Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Okeey dokeey here goes , I still want different wheels for my 944 Turbo that is not in doubt. However having been caught out already with lovely wheels that did fit a 'with ABS' 944 but not a turbo one and I need to get it right. You cant always ' try the wheel for fit ' when buying online and getting them couriered and this s how most wheels are offered second hand.

So how exactly do you tell if they will fit. I know you can check the offset but the offset is never exactly the same and the ones I bought that didnt fit at the front did have roughly the right offset. Preferably I want cup 1's or even cup 2's in 17" defo not 18

I 'believe' but dont know that one of the reasons some wheels wont fit the turbo ( I.E) snag the brakes is that you can have the right offset but must not have 6" at the front but should have 7" or 7.5 , can someone please explain it to me in more detail, is there a minimum or maximum width of wheel that is safe and a minimum or maximum offset ?, and does the required offset depend on wheel diameter or width etc. It seems a bloomin minefield even if you have the basic understanding of the fact that these measurements matter.

Cheers Mas

Youre welcome to send me a message on the PCGB site describing the wheels and I'll tell you if theyll fit or not. Off the top you want 7" minimum on the front with an offset as close to 52mm as possible (presuming that this is a 1987 model onwards car: backspace shouldnt be an issue for any 16" with standard brakes). The rears are less sensitive to offset and the ideal size is 8" to match a 7" front, or 9" to match a 7.5" front. As the wheels get one inch wider youll need to add 12.5mm to the offset requirement - eg 8" front requires an offset of around 65mm.

Simon

Simon , thanks for the extra bit of explanation. I couldnt understand how everyone seems to quote one offset but not mention if this is relevent to wheel size and I know having tried it that it is indeed different to some degree between putting 16,17 and 18" wheels on the same car.

Yes I have an 87 Turbo so need appropriate wheels.

I will of course P.M you if I come by some suitable wheels but since I seen to have my heart set on cup ones now , this may be a long wait. They are coming up for sale less and less and of course supply and demand means they are getting dearer and dearer.

Cheers Mas

Hi Mas,

Going through the same issues trying to find the right 17" cup alloys for my '87 944 turbo. How did you get on?

Iain

If you are after cup ones ( as you should be ) then you can look out for some from a 968 for starters as the fit is the same. Many cup ones from 968's are 16 though as 17 was an option at least for many years on the coupe , I believe the 17" cups were really for the 968's with MO30 suspension

Cheers

Mas

Wish I'd read this thread sooner. I just bought a set of 17inch twist replicas with 255/40R17 rears and 215/45R17 front. I had them re-furbed, put them on, look great, took the car out and the rears rub if i go over a pebble! I cant see where they are rubbing though. My mate said 'you need spacers' but the rears stick out an inch beyond the wheel arch already. Any suggestions please, or anyone want to buy a set of refurbed 17inch alloys?!

It sounds as though theyre early offset replicas, if a 9" 255 section wheel/tyre protrudes by 1" at the rear. Im guessing too that you have a D registered or later car?

Its not too much help, but youll be pleased to know that youll be able to sell easily and for a good price, if what I have surmised is correct.

Thanks 944 man, It is a D reg, no other option than to sell? Can you tell me what I need to look for then if I want 17's on it?

The changeover to ABS offset was 87 so an 86 car will almost certainly be early ET23ish offsets. Look at the wheels currently fitted the ETxx figure will be marked.
Be careful about registration plates, it is the build date that is important not registration date. So you need to decode the VIN number.

I know of a good set of Cup 2 for sale, 1 with some slight kerb marks the other 3 minty after a refurb, these will fit an 87+ turbo with ABS.
I may be selling a set of early offset (non ABS) Cup 1 that will fit a 86 Turbo totally mint after having done 100 Miles or so after a total refurbishment, these really pack the arches out.
I am looking to stick a set of Fuch on my 220, i have genuine 17" Cup 1's on my 250 Turbo S which i love to bits and will never be sold as long as i have the car.
PM If interested in the mentioned wheels.

Jims right, that wasnt too clear, but 'D' was the first registered letter for the later offset cars. Its going to be a 1987 model year car, which will have a VIN starting: WPOzzz94zH.

It was likely to be an ABS offset car running early (ET23 / 23mm) offset replica wheels, because this is the only combination (ET23 wheels on an ET52.3 car) thatd cause 9" rear rims to protrude. I have 9"+ ET15 rims on the rear of a series one car and ET70 (52.3mm nominal offset on a 7" rim, making these 993 wheels stick out by an extra 7mm, as the correct offset would be 77mm) 9" Winter Cups on a late series two car; and the wheels fit correctly in both cases.

Unfortunately sell will be the only option. The reason being that whilst 52.3mm offset wheels can be spaced out to suit 23mm offset cars, it isnt possible to remove metal from the wheels in order to inset them.

They will sell for strong money though, because many owners of series one cars (and 1986 model year series two cars) wish to fit larger later-stye wheels. If theyre clean with fresh reasonable tyres then I wouldnt be surprised to see them sell for well over £300, perhaps a good deal more, if theyre advertised/described correctly.

Thanks fellas, they're going on Pistonheads today if anyone's interested? I had them reburbed only two weeks ago and wanted them pristine so I had the bloke refurb the inside to the same finish as the face. You can look through the spokes and see a glass like finish to the dish. Also the weights are attatched to the inner rim so you cant see them though the spokes. They where a real nice job and shame to sell them. They also have a matcing set of Avon ZZ3's all with 6mm tread. If I can get back what I've spent I'd be happy so they'll have to go on for £495 ono. Any takers?

Just checked my vin and it starts WPOZZZ95ZHN. Does that tell you guys anything?