anyone running with 17inch rims? do they look to big? do they rub on stock suspension? pics?

Can you make them work? Sure.
Should you make them work? Well, how do you feel about Donks and Bubbles?

Zach

OMG! Never thought of that!

I had to look up the term. Funny!

i have a set of 17s on ny car and i think they look good. they don't rub either. i have 17x8 fronts and 17x9 rear (flares)

I know that bigger & bigger wheel sizes with leeeetle teeny tiny rubber bands for tires is the in thing lately ....

But do you guys ever consider the added weight of the bigger wheels - adding unsprung weight to negatively affect handling, & more mass to resist inertia on an already low powered classic sports car!!??

Not to mention that you lose most/all of the suspension effect afforded by larger sidewall tires for which our 914s suspension - both street & AX/Track - were designed, giving you a much harsher ride.

If not, then why not just go for the 22s!!??

Not can you, but should you?

JMHO
Tom
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For the record 205/50-17 is a stock Porsche size. Also there are a ton of tire choices, unlike 15s.

I think 19s are the biggest that will actually fit.

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Well covered on here previously,I have 16'' and think they look a little large,17'' just make our cars look like something from a cartoon .
Due to the profile of tyre required on these rims the ride becomes rather harsh,fact is I have found that with other cars I have owned.

Just because a wheel on, say a Cayenne, is a Porsche size doesn't make it look right on a 914.

and

I've seriously thought about it, cheap 17" fake fuchs can now be had for both narrow and GT bodies. In doing so I could sell my real 15" for a good profit right now.

After seeing a set on a 914 to me it looks odd on a 70's sportscar. 16's work, but 17" not so much IMO.
But that's personal taste YMMV.

So you think this car would look better with a set of 15" wheels
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Without question. And less bling would be even better. Dark colored wheels would finish that car sublimely. It looks like a rapper's grill BLING BLING So wrong on this amazing car. It's like the freaks who put diamond studs in their teeth. Just doesn't belong on a 914.

Being as I need as much traction as possible....

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I think it would look better with a set of 16" wheels.
Like I said "personal taste", you may love it and it's an OK look, plus I've definitely seen much worse, but it does nothing for me.

I could see 16" wheels maximum. 17" wheels are out of place on our cars. Just my opinion. And, if you find yourself with a real small sidewall, that just makes it looks even more out of place.

Sweet! I could have used that in Tahoe a couple weeks but my wife refuses to get into any 914 (that might have been a good thing!).

I haven't noticed a change in my ride for my 16" to 17" rims. I also love the look of them but that personal preference.

Nice Snowplow / I knew there was a reason for a V-8 in a 914...

I run 17's front, 18's back. I like it.

Overall rim size makes very little difference on clearnce and fitment, Width and offset are what makes the difference.

Most 17" rims look like wagon wheels on a 914. When I bought my car back, several years ago, it had 17" Fikse FM10's on it. I liked the look, so I kept them.
For a picture, click on my blog in my signature.

I like them, the problem I had they were so tall and would rub on the front, because the flared front fender is so square, not round like a tire. I also think a smaller front tire would have helped. I ended up going to 15" rsr style fuchs.


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Love the 15" RSR's, the previous wheels, not so much.

The whole problem is that a staggered set of 15's or 16's is becoming a thing of the past. I went with 17's because you actually have a selection of tires to choose from.

The 15" RSR wheels look SO much better on your red car!!!!

6 cylinder cars had the option of 14 inch tires, made the ride softer.
Mike

I always thought it odd that Porsche put the 14s on the high performance 914-6 vs the 914-4 getting the 15 inch wheels. The 911 at the time had 15s. I am thinking it was to clear the parts bins of all the leftover 14 inch Fuchs?

It was also interesting VW started with 16s on the early busses and went to 15s then 14's on the later busses. Such the opposit of today's method of running the largest wheel possible. I guess back then ride comfort and cost was most important.

The "leeeeeetle rubber bands" do weigh less than standard-height tires, though. In fact, I believe the combination of larger wheel + smaller tire can often be lighter than the smaller wheel + larger tire, which means you actually wind up with less unsprung rotating mass! But it depends quite a bit on the exact wheels and tires you are comparing.


Personally, I don't care for the look of 17s on a 914. With very, very few exceptions. But it is a taste thing. And it's getting significantly harder to find good tires in 15" and 16" wheel sizes...

--DD

I currently have these on now, I considered having them widened (car is now flared) but it will cost about $1000 plus tires. There are just so many more options if you go up one more inch.
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The great thing about wheels and tires is you're not locked in. If you change your mind, change the wheels.

17" Factory Porsche 10 spoke wheel.

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205/55 15s on the teen with 7s in the back. 17s on the baboon's butt. Still feel the 17s look out of scale compared to the original 16s, but as people have said, tire availability is so much better.

Just bought Conti Sports in 205/50 15s for the teener and will have them mounted next week. Squirrels should be very afraid.

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For me, it's about the correct combination of suspension ride height, wheel offset and tire sizing. 15-17" all look great when configured correctly. What would be really great is some alternative bolt pattern hub conversions.

So many great off the shelf options out there outside of the 5x130.

15'' are my favorite,I don't have the option to find these in my country and the cost to import is mental,i have 8x16 for the rear so have future body work.
My DD is a 2005 Audi A4 qt 3.0tdi on 18'' wheels from 16'' the ride is very firm ,honestly anyone that has gone from 14 or 15''to 17'' on a stock 914 and says the ride is ok with stock suspension is full of BS IMO,car was never designed for it besides.
Perhaps its a case of ''your car'' do what you like but not my thing cheers.

17x9 and 17x7.5

Here are 17"s
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and here are 22"s
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Choice is yours.

^^^^ totally.

With a wheel/tire combo different than stock it's all about getting them in the space correctly. The wrong offset/width/spacing/camber is a huge part of what makes them look weird. Have to get them to look "normal" in the wheel well.

17's

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I agree that to low a sidewall does not look right on a 914, but that can happen with any diameter rim.

I currently run 195/65-15 and like the look (4.99" sidewall, 24.98" dia.) but not the available tires.

Plenty of guys running 195 or 205/50's with calculated sidewall height/diameter of 3.84"/22.68" and 4.04"/23.07" respectively.

To me, the 195/50's do not look good at all and have too much effect on gearing.

The 205/50's still don't fill the wheelwell to my liking and still have to much effect on gearing.

205/60-15 looks ok (24.69" dia.), but again, no good summer tires in this size.

If you do a five lug swap you have endless (mostly) expensive rims to select from and still poor tire offerings in 15", limited in 16" and excellent in 17".

Staying 4 lug there aren't any good current rim offerings at all with the possible exception of the previously mentioned 17" fake Fuchs.

What I like about the 17" offering is that a 205/50-17 gives you the correct diameter for gearing (25.07"), speedo, and filling the wheelwell while still giving you just enough sidewall (same 4.04" as a lot of guys are running on smaller rims).

So it really comes down to the actual wheel/tire combo more than whether you have 15, 16 or 17" rims, I will agree that anything bigger would not look right because the sidewall would vanish to make them fit.

I poor man Photoshopped (Microsoft Paint) those fake Fuchs onto my 74 and like the way they look.

I already posted them in the other thread, but will again here.

I think I got the scaling about right, but decide for yourselves.

Exact wheels I am running on my Subie conversion. Wheels themselves are BBS, fronts are 7.5x17 @ tad over 18 pounds, the rears are 9.5 at just over 21 pounds. Reason these look good is they are blacked out, so the eye does not grab onto the rim.

You can get the are to set correctly with 17s, BTW, it just takes some work. Raised spindles, and raised rear pickup points.

Current trend in old school hot rodding is rubber band wheels, with the rim built to look like white wall.

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Those are 20s, look good, and proper for the car.

You could do the same thing with a 914, not white walls, but reduce the appearance of wheel, while still keeping the same overall diameter. The edge of the rim needs to be built out and blacked out to match the tire, and then it would look like a 15" Fuch in RSR finish, while it could be a 17, 18 etc....

No way! I'm not seeing it.

Good post!

That's really the first time I've seen 17's that I like on the 914 and good explanation on why they work.
But how to do this on a narrow body ......another question.

The repop 17" fuchs I don't think this will work as they have a much bigger center.

wrong pic?

http://www.hobbycar.com/cadillac.html

I always liked 17's on a 914. Gives it a more modern look. I have 17X7.5 and 17X9. I think they fill out the fenders nicely and I have no rubbing issues at all.

I like everything about this car except the mirrors but they're a popular option.

Depends on the rims. I'm happy with mine, I like Eleeuuuts too.
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This 914-6 Conversion I recently bought has 7.5x17 Cup wheels with stock fenders (lip rolled and pulled slightly but no rubbing)-
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...283114&st=0
I'm switching over to 7 & 8 x 16 Fuchs, and if someone's interested in these Cup wheels, they'll be going up for sale next month.

Great car!

Gorgeous car!! I wish my paint looked that good.

Mr Hines built me a set of 17s out of four 16x6s fuchs...I can't wait to put them on my 914 one day