Porsche lists the 215/60R15 as an N1 tire approved for 914-6, and I am considering them as they solve the too-small diameter problem I want to avoid. Currently, I'm on 195/65s. I used to run 205/55s and 205/60s, but all of these are too small in diameter.

I know the cars vary, but I was able to run various 205/55s with no rubbing and 205/60 Yoko A008Rs years ago with only a bit of rubbing on the inside (too much negative camber at that time). I'd be running these on 15x6 911 wheels, but may pop to have them turned into 15x7Rs by Weidman and do custom spacers. Big thing is to get a summer performance tire in there with, well, performance—and the right look.

That period look with any kind of performance is getting tough to find. If anyone has 215/60s on a narrow car, and can provide pics, I'd be very thankful!



pete

All you need is a baseball bat ...

I'm running Falken 215/60 x 15 all the way around. The wheels are 911 SC phone dials, 15 x 6 on front and 15 x 7 rears. As I understand most 911SCs had the 16" Fuchs, but that was an option and the phone dials were standard.

I did stretch the rears with a bat to get them to fit, but it's a nice set up. When I get new tires I may go 205s up front, I've been told the 215 is a little wide for a 6" rim.
Click to view attachment

Your future is calling...

I've got 205/60/15 on 2.0L Fuchs on my narrow body. Fronts rub on the inside when in full wheel turn lock left or right. Haven't noticed any rubbing in the rears.

I ran 215's on 8's but I had spacers and flares. I know what you mean about "the look" That vintage stance. tires with sidewalls that are tall enough to look tucked without removing all the suspension travel.

I had tires from the tire rack. I put them on Sandy's 14 and didn't like them. I went back to the tire rack the next day to order another set. Instead of making me eat them they took them back. dis-mounted them ands mounted a taller set no charge.

I mention this because if you ask ahead they my do that for you as a test fit. It's worth a shot.

Hot damn that setup looks sweet, especially at the rear. And I do need to repaint both sides of my car again...

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. If you've got any more photos from other angles, please don't be shy. I've been trying to find the right setup for years, and this might be it for me. Thanks!!!!

pete

Bastard!



(No need to compensate here....)

Those 215/60s are part of what sold me on your car, Rick. That thing stopped me in my tracks when it was here. Just sooooo right. Might have been what got me off of 205/55s. Was around that time that my taste started changing. First time I saw the 215/60R15 P6000s on the back of an RS 2.7, I was well and truly hooked. Sneaking them under the back of a narrow 914 might not be easy, but may be worth a try—especially since I have to repaint both sides of the car anyway. Only question is whether I have the wheels modified to 7Rs or cram the 215s onto the 6s. I think the 6s will keep the tire a bit narrower, and are within the range of approved rim widths for the Pirellis. Worst case, I try it and I have to widen the wheels later.

Tire Rack is almost impossible to beat in terms of customer service. Almost makes me want to move there, as there are few things I rue more in the Bay Area than getting tires mounted and balanced.

pete

I'll loan you my fender roller. Let me know...

It's all about offset.

I have 225 50 16 on the rear with stock quarters. I have boxter winter wheels on it. No spacers. I didn't roll the quarters either.

Pics... we need pics!!

Here, some 215x45x16 on 7" 911 SC Fuchs, front and rear:



And my son's car, 225x50x15's on 7” 911 cookie cutters:



Both cars rolled and pulled, neither rubs, and both with good door gaps.

Will the 215/60's fit the 5 1/2 steel wheels? I have 4 215's from my 911 I'd like to use on my narrow body/std 914.

Would love to hear if anyone had experience using this set up.

Thx

Dam!

Maybe you didn't, but I'd bet that someone did at some point...

The telltales are usually the corner of the fender panel where it meets with the door, and the corner where it meets the bumper.

--DD

215/60 x 15 phone dials, 6" up front and 7" in rear. Rear lips stretched and rolled, poorly cracking the paint.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

215 are a little wide for the steelies, 205 is the recommended max for a 6" wheel, but I've been running those one 15x 6 phone dials on the front, they're okay but you have to run them a little soft to get a good contact patch. A 5 1/2 wheel would just be worse. But they'll work.

Dam is right!

If you had the rear wheels widened, you could play with the offset and cram the tire towards the car.

How much wider is a 215 than a 205?

I'm running 205/60 x 15 Yokohamas on flat 6s and even those are tight.


And, btw, those phone dials look quite sweet on that black car!!!

How much wider is a 215 than a 205?

215-205 = 10MM

Pete, I thought you had taken the 185/70-15 path. Interesting...go to Tirerack's discription and read the notation about voiding a portion of the warranty by using them below 47*f. WTF? Not -47* either. I can't imagine a worse tire to have on your car where I live.

So, will the combo work?

...or is it too much tire for the body/rim?

Thx

The bottom line is maybe.

All tires of the same size are not quite the same size and this is going to be tight. If you're set on using these tires mount one up and try it all 4 corners. I say all four because the left and right fender clearance on the rears can be different. Fronts may rub a bit in a full lock turn depending on suspension height.

Even if they do fit, you may not like the way they handle on the narrow wheels.

Actually, actual tire widths vary significantly between manufacturers despite identical sizing. There is no rhyme or reason I can find, having just put a set of Michelin AS/3s on another car that are significantly wider than the identically sized Pirellis that came off it—while other Pirellis appear to be wider than Michelins in the tire specs listed on Tire Rack. But even these measurements must be taken with a grain of salt, depending on rim used for measurement, etc. In my case, it was enough so that you can lower the car with no issues on Pirellis but will get rubbing with the Michelins. Both tires are 205/40R17 per their sizing.

Back to 914s: What really matters for rear fitment is section width, not tread width. Most tires are wider in section than they are in tread, so that's the width that the fender will have to swallow if the top of the tire is hidden as it is on the back of a 914. For that, you need to dig into the tire specs, but measurements aren't necessarily uniform, and the rim used for the measurement within the acceptable rim width range may not match your setup. Best I could tell, the 215mm P6000s were about 0.5-inch wider than the widest 205s out there, so I knew it would be tight.

So I ordered a single 215/60R15 P6000 for a trial fit. TireRack.com is fine with this and will take the tire back—so long as it has not been driven on or damaged.

I removed the RR wheel, put the P6000 into the fender well, and then lowered the car for a "loose fitment" to see if the tire would even fit in the fender. It did, though I could tell it was going to be TIGHT. I tried the LR side and it was a bit better, but not much. Wheel offset and spacing would be everything, so I had it mounted on a 15x7 Fuchs 911R wheel (chosen for its offset and the resulting ability to work with spacers). I was able to get the mounted 215 into the rear fenders with a hair of clearance to either side using stacked washers before spending $$$ on custom spacers. The wheel/tire fit better on one side of the car than the other, but it was just too tight. Any side loading would cause tire rub on the chassis side, or blister the paint on the fender.

I might have been able to have the fender pulled a bit, but stopped short at the idea of modifying a 40-year-old Porsche's bodywork to fit one of the few tires available in 2016. Who knows what will be available in 2020, or 2018. They're not that far off. Also, there was some brake-line/trailing arm interference with the 215s. The spacers helped, but it was closer than I would have liked. So close I didn't even test drive it. Sadly, the tire shop ripped the bead when dismounting the tire, so I had to eat the cost of the P6000.

So I am going with a set of 185/70R15 Avon CR6ZZs in the hardest compound. Everyone raves about them, and they're a lot less expensive than buying that pair of 911R wheels + the Pirellis that no one seems to like. In fact, a set is priced within $200-300 of the P6000s. And Pirelli is about the only game left in town at 215/60R15 in a summer tire.

YMMV, but that's my story!

there you go. smart move. sooner 1 crappy tire than 4+ mount/bal/disposal and everything thing that goes with it.

Thanks all...The idea of mounting one tire and trying it on all corners is brilliant...That will be my next move.

I'll circle back with results and pictures...but for now it's off to battle the snow here in New England.

someone just posted a good idea for that. He spoke of mounting and de-mounting wheels often so he went to the hardware store and purchased 2 long bolts with the same threads. He then cut off the heads so he could screw in the threaded rods and use those for guides, it makes it a whole lot easier than trying to line up the lug bolts.

Tire availability for anything in 14-15-16 is giving me fits period. Are there that few cars out there needing vintage size rubber? Doesn't anyone actually drive their cars and wear out tires?

15"s -yes.. and the "all season" tires of today are better than the performance tire when these cars are new.

The OP was looking for 215/60-15. This is also the base 944 tire size and there are several brands available for a lot less than P6000s run.

The driving force is that even todays shit kicker economy cars start with 15"s and most with 16's.. Tire companies aren't in the specialty business, except maybe Coker. What makes 205-50-15s so endless available for now is the early Miata/MR2 type crowd and the thousands of guys still running those cars demanding sporting tires.

While not quite the same, finding appropriate 14" tires with their 70-80 series sidewall, 40 years later is a little like looking for Model T tires

Tire selections are getting have been tricky if you want original sizes or something period correct. I like 205/50s for autocross cars, but their sidewalls are too short to my eyes. I like 225/50R15s quite a bit, but they require pulling fenders.

I'll leave the 14s and the CW tires to Coker Tire (where you can also buy Model T tires) and stick to what appealed to me as period-correct (or at least not "period WRONG") and still sporting options for a narrow 914 after a ton of personal research, phone calls, internet surfing, etc.

Coker Tire/Michelin XWX 185/70R15 (the hot tire of the day, standard equipment on the 911S and the +0 upgrade for 914s)
Notes: Can't get my head around $348 each for a tire this small, with such dated technology. Too concours/show & tell-oriented for me, and way too expensive to boot.
Find them here: https://www.cokertire.com/tires/michelin-xwx.html

Vredestein Sprint Classic 185/70R15 (the reasonably priced tire if you want period looks and decent performance)
Notes: Period tread pattern and sidewalls, probably better than the Coker Michelin XWX and a LOT less expensive at $140 each; nice steering response, nice ride, not so great in terms of ultimate grip. Bought a set 8-10 years ago. Just weren't for me, but a lot of people like them.
Find them here: http://www.vulcantire.com/cgi-bin/tiresear...t_classic_t.cst

Avon CR6ZZ 185/70R15 (just bought a set, will mount them shortly...)
Notes: We'll see about ride and handling, but everyone raves about them; definitely have the period look, with tall, plain sidewalls. Available in three compounds, with 29 being the hardest and 31 being the softest (you want 29s for the street). Narrower than I wanted, but I am told even the hardest version has a LOT more grip than any street-spec 195 or 205. Roger Kraus Racing carries them for $280/tire. Not cheap—unless you compare them to Coker XWXs. They do seem like good value against a modern N-spec Porsche tire, given their specialty nature—though they won't last as long. You can also get CR6ZZs in 215/60R15.
Find them here: http://rogerkrausracing.com/pages/pricing.html

Dunlop SP Sport 195/65R15 (a good middle of the road, affordable tire with reasonable grip by modern standards and a sidewall and tread pattern that don't look completely alien on a 1970s car)
Notes: Sidewall too modern for me, but better than most. A favored tire of Rod and Gary Emory for street-oriented 356 hot rods where Hoosiers won't work. Grip okay, ride okay, but distinctly not sporting—even if they are probably superior to the best tires of the 1970s. Bought a set, but am taking them off after 1,000~ miles. Just not for me. But: $65~ each is a bargain for what you get.
Find them here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?gc...0160211172230:s

Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 3 205/55R16 (what a great street tire!)
Notes: I almost moved on to 16-inch wheels just to mount a set of these. I put a set of them on our 2013 Abarth at $129~/tire and it may be my new favorite street tire. It's AVS Intermediate good, and maybe better. Crazy grip (better than many summer tires, apparently), very quiet, and carries a tread wear rating of 500. I'm not expecting that long a life given the grip, but will be fun finding out if it's hogwash. If the Avons don't work out, this may be my next plan.
Find them here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes

Michelin TB & TB15 (perfection, at a price)
If I was running a GT-flared 914 on 15-inch wheels, and perhaps one day I might be, the choice would be a lot simpler. I'd run Michelin TB15 tires (vintage race/tarmac rally tire) on 15x7&9-inch Fuchs. They have wonderful grip, REALLY nice steering response, and killer good looks. Jeff Zwart is running them on his yellow 914-6, and I was blown away by them. The fronts are 215/55R15, the rears are racing sizes but not all that hard to figure out for the back of a 914 (the same size as the front of a RSR 2.8).
Find them here: http://www.summitracing.com/search/product...elin-tb15-tires

Hope this is helpful for someone else!

Okay, so I found the pics I took during the 215/60R15 experiments. I'll post them here for two reasons:

-Maybe they'll be helpful to someone else
-The hardest thing to find on the inter webs were (any) pictures of the tires I was interested in ON a 914, or even an early 911.

So, pardon the amount of pics, but here goes the first trial with the 215/60R15 P6000:

Okay, so there was hope, or at least a little. The tire would physically fit inside the well, but there wasn't much room.

Next step was to try to locate it perfectly in there on a wheel—and I knew a 15x6 was both too narrow for a 215mm tire and unlikely to place it where it needed to be. So I borrowed a 911R wheel from a friend, which adds an inch to the inside and allows you to space the wheel as you need to. If you want to fit maximum tire under the back of a narrow 914, these are the best factory wheels for that purpose. I used washers instead of spacers to keep things easy—knowing I could have custom spacers made later if things looked good.

So, here goes...

Sorry for a couple of sideways pics up above. Darn iPhone 6.

In any event, those images show just how tight things were. The brake lines, in particular, were an issue. I'd want to look at rerouting them.

In the end, though, it was clear to me that both sides wanted to have the rear fenders pulled or flared, and more spacer. Not being interested in that, it was back to Square One: Finding a good high-performance 15-inch tire. There aren't a lot of choices, and there are even fewer places to get useful feedback—or photos—of what they're like on 914s. So a lot of my research would be funded out of my own pocket. Hopefully, it proves helpful to you, though I am under no illusion that my interests will match everyone else's (maybe that's why I couldn't find what I was looking for! )

So, let's look at what I bought, and moved on from...

The Pirelli P6000 disappointment led to a new avenue after hearing so many rave reviews about the Avon CR6ZZ. So I just picked up four. Hopefully, they'll be on the car soon and I can report back.

Pete, I have a set of 5mm spacers you can have for the shipping costs...

I'd venture to say that a set of 7R wheels will be a bit spendy.

Where I started back in 2006~: A set of old, hard Yokohama AVS ES100s in 205/55R15 that needed to be replaced. This was a tire size I fell in love with on the 914 when I could get BFG Comp T/A3s in it. I disliked the ES100s, both on this 914 and on a Subaru WRX. I know a lot of people like them, but I found the sidewalls unyielding and the squared shoulders foreboding as I approached the limit of adhesion.

Didn't miss them when I got rid of them from a performance/feedback standpoint, and wanted a taller, period-correct tire. Still one of my favorite tire sizes on a narrow 914, however.

You might need a set of these too.

Click to view attachment

So the next stop was Vredestein Sprint Classics in 185/70R15. I think these are great for casual drivers who want that period look for a Sunday driver. I loved the delicate steering input, but missed the grip of a modern tire in corners and under braking. I don't think I kept them for very long...

So I wrote a column for some lousy magazine about how hard it is to find 15-inch tires and got a note from an insider making fun of me. Turns out, he bought a truckload of the last Yokohama A-008Rs—and had already shipped a set to me. Wow.

So of course I put them on. That was about 2006 or 2007. Then the car went away for paint. The photos below are the day after Rennsport Reunion IV, so late 2011. The old-school A-008Rs looked fabulous, but were two all left-hand tires and, well, old and hard. They were older by the time the car came out of paint. I drove on them for a while, and the saving grace probably was that they were R compound to begin with—but I never felt comfortable pushing on them. And then they just kept getting older. But the car had to go back in for paint, and was about to come off the road for a new engine, so I left them on for a while as rollers.

Did love the look, though...

Somebody is tire obsessive.

By 2012-2013, it was time for fresh tires. A lot of time on TireRack suggested that a set of Dunlop SP Sports in 195/65R15 might be a decent pick. Bummer was that they were all-season tires, but I reasoned that they were still probably way grippier than any road tire of the 1970s, and they had a non-alien sidewall design along with a tread pattern that didn't look too modern. Turns out, two people far smarter on hot rods than me recommend them to their customers, too: Rod and Gary Emory. And they were much cheaper than the P6000s. So, I pulled the lever.

Thing is, they embodied the "all-season" tire cliche: They're (kind of) good at everything, but great at nothing. And they didn't move the needle for me aesthetically. I left them in place while testing out the new engine and getting the car running, but they're about to come off.

Lest you think I tried everything, I haven't. Skipped Michelin XWXs for reasons noted in a post above, and a whole host of stuff on TireRack because it looked like a dog's dinner.

I did, however, briefly consider two other options:

1) Hoosier TD 5.00-15 or 205/60R15 Speedster tires, but research suggested they are awful on the street until they're hot (not easy to do on the street, most of the time). Also, I hear the folks at Hoosier won't talk to you if you mention street use. That told me everything I needed to know. The Avons are well proven on the street, and are a tarmac rally tire in addition to a vintage racing tire. You won't get a lot of life out of them, but I figure I'll be replacing them on a time rather than mileage basis. Unless, of course, I just can't keep my rear end out of the seat with those Avons...

2. BF Goodrich Radial T/A in 205/60R15: Talk about old-skool. Had been wondering if they were too Trans-Am/Burt Reynolds for a 914, and wondering if they had been updated, but just couldn't get my head around them. Still curious. Will say that the vintage sidewall, vintage tread pattern, and price make them appealing. Maybe even very appealing.

First Hoosier pic is a 5.00-15 tire on a 15x6 wheel, second one is a 5.50-15 on a 15x7R.

Don't get me going on dampers.

They're next, when the piggy bank recovers.

The car I just picked up has 225 /50 R15's on Fuchs

Wow, interesting.

That's a lot of tire on a 15x5.5-inch wheel. Have the wheels been widened on the inside? Weidman's Wheels does that quite a bit for the 911 crowd, turning 15x6s into 15x7s, and I've seen at least one set of 914 alloys custom widened.

At some point, yes, I may...