OK, I know, I know, it is always cheaper to buy a /6 conversion or original that is already done. Now that that is out of the way who has a 6 with out flares? After seeing the cars again at the WI/IL gathering I know deep down /6 is where I want to be. Its not going to happen anytime soon, but for me I am not sure about the flares on the car. The car will be a driver & AX weapon so maybe with the /6 it will need bigger (wider) tires? I currently run 205 50 15 and might be able to fit 215 under the stock fender with a slight pull of the fender.

I'm working a deal on a 74 911 targa that needs some repair work. This would be the donor for the 5 lug and 2.7 motor. I really like the looks of a narrow body 914, but would I really need 16/17 inch rims with wide tires?

Another question, anyone with a /6 and four lug rims? Are the billet hubs still available? Link for the club store doesn't work.

Right now I am just thinking out loud.

Mine is still in the narrow body format and I'm going to leave it that way.

If I do anything with the fenders it'll only be maybe pulling out the rears just a little to allow for some wider tires.

I'm a narrow body and will stay that way...

Trekkor has a /6 conversion with 4-lugs which he tracks and auto-xs quite a bit....


John Rogers has a /6 conversion (with 200+hp and huge slicks) that is 4-lug and running the billet front hubs, which are available. Contact Brad for purchase.

I guess I'd have two votes:

Original six: Keep it original. I like the look of the narrow body sixes with the smaller Fuchs. The value will be greater as a true vintage car.

Conversion: Flare it and get some big ol' tahrs under there!!

-Josh2

if a real six I'd say stock body or steel GT flares....


as for a conversion, who cares, do what you want.....


by the way, there are few /6's (real) that have stock narrow bodies with motors that are 3.0 and bigger

as for me, I've got just a lowly 1.8 and will be installing steet GT flares ...all show and no go, hahahhaha

I have had both and think I still like the look of a stock narrow body the best. It's just such a clean look for the car. But I also like flares if done right.

flare it!!! I love the look of a GT car. You can also get bigger wheels under there, and have more of a selection too. A pic I took at WCC 05

I'm a fan of the flares. What Ghia Specialties has done looks very nice as well but $$$. Guy does gooooood work!

Once the software company I'm working for takes off (not holding my breath right now) I plan on spending stupid money on converting my basket-case 1.7L body teener into a sixer. I should be able to afford the shipping of the car to McMark et al.

So how big a tire and rim can you run with out flares?

Joe O'brien puts 225's under them but I've only been able to get 205's on 6 inch rims under mine and that's with rolled fenders.

The general rule of thumb says that a 205/50-15 on a 15x7 will fit most teeners. All are slightly different though.

In some circumstances, a 15x8 with 205's can fit. But you need the propper backspacing to make it work. 5" is the magic number for 8" wide wheels. And with the right wheel and tire, 225's on 7's can fit under the stock rear fenders. The fronts can take a lot more.

The tire brand and model will come into play as much as the size stamped on the sidewall. While they all may be marked "225", some are a good bit wider than others. Hoosiers tend to run a good bit wider than Toyo's even though they're marked the same size.

When trying to shoehorn as much tire and wheel in there as possible, make a lot of measurements before spending money.

But a 225 on an 8" rim under stock rear fenders? Nope, not gonna happen. Even with a 7" rim, it's gotta be the right rim. Make sure that backspacing is correct.

-Josh2

My opinion, FWIW (not much), is that a stock body is like a beautiful woman but with a flat chest. Nice, but missing something important.

If you like the narrow body and want to run 225's do what Trekkor did. I did the same, but not as gracefully. I'm running 205x55-15 on 6" cookies up front and 225x50-15 on 7" cookies in the rear. I used a hydraulic jack with a block of wood inside and cut sections of plywood against the inside of the fender. All done after rolling the lips. You will need bondo and paint for this approach. The results are narrow body with a (IMHO) much more aggressive stance.


Click to view attachment

I have not yet done the body work to fix my mistakes.

A good point.

There are ways to get more tire under the rear of the car without GT flares. I did a similar method as Leo and Trekkor, without the luxury of the porta-power or hydraulics. I just used an adaptation of the baseball bat technique. But the flares look great at 20/20 (20 feet away or 20 mph). And I also haven't fixed the cracking of the paint that came from the "fenderizing"...

I'm running 225/45-15's on 8" wheels front and rear.

-Josh2

Love your car Josh - meats under narrow rocks

My vote is :

Josh, you must live in a 914 alternate universe. I've seen one stock bodied 914 fitted with 7" wide Fuchs and the fenders needed to be stretched by the body shop beofre painting. I can't imagine how one could make 8s fit. And 225s with 7s can certainly only be done with lots of stretching.

I'd say 205s on 6" rims is about the largest you can go without tweeking fenders. And some stock cars can't even take 205s.

In any case, do this project in stages. Since flare/wider wheels requires stretching or welding and paint/body work you will need to do it in conjunction with painting the car. I'd get your engine and everything else squared away and then think about flares.

Sure, wider tires will make for more traction around an autocross course but unless you are building a dedicated race car just do what you like for your car. Flares alone won't make you king of the hill at local autocrosses.

Dr Evil has some nice flares. Looks like it was just pulled way out.

I rolled the lips, then used baseball bat to pull a bit. I have 17x8", with 235-40's all around.

I never liked flares.....until I saw this one. My next car will be flared.

205's on 15x8's with 5" backspacing can indeed fit on -some- cars without stretching. I've seen it done. The fenders were rolled, but not stretched. Then again, on other cars, you can't even get a 205 on a 7" wheel without serious fenderizing. All cars are a bit different. My car required a lot of fenderizing to get 225's on 8" rims to fit in the rear. Nothing needed in the front though.

-Josh2