18 inch wheels

[lawrencequinn]

Does anyone know if you can put 18 inch wheels from a 996 onto a 1989 944 Turbo or are they just too big for the arches.

 

[Melv]

I think you can, but INMVHO they make it look like a Matchbox car.....

 

[Diver944]

Yes, but make sure your rear arch lips are rolled, and it may be best to stick to a 265 rear tyre as opposed to a 285. Even then you may have to put a bit extra negative camber on the rear wheels so they 'lean' in at the top.

 

[Guest]

The 18x10's on mine are a very tight fit. IIRC, the 996's are 11" wide, so I really think you'd struggle getting them in.

 

[Fen]

Depends on the offset. the 10x18's I have on mine are a close fit on the outside but I think there is a bit of clearance on the inside.

For what it's worth I wouldn't bother them again if I had the choice now, but nowadays I guess I care less about looks than performance on what is an old car than I did when I bought them.

 

[Mikie_gb]

I have 10" on the back and 9's on the front. My rear arches were partially rolled both front and back as standard. This was not enough and the 285's connected the lips. Changing to 265's as suggested by Fen is far better. I still have very mild contact on the passenger side on really hard accelaration with two people with the tank over half full.

The one other problem I have had is that the grip is way more than the standard set up, and the shocks are now being highlighted as inadequate. (they are probably the originals which puts them at 17 years old).

 

[John Sims]

INMVHO they make it look like a Matchbox car...

NOT!!!! [] It is one of the quickest ways to bring the 944 right up to date.

Bigger wheels with thinner rubber will, without doubt, change the handeling charicteristics of the car (something Porsche will have spent a lot of time on with the original wheels) so you will have to expect to change other ellements of the suspension in order to get the bigger rubber working properly.

 

[Mikie_gb]

I haven't made up my mind as yet as to if they are ott or not. My one friend says it looks like a tonka toy and IMO may look better if it was an inch lower all round. It has turned the car into a burberry baseball cap magnet which is a worry....