George, your car looks terrific.

Exactly what I did end of September, except I went with 195/60-15. Local Firestone dealer matched Tire Rack's price and had me in and out quickly for around $330. Posted the following review on Tire Rack:

"Softer-sidewall tires than the BFGs I replaced; I could immediately feel the increased flex and slower transition during steering input. However, once they take a set there's not a lot of squirm, they're pretty stable. On the plus side, the ride is noticeably smoother and less harsh, so for a spirited street car this is a good compromise. Let's see how well they work out after some serious miles!"

So that was you...I was hoping it was someone on the forum that might chime in.

Are you still happy with them?

I was truly hesitant to let them do the mounting and balancing for fear of them lifting the car incorrectly or screwing it up while behind the wheel, so I am taking them to a different shop. Glad it worked out for you.

Hey Darling Dave, I totally agree with you I love the 195/50ZR/15 (made by Yokohama - nla for the A-008 type)which I need to replace, can't even find any ZR rated tires anymore.

I've talked to you a couple of times on the phone years & years ago and you've always had Rock Solid advice.

So, here's my question.

I deffinately want to stay with the low pro's no debating that one - your dead right world of difference! But I would like to have more accurate speedo & I wouldnt mind having lower rpm's.

Where the 'Rub' is (forgive the pun) that my tires I have on my chrome rims are 185/65/15. the drivers rear clearance is super tight, can't even get my pinkie in between tire and well. do you know if these chrome rims are totally offset? or are they the same as the Fuch's? (I'll upload pic of the chrome ones)

I will be putting the new tires on my 2.0 L. OEM Fuch's .....so, If I were to go a little bigger with still a 50% would that work? Could you suggest any sizes to check out?

Sorry to ask this, there is no tire shop nearby so I will be having to order over the internet, so I cant just go down to a shop or anything of the sort, that and like I said - great advice before - thanks.

Bonnie


Click to view attachment

I am still happy with the tires after 1500 miles or so. I tend to like a really "tight" car with quick response - I'm used to racing FWD cars with 1800#/in rear springs and big bars - and these Firestones are markedly less responsive than the BFGs. But I still think the compromise in ride quality is worth it.They ride better on the highway, are quieter, and even my wife noticed the improved smoothness, so it's all a plus.

I'll tell ya, I was worried about leaving a 43-yr-old car with Fuchs and walking away to go to work, mostly because I thought they might tear them or the center caps up. But I've gotten stuff from this Firestone shop in the past (couple sets of tires for the Excursion) and they did a good job. I did re-check the torque and it was slightly over-tight, but otherwise no marks on the wheels or caps. Underside looks fine.

That's good to hear and I think these will work out well for their intended purpose. Thank you very much for the feedback. I'm generally the same way when it comes to sports cars...would take internal bleeding over mush normally, but this car has different purpose for me. I've never had so much fun going slow. We had bridgestone RE11s mounted on the 911 last fall and love them, but there is nothing even close in the 195/65 size.

It can be a crapshoot with those places and glad you have a good one. Like a car dealership's service department, there are varying levels of talent, and I'm just not that lucky.

It is likely that your chrome wheels are not the same offset as the stock 914 wheels. Bug wheels, for instance, usually place the tires further out in the fenders.

It would be exceedingly unusual if you couldn't fit 195s on Fuchs under stock fenders. There's a pretty decent chance you could fit 205s--and you can be pretty certain if you're willing to flatten or trim the fender lip.

A set of 205/65-15 should be close to the original diameter. Also 205/60-15. Both are good choices for a 914.

--DD

Bonnie, some 914s came out of the factory with non-symmetrical rear suspension too. The rear track is wider than the front to begin with, so fitting wider wheels is sort of iffy, especially if the offset/backspacing of the wheels isn't correct for the car.

I installed a nice set of 5.5" EMPI 8-spoke freshly powder-coated wheels with Falken 195/65-15 tires on the '71, but the left rear rubbed the fender lip ... The backspacing on those wheels was for VW Bugs/Ghias/Squrebacks, etc. - so I sold them. I stated this issue in my for sale ad, and they fit just fine on the gentleman's car who purchased them.

I doubt you'll have any issues with the (real) factory 4-lug Fuchs wheels though, they have the correct backspacing. Typically, 195/65's on those will present no issues, and a lot of folks do run with 205/60s with no issues either.

In any event, you can install your 'un-tired' wheels on the rear and measure the distance to the fender lip about 2~3" above the outer rim of the wheels (where the tire will be wider than the wheel itself) to see how much clearance you'll have. Caution, though, some manufacturer's tires are a tad wider, even if listed as the same size.

I had the Firehawks mounted today. From the ride home which was a mix of highway and back roads, it’s a significant change from the tires that were on there. The car feels much more composed over road imperfections and inspires much more confidence all around. It’s not an apples to apples comparison since it’s a completely different size and type of tire, but I can say that I am very happy with these so far.

Also, I kept the 165/80s in case anyone needs them and placed an ad for the free set of 4 in the classified section:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=320073

Click to view attachment

Hello
On my last car I ran
205-50-15 Potenza summer tires
Stuck like glue in the turns and really enhanced the dynamics of the car.

Currently I have all season 205-50-15 front and 225-50-15 rear

Not bad tires, just not as inspiring in the turns.

Lower profiles Pros:

Better feel
Better cornering
Better dynamic performance

Cons

Lower to the ground
Could scrape pavement
Harsher ride
Rear wheel well not filled in as much (this can be adjusted)

IMHO I like the sportier ride and the grip of the summer tires better than the softer ride of the taller aspect ratio tires.

Hope this helps

Pep boys had some great pricing on 185/65-15 all season.