Why Did Porsche Fit 8" Rears to '89 3.2s ?

[oliver]

SE models had 16x6s & 7s until 1989MY, when the rears were changed to 8s.
OK, they might fill the rear arches more effectively, but are there any benefits?
I always thought the 3.2 drove nicely on 6s&7s, and fitting 8s would just produce more understeer.

 

[Beaky]

I'm moved my 7's to the front and fitted 9's at the rear with 5mm spacer as well, it nicely fills the arches.

I think its a common update - a wider stance with more rubber fitting the ground and I did this as part of a full suspension refurb.

 

[chrishak]

Not quite correct, assuming you're refering to Fuchs sizes.
IIRC, Porsche fitted 7x15 fronts and 8x15 rears then when they went to 16's the fronts shrunk to 6" because (due to production tolerances) they couldn't guarantee tyre clearance. Not sure when this happened, but SC's were certainly on 15's and my '88 911 is definitely on the 16's it wore when it came out of the factory.
One thing I do agree with is that undeesteer is the predominant handling trait - until...
Oh yes, I also know that if you roll the front arches, 7x16's fit just fine. But then 9x16 rears look pretty good as well, so we're back where we started - understeering!
Maybe that's why they made the change.

 

[Beaky]

I think I read in Peter Morgans book that 7 & 8 16's were an option from 1984 and from 1989 6 & 8 16's became the standard.

Add a LSD and you just got to love a bit of understeer.......................

 

[Ray]

From 84: 6J x 16" fronts and 7J X 16" rears for the 3.2 1984 the Turbo Look was 7J x 16" fronts 8J x 16" rears. Tyres were 205/55 and 225/50 VR for both sets of rims, strange.

 

[oliver]

I think I read in Peter Morgans book that 7 & 8 16's were an option from 1984 and from 1989 6 & 8 16's became the standard.
Add a LSD and you just got to love a bit of understeer.......................

Yes, 6s & 8s seemed like an odd combo for 1989. Can't understand the reasoning [&:]

 

[chrishak]

I think I read in Peter Morgans book that 7 & 8 16's were an option from 1984 and from 1989 6 & 8 16's became the standard.

Add a LSD and you just got to love a bit of understeer.......................

Yep, I've got the lot - 6's, 8's and an LSD. Just the ticket for an old duffer who thinks he still had the reactions he had when he was a 19 year old in an Escort Twin Cam...

 

[T911UK]

Yep, always 6" on the front, maybe they had a shed load of 8" left over from the turbo?

 

[Beaky]

I think I read in Peter Morgans book that 7 & 8 16's were an option from 1984 and from 1989 6 & 8 16's became the standard.

Add a LSD and you just got to love a bit of understeer.......................

Yep, I've got the lot - 6's, 8's and an LSD. Just the ticket for an old duffer who thinks he still had the reactions he had when he was a 19 year old in an Escort Twin Cam...

Ditto, and use my zimmer frame to get to the car..............................

 

[chrishak]

I had to lose weight just so I could get out of it without hurting my knees.

I was stuck in it for three weeks...[]

But when all is said and done, 6's & 8's, mega understeer followed by epic oversteer, zimmer-frame or low-fat diet, I love the car to bits, it's a keeper, there isn't a car in the world that I'd swap it for (except a CS - perhaps...) and I'll probably be buried in it!

 

[sesame]

Interesting what T911UK says about Porsche possibly having lots of left over 8" wheels for turbo's available. If this was the case then they would have to use them up as the 964 couldn't fit Fuchs due to ABS. I was thinking, Porsche was beginning the homologation of the N spec tyres around this time and I wonder if using 8" rears had anything to do with that.
Steve

 

[tim court]

I can't believe the factory would produce 4000 8J wheels for 1000 cars then notice 'oh look, we have a load of wheels left over.... Let's stick them on the boggo 3.2...

 

[T911UK]

Maybe the factory, Fuchs, had a minimum order of 4000 units

 

[Beaky]

But when all is said and done, 6's & 8's, mega understeer followed by epic oversteer, zimmer-frame or low-fat diet, I love the car to bits, it's a keeper, there isn't a car in the world that I'd swap it for (except a CS - perhaps...) and I'll probably be buried in it!

Ditto the above but I have 7's and 9's, ...........................

 

[997Mike]

i think Porsche know what they are doing don't you

Mike