944S2 Wheels - Please advise

[WillJ]

Hi,

I'm thinking of changing the wheels on my 944 S2. What are the limiting factors. It currently has 16" 205 on the front and 225's on the back.

Can I put 17" from a 968 ( I think).

is there a maximum width and diameter i can use. Is the overall diameter inc. tyres the same for 16" and 17" (the reason I ask is, will the speedo be affected?)

Thanks

Will

 

[Eldavo]

There is lots of info on wheels in the faqs section, I found it very useful when changing my wheels. If you go to 17 inch wheels you will have to go for lower profile tyres to keep the rolling radius the same so as not to muck up the speedo. You'll also need to go to 968 castor mounts ideally too.

 

[edh]

..and of course it won't drive as nicely with 17's.

If you want to make it look good, then Cup 1's or 2's are your best bet.

 

[Neil Haughey]

Generally accepted that the best grip combination will see 8" wide rims and 8" or 8+" rims on the back with 245 tyres allround. In any case 16" diameter rims seem to work better then 17" rims on these cars. Whatever you do the limiting factors will be how much grip you can get out of the front end wether its due to brakes (which may require 17" rims if fitting monsters like 928 GTS setup), or getting into the corners. Turbos and 968s are a bit different but really the S2 doesn't have enough power to need mega wide rear tyres, if anything the extra drag will slow you down. Big wheels are also heavy which has a detrimental effect on the steering, something modern car designers seem to have sacrificed in favour of other goals.

 

[WillJ]

Thanks for the advice - I'll have a look at c1 and c2's before changing then...

 

[Suffolk944]

Yes it will handle better on 16" wheels but look better on 17" (imo). A choice between Poise and Pose !

+1 for Cup 1's if you do go down the 17" route.

 

[WillJ]

I've had a look at the FAQ but it doesn't have pictures of all the wheels I'm considering. Does anyone have any links to pictures of C1 and C2's? or to an archive of Porsche wheels.

The wheels I'm looking at buying are in the picture below.

One the left that are from a Boxster and are Front: 7 x 17 ET55 Rear: 8.5 x 17 ET50. I'm not sure what the others are. Maybe they are C1 or C2's?

Also, if I do go to 17's any idea how much it would cost to change to 968 caster mounts? Is this a big job?

Thanks

Will

 

[944Turbo]

I think (well on a turbo anyway) they handle better on 17" but ride better on 16". The 968 Club sport had seventeens and that didn't get bad press. Other models will have softer damping and I have no experience of these on bigger wheels.


And they look like boxster twists? with 16" cup 1 on the right

http://www.jasmine-motorsport.co.uk/wheels/944/944standard.htm has various designs


Tony

 

[beeRS]

Hi Will,

I have trial fitted 17" wheels on mine with the following spec;

Front: 7.5"x17" (ET52mm) 225/45 R17 tyres
Rear: 9"x17" (ET47mm) 255/40 R17 tyres

This is on a Lux, with ordinary 944 castor mounts. There's no clearance problems at all [] - still works on full lock and hard cornering. At the rear the ET47mm's use up all the available arch space perfectly. Based on this I would say you would have no problems with the Boxster alloys you have suggested.

As I said, I have only trial fitted this size and I have not yet made up my mind whether to fit the permanantly or not. Definately look great (compared to my 15" Teledials) though.

Whether I fit them or not I will definately be fitting the 968 castor mounts - this seems like a relatively simple DIY job!

 

[edh]

try here

http://www.wheelenhancement.com/index.php?t=Wheels

 

[Eldavo]

968 castor mounts are just shy of £40 each plus the vat and aren't difficult to do although you will need an alignment afterwards so budget for this too.

 

[WillJ]

If I put on the C1 / C2's that are still 16" do I need to do the castor mounts? Or is it a straight swap. The car isn't really going to be thrashed or raced and I'm on a budget so if I can get away with it without any risk or harm I would like to.

Cheers

 

[Eldavo]

You don't need to do it, I'm on 16s and am going to do it as well as rebush the front end to get rid of slop too. I get a steering wheel vibration at 70 ish mph and this could be attributed to a worn castor bush too.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

ORIGINAL: WillJ

If I put on the C1 / C2's that are still 16" do I need to do the castor mounts? Or is it a straight swap. The car isn't really going to be thrashed or raced and I'm on a budget so if I can get away with it without any risk or harm I would like to.

Cheers

Replacing the castor mounts and having a proper alignment done will transform the handling of most 944s. I'd spend the money, if your budget is limited, on this before even thinking about forking out for cosmetic things like new wheels and tyres. JMHO!

 

[ChasR]

I fitted 968 Castor mounts to my 944 recently. If I am being honest, it didn't make a massive difference to the tramlining like some said. It may steer a little sharper but not by loads.

They didn't take long to change at all. 20 minutes a side, and that included getting the wheel on an off.

Geometry check will be the next thing to do on my list.


According to a few sites, they reckon the Boxster/996 Carrera 2 wheels weigh around the same as the ClubSport wheels, and are possibly lighter than the original D90s

 

[Diver944]

This site has pics of all the Porsche wheels and most of their respective weights too:

http://www.944racing.de/reload.php?urltogo=http://www.944racing.de/felgengewichte.html

Click on 'felgengewichte' in the bottom left corner and then 'this site in English'

I have three sets of the 17" Boxster Twist wheels and just love em (called 996 Carrera 2 by this site) and they are actually lighter than the same width D90's too []

 

[Frenchy]

Cup 1 IMO look great on 944, i fitted 968 castor mounts and the difference did not jump out at me.
Just had the 16" turbo teledials re finished and fitted to my 220 turbo and it drives lovely looks quite retro too, i am going to run on them for a while, it went down to the bodyshop today for some minor paint to make lovely again, a couple of oil leaks to sort and a service and a few little jobs and it will be in minty status !

Tha later cup 2 wheelsdo not look period in my book ?

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: pauljmcnulty
Replacing the castor mounts and having a proper alignment done will transform the handling of most 944s. I'd spend the money, if your budget is limited, on this before even thinking about forking out for cosmetic things like new wheels and tyres. JMHO!

McNulters is on the money. You can see why they made him the PCGB WorldWide Expert On All Things 944. Fitting the 968 castor mounts on my S2 (on standard D90's) transformed it, and was worth every penny.

Others are saying that fitting them to their cars didn't make such a difference; maybe mine were further gone than others, but it remains the best mod I have done to my S2, bar none.


Oli.

 

[ChasR]

Whilst the Cup 2s and Carrera Twists are not period, IMO they do compliment the car, and in a good way help lift up the age of the car. Whilst I like the Cup 1s alot I still reckon the Cup 2s suit the 944s with the most, in addition to the Carrera Twists.

It's a shame I'm considering Forged Club Sports, maybe I'll put that money towards dampers instead.

 

[Suffolk944]

Cup 1 's are my favourite as above (plus a shameless chance to post a pic of my car ! [])

968 Castor mounts are particularly useful if you do go for a larger than standard wheel size.