[Bandini]

I need some new 16" wheels for my track tires, and I can get the ones in the attached picture for cheap.



Do you think they would be OK? They're off a 928S4.



Yes, they're 80's style, but looks aren't really that important.



I'll probably only use the rears, and try to find another pair of rears for the front as well. Would it be important - other than for looks - to find a matching pair? I might go with Design90's or something, or would that be a very bad idea? Different weight, perhaps?

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[Greimann]

If you don't care about the looks, then the big question is what is the width and offset?

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[flash]

if you're going to go to the expense and trouble of 16s for the track, find the lightest thing you can afford, with the most outside offset that will fit under the car



remember too that you need to run steel lugnuts on the track, and they may not fit in all wheels

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[Bandini]

[quote name='Greimann' date='Sep 23 2005, 03:43 PM']If you don't care about the looks, then the big question is what is the width and offset?[right][post="10170"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

I'm trying to find that out myself, but as far as I know the 928S4 and the 968 came with the same dimensions, i e 7ET55 front 8ET52 rear, from factory. Until I know, I will assume that these are the same.

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[Bandini]

[quote name='flash' date='Sep 23 2005, 07:46 PM']if you're going to go to the expense and trouble of 16s for the track, find the lightest thing you can afford, with the most outside offset that will fit under the car[right][post="10191"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

I don't really know which 16" wheels are light and which are not. I was hoping someone would recognize these BBS wheels and tell me something about them. I thought that generally modular wheels were lighter than one-piece, but I guess a 20 year old rim is always going to be heavy. Would Design 90 or Cup wheels be a lot better?



How come I want the most offset? I guessed the opposite, and that's why I'm using 1/4" spacers now.

remember too that you need to run steel lugnuts on the track, and they may not fit in all wheels

Oh, there's another thing I've missed. I've been using my stock lugnuts so far, but I guess it isn't critical as long as I'm on street tires.

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[968 Cab]

wheel weights - http://www.wheelweights.net/

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[Dave]

You typically only need the steel lug nuts for Club Racing. We never require them for DE. Do inspect them for cracks/wear, replace any that are suspect for any reason. They're cheap enough to easily replace for peace of mind.

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[flash]

when he said track tires, i presumed racing and not DE, hence the comment about that requirement on lug nuts



the offset thing is so that you push the wheels as far outboard as possible and stil have them under the car - this would give you the best stability and cornering - i was not referring to the highest ET number, but rather outside offset, which is the offset toward the ourside, or positive offset - ET is often confused with offset

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[Greimann]

[quote name='flash' date='Sep 24 2005, 04:29 PM'].... - i was not referring to the highest ET number, but rather outside offset, which is the offset toward the ourside, or positive offset - ET is often confused with offset

[right][post="10230"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



To avoid confusion, lets not use offset in any other context. A high positive offset number on a wheel pulls the wheel further inside the fender. A low offset or even negative, pushes it out.



ET is equivalent to offset . It is German for Einpresstiefe, meaning offset.



Maybe just say widen the track by selecting the lowest offset number that will fit in the fender.

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[Bandini]

[quote name='Greimann' date='Sep 25 2005, 02:02 AM']Maybe just say widen the track by selecting the lowest offset number that will fit in the fender.[right][post="10233"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

Good, that clears it up. So what would be the limit?



I know of 245's being used on ET52 front wheels. That would mean 23 mm closer to fender lip than stock. If those are OK, then I take it ET42 would be OK with 225's. I may need to keep my 1/4" spacers to clear the dustcaps though, so that would make it ET48.35. Do you think it's possible to go lower?



Should I be concerned about the altered steering geometry?



Calculations courtesy of your handy wheel calculator.

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[Greimann]

I think you are on the right track by using the wheel calculator and measuring for yourself. Ultimately, this is a game of millimeters and understanding wheel geometry terms and how to determine your own fit is important.



There is a possibility that the steering geometry could be affected. If you push the centerline of the contact patch away from the designed centerline, then odd behavior like tramlining may be amplified.

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[flash]

yeah - my bad - i must have been a lot more tired than i thought - i was actually thinking about back spacing, which is often mis-referred to as offset



ET measures from the mounting surface to the centerline of the rim and backspacing measures from the mounting surface to the inside edge

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[Bandini]

Now I know a little bit more about these rims.



Some quick research on the net tells me that they are BBS RS - an 80's rim that seems to be the bee's knees in some BMW and VW circles. Apparently it was also very light for its time.



The seller tells me these are 8½" wide ET56, so I should be able to make them fit, and I'm taking them.



I'll post pictures eventually.

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[Bandini]

[quote name='Bandini' date='Sep 28 2005, 10:51 PM']The seller tells me these are 8½" wide ET56, so I should be able to make them fit, and I'm taking them.[right][post="10434"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

Bummer,



I just got my wheels, and found that the rears aren't the right size at all - they're 9" wide ET36!



I could probably cancel the deal because of this, but I don't think I will. They were a real bargain, and I can use the fronts. The question is; are the rears useless?



The rim width range for the tires I was going to get (225/45 Toyo R888) is 7-8.5", so these wheels would be half an inch too wide. 245/45 Michelin Cup tires would fit, but they're twice as expensive, and kind of defeat the purpose of getting cheap rims.



The offset might actually be OK. I believe stock 17" wheels are ET47 with 255's. That would put those 4 mm closer to fender lip than these, if I could use 225's.



What would happen if I did put 225's on these rims and used them on the track? They would get that stretched look, but could they work? I would love it if they did.

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