Wheels and Tires, Let's get this discussion centralized Options

[Johny Blackstain]

Original window sticker is not a player. Dad never got it. Does a COA get that detailed? All the COA's I've seen usually were quite simple in the options.

To be honest, probably not, however one thing I've noticed on COA's is the more homework you do for them the more info that's on it. In other words if you provide them with the chassis number, serial number, color code, interior color, engine number, etc., it seems you get a more complete COA, as opposed to not providing all that info. Makes no sense to me, since you're paying them to do homework for you, but often how it appears to be. The word lazy comes to mind (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)
As for your wheels I still agree with you suspecting a dealer swap, since they're dated 1967 & the only 914's avail in 1967 were very raw prototypes that were not for sale or accessible by the public @ large. Owning 2 914's myself & being the original owner of one of them & very much not on the other I've been able to see both ends of the COA spectrum.

[Tom_T]

To add to the wheel photo archives here:

The first pic is the original 5.5x15 steelies from my '74 1.8. Somebody added chrome trim rings that look like crap.

I just swapped the wheels out with Mahle Gasburners, which should be period-correct for 1974, along with OEM Porsche center caps with the Porsche crest. The only thing not "quite" proper: The steelies come with flat black plastic center caps and black plastic lug bolt covers. I moved the covers over to the Mahle wheels.
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It is my understanding that the "Gasburners" were only the 5 lug Mahles, and not the 4 lug. When you see the 5 lug (914-6) mahles, you'd understand the name as they look like the burner of a gas stove.
That being said, I believe that gasburners are the lightest of all the similar size 15" wheels.
I hope this helps.

Eric & All,

Mahle came out with a 4-lug version nicknamed "Baby Gas-burner" starting in the 1973 MY - & some may have been available as options to dealers earlier with P/N ending in -00 - meaning not for hubcentric wheel hubs on the 73-76 914s.

So Cuda is right if you add a "Baby" to his reference - they are period correct for 73-76 .....

.... & Pat G may be able to confirm them being around for 72 MY as a dealer upgrade?

The Porsche Crest center caps would've been available from the dealers as an add-on accessory, so a period correct item, even if never delivered that way from the factory. IMHO I doubt any judge at Parade would usually gig anyone for them today from what I've seen winning there - unless 2 914s were scored equally & needed a tie-breaker, & originality is no longer judged at the local Region nor Zone level (latter may do so for a tie-breaker).

Also IIRC the Fuchs 2L forged alloy wheels are a few oz lighter than 4-lug Mahles, which are cast alloy, & maybe less than the 5-lug ones. There is a wheel weights chart earlier in this topic for all the wheels.

[Tom_T]

To add to the wheel photo archives here:

The first pic is the original 5.5x15 steelies from my '74 1.8. Somebody added chrome trim rings that look like crap.

I just swapped the wheels out with Mahle Gasburners, which should be period-correct for 1974, along with OEM Porsche center caps with the Porsche crest. The only thing not "quite" proper: The steelies come with flat black plastic center caps and black plastic lug bolt covers. I moved the covers over to the Mahle wheels.
.

IMHO Cuda, they look better without the black caps, & showing the silver zinc or silver Cad finish of the original alloy spec wheel lug bolts. Center caps look nice, even if not "factory correct" - as I said, they're period correct.

Some Porsche+Audi dealers in those days also had Porsche Crest center caps made up with their dealership name on that crest, as with the Rusnack (??) ones on Steve's Sahara Beige beauty at the front of "The few, the rare..." nailed topic in O&H here.

If the finish is bad, I'm pretty sure that Eric Shea at PMB will still put them through with a batch of his brake calipers for replating at a reasonable cost, or a local plating shop can do it too.

[Tom_T]

Original window sticker is not a player. Dad never got it. Does a COA get that detailed? All the COA's I've seen usually were quite simple in the options.

To be honest, probably not, however one thing I've noticed on COA's is the more homework you do for them the more info that's on it. In other words if you provide them with the chassis number, serial number, color code, interior color, engine number, etc., it seems you get a more complete COA, as opposed to not providing all that info. Makes no sense to me, since you're paying them to do homework for you, but often how it appears to be. The word lazy comes to mind (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)
As for your wheels I still agree with you suspecting a dealer swap, since they're dated 1967 & the only 914's avail in 1967 were very raw prototypes that were not for sale or accessible by the public @ large. Owning 2 914's myself & being the original owner of one of them & very much not on the other I've been able to see both ends of the COA spectrum.

Yes ..... or it could be a PO/OO swap before his Dad got it, since folks swapped wheels all the time too.

I'm the 2nd owner of my early `73 2L, & the PO/OO or dealer had swapped all 5 Fuchs 2L wheels out for a steel spare + 4 original Rivieras, as it was equipped when I bought it about 3 years old in Dec. `75 (originally sold in Nov. 72 & I looked at it in Nov. 75 right after the OO paid off the loan).

It's cost me $1000 for a set of Al Reed restored Fuchs (plus another $760/wheel to anodize them as to factory finish, since they're polished now), & another $300 for proper center caps, & yet another $250 for a set of 16 lug bolts which I'll need to send to Eric Shea at PMB with my calipers to get silver zinc/Cad replating (brakes should be gold Cad BTW folks if you're CW).

So probably $2000+ today to recreate a 1972 $250 option! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[Tom_T]

OK - the real reason I came on here, was to let folks know about a couple of period correct re-popped tires for the `73-76 914 2.0 (/4), 1970-72 914-6 with 15" wheels & 165 tires, & any other 1.7 & 1.8 /4 with optional tire upgrades.

Lucas Classic Tires in Ohio & Long Beach CA are now carrying a 165(/80)HR15 Pirelli that was put on some 914s by the factory AFAIK - or at least were available as period correct replacements back-in-the-day - as well as a Blockley which looks an awful lot like the preferred spec Dunlop SP57 dog-bone tread tires, but at a 165(/80)VR15 higher speed rating.

http://www.lucasclassictires.com/15-165HR1...-165pirelli.htm

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http://www.lucasclassictires.com/15-165VR1...Radial-504p.htm

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They also have these in the 14" & wider 185 14" & 15" used on the 916-6's & 911/912's ....

http://www.lucasclassictires.com/Sports-Car-Radials_c23.htm

Hopefully this helps those who are looking for period correct tires for either vintaqe racing or concours reasons - or even just personal preference! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[VG-914]

What? No one has Fuchs alloys?

I have the 5 x 15.5 - 4 Lug Empi reproductions on mine. They don't look too bad, but probably won't win me any awards...
Saw them on eBay recently: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porcshe-914-Rim-5-...3-/171017619500
...for under $100 each.
I can attest to a good ride, and have held up well. The Porsche caps fit.

[Pat Garvey]

How unusual would it be for a -6 to have steelies with a manufacture date stamp of 11/67 on all four corners? Dads 1970 914 -6 (9140431006) is a pretty complete original car. He bought it used in 1972 from the original owner. The spare has a date of 3/70, the same time the car came off the line.

Is this normal or a sign of possible dealership swap?

I honestly don't know & figure the only way to know for sure is to get a COA for the car. In my opinion though, I believe your suspicions are correct & it's a dealer swap. The COA, window sticker or the original bill of sale would say what wheels originally came with the car.

Original window sticker is not a player. Dad never got it. Does a COA get that detailed? All the COA's I've seen usually were quite simple in the options.

I bought my '72 in Kentucky new. The State confiscated the window sticker to determine the sales tax due them. You could have gotten a discount of a thousand bucks, but would still pay sales tax on the sticker price. Don't know if that heathen state still does it today but it cost me some bucks in the 70's and 80's.

[Pat Garvey]

How unusual would it be for a -6 to have steelies with a manufacture date stamp of 11/67 on all four corners? Dads 1970 914 -6 (9140431006) is a pretty complete original car. He bought it used in 1972 from the original owner. The spare has a date of 3/70, the same time the car came off the line.

Is this normal or a sign of possible dealership swap?

I honestly don't know & figure the only way to know for sure is to get a COA for the car. In my opinion though, I believe your suspicions are correct & it's a dealer swap. The COA, window sticker or the original bill of sale would say what wheels originally came with the car.

Original window sticker is not a player. Dad never got it. Does a COA get that detailed? All the COA's I've seen usually were quite simple in the options.

I bought my '72 in Kentucky new. The State confiscated the window sticker to determine the sales tax due them. You could have gotten a discount of a thousand bucks, but would still pay sales tax on the sticker price. Don't know if that heathen state still does it today but it cost me some bucks in the 70's and 80's.

[bulitt]

Pat,

This is the best I could do given the car is put away for the winter. I can get a better pic of the back side a bit later.

No need. The front & back of your wheels are "as-delivered", regardless of size. The inner portion (lug area) was flash sprayed satin black. The entire rear side was done fully satin black. Wish I knew the purpose of painting the lug area a separate color, since it was covered by hubcaps???!!
Could it have nothing but overspray from the backside?

Doesn't appear to be overspray as it has a round pattern. Looks like the entire wheel was painted black, then mounted on a fixture, then the outside painted silver.
Or possibly a small cover put over the lug area to prevent excessive build up of paint (silver) in that area?

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-7302-1389290912_thumb.jpg)

[914Next]

Here are a few pics of my original Fuchs wheels and original spare tire....a bit dirty before I cleaned them up.

[Dougal Cawley]

Hi

I hope this is of interest to you.

There has been a new tyre produced recently by Pirelli which Porsche are giving the N4 homologation. http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/165vr...to-cn36-n4.html

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/www.cinturato.net-20953-1490287797.1.jpg)

This CN36 tread pattern came out in 1968.

I think before that they would have used the CA67 http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/165hr...urato-ca67.html

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/www.cinturato.net-20953-1490287799.2.jpg)

The other good news is they also make a 185/70VR15 CN36 http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/165vr...to-cn36-n4.html that also has N4 homologation

and

a 215/60WR15 CN36 N4 http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/215-6...to-cn36-n4.html

I think this is aan international site so this page here shows you all the international distributors of the range https://www.cinturato.net/ in the top right hand corner of the page

[KeithVonLaws]

Set of 5 Rare Wheels dated 4/1970
Car was brought from Germany but is US Specs.

http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p482/k...zpsczkgwizw.jpg

[Halfnelson]

Does anyone know these wheels - was told by previous owner they came with the car as a dealer option?

[arne]

Those look like Western brand wheels to me. Dealers in those days frequently installed off the shelf aftermarket wheels on the cars that came with steelies as an added profit item. Definitely not stock.

[larryM]

check here - post #6 - factory specs

from Info for Sports Purposes 4890.20-200-03-72

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=322764

[Cal]

I had some free time tonight so I cleaned up the original Dunlop SP-57 spare tire and Fuchs wheel.....never one have ever seen any pavement use.

[Dougal Cawley]

Do you guys think that the 914 fitted Pirelli Cinturato CA67 or CN36?

[davep]

I never saw CN36 used as original tires on a 914.

[Tom_T]

I never saw CN36 used as original tires on a 914.

FWIW Dougal & Dave,

I've seen them used on some of my friend's 914/4s & 914-6s back in the day Dave, but I don't know for sure if they were original factory equipment on them - or a dealer or PO change-out when new (here in the USA/SoCal Dougal).

Dougal, you guys need to either bring back those Blockley's that have dog-bone tread like the OEM Dunlop SP57 165(/80)HR15 - or better yet get Dunlop to rerun the SP57s, & then get them to your USA Partner Lucas Tires!

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[racingredsc]

What's right for a narrow body w/flat 6's? 15X6 I think I used to run 205/55/15 on all four corners.