Second 914-4 after 40 years..., Question on tire/wheel sizes Options

[chmillman]

Hi all,

So I have acquired the second 914-4 2.0 in my life. The last one was more than 40 years ago back in the late 70’s in California… This one is in really nice shape, body excellent, Saturn Yellow paint new, the motor only has 6000K miles (9000 km) on it after a rebuild (still has the D-Jetronic). NO rust anywhere. It’s pretty much original, with the exception of a conversion to 5-lug/5-spoke 914-6 wheels and brakes.

There isn’t much I want to do to it with the exception of replacing the original Frankfurt stereo radio with a new DAB+/Bluetooth unit and the original speakers with some new, better ones using 914 Rubber’s pods. However I do have a few questions, as my knowledge of the car is now 40 years old…

First, to those 5-spoke wheels. They are new real Fuchs 7 x 15 matte black and look great on the car. The tires are currently Pirelli P6000 195/65’s and they stick like glue in the corners. At 25” OD, they are only about 1/2" smaller in diameter then the original 165 SR 15’s (25.4”). But of course way wider and lower profile. Therein lies the rub – well actually they don’t, the rear fender lip has been rolled slightly and they do not contact even on hard cornering.
However…

195 is the minimum limit for tire width on a 7” rim. The sidewalls are pretty taut and don’t bulge much at all. The issue is that the ride is harsher than I seem to recall with my original 914 from the ‘70’s, - that one had the 4-lug 5 1/2 J Mahle cast wheels with 185/70’s mounted – that was pretty much the thing back in the day. As tire flex does make up a significant part of the overall springiness of the suspension and these have very little… The other side effect of the wide, flat tires is that turning the steering wheel at low parking speeds is very hard. Hmmm.

So, the two thousand dollar question is - I am wondering if going back to 6 x 15 rims with 185/70’s would be a worthwhile improvement? Sacrifice some cornering adhesion for a somewhat smoother ride and easier low-speed turning. I’m sure there will be thousands of opinions on this but well, bring it on...

The other semi-related thing is that this car doesn’t have a front anti-roll (stabilizer) bar. My car in CA back in the 70’s did, because I remember replacing the bushings at one point. Were these optional? The body doesn’t even have the holes for the mounting plates in the wheel wells, however the A-arms do have the u-brackets where the bar would be attached. The car has Bilsteins all around and already doesn’t roll much, so I’m wondering if finding the parts and putting one on would make a real difference.

I will have lots of other questions later, will start new topics for those as they arise. Thanks for any input!

--ch

[Montreal914]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) As others have mention, we are sucker for pictures, so please add some of your beautiful "new" car! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Wheels and tires are obviously a wide discussion and I will let others comment on this (performance, comfort, etc). Personally, yes I would go to 15x6 as i feel 15x7 is just too close to the sheetmetal for my preferred look, but looks are a very personal thing.

The sway bars (15mm front and 16mm back) on the 4 cylinder cars first appeared on the 2 liter in 73 as part of the standard equipment (same as center console with 3 gauges). They became an option after 73.

You do not mention what year your car is. From your avatar, your front bumper doesn't seem to have the bumperettes which would make this a 70-72 front bumper, unless the bumperet holes have been capped off.

As you probably already know, the 2 liter was offered starting in 73, which is also the year where the side shift gearbox appeared (improved shifting). Other changes happening that year includes: door inner crash side beam, new window mechanism (scissors), reinforced front panel in the spare tire well, and other ramdom features.

Installing the front sway bar on your car will require drilling a hole in the inner fender and welding triangular brackets under the fuel tank (as mentioned). For the rear sway bar, you will need to weld two brackets under the trunk floor and add a couple of reinforcement plate inside the trunk. Obviously, you will need to find a complete set of front and rear sway bars which have become harder to find over the years. Some components have been reproduced, but some need to be stock. Happy hunting! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

These thread explains the modifications for the bars installation.
Ian Karr's great videos on how to's for your 914, this is the front sway bar one:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=325538

Rear sway bar install:

https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/9...4_rear_sway.htm


Pictures please! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)


EDIT: I just noticed you are in Switzerland! I know there are differences in EU cars, some of my comments above may not apply... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) I can now see you do not have the front side markers which probably means this is a EU car originally, unless they were plugged like some of the north american restored cars. Do you know the origin of the car? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)