mm spacers
185/70vr/15 (will be replaced by 215/60/15)

I still think that it is gonna look ok, though not packed, as old pictures of M471 914 show.

Your opinion?

[oredith]

if you're looking for original 6x15 rims for the GT, you might want to check with Todd Launchbach (sp?) he's in san dimas and is liquidating his 914-6 project..

if you need his number, it should be listed in the classified..

Jeff

[JTB]

farleyd -
I think that with spacers, 6x15's will look OK. Since I don't use any, my 6's sit inboard way too far. That is why they look stupid. You also asked about drilling hubs. If you plan on autocrossing, I would not recommend it. Most of the hubs don't have enough metal to be strong enough for high loads. The hubs are relatively thin except for four bosses where they are drilled and tapped. I have heard that some early hubs had bosses for both four and five lug setups, but I don't know for sure. The loads from an autocross or track event, especially with wheel spacers, might cause some cracking. You would not need to drill the rotors though. 914-6 rotors will fit (at least at the rear). I have a set of rear hubs that were drilled, maybe even the rotors as well, if you are still interested in that approach. I used them until I started tracking the car. Email me if you are interested in them.

Scott -
My early 911 6x15's with 205-50's fit before I flared the car and without rolling the fenders. My flares are supposedly the same as the factory flares, i.e. a 2" extension. I am now running 225's at the front and 245's at the rear on 16 inch wheels with the standard 911 offset. The 245's have just over a full inch of clearance split between the inside and outside. Although I wish I had gone wider, the car is faster than I am, so my desire for bigger is just thinking about future purchases.

John