Educate me please: Matching date stamp for steelies

[NeunElf]

My car was delivered in June 1965 but probably completed in May. Its steel wheels are stamped 4-65.

[68er]

Thanks Jim,
then my adviced steel wheels with 1/68 stamps would perfectly fit to my car delivered 3/68!
Stefan

[Greg D.]

I like this "old fashion" look with the steelie very much and a little more than the "sportive" look with my Fuchs wheels,
Stefan

Yes, but did you like how it "drives" on the steelies ? I love the look as well, but I took a spin around the block and went back to fuchs. I thought my steering was broken and I'd lost 30 hp ;-( The "light allow" steelies is what I want now, but $$$$$.

[68er]

...good point Greg! I really do not know how it drives on steelies. I will test it and for sure keep my fuchs to have the option to swap back if the driving experience on steelies is too bad. I think the choice of tires is a significant factor. We will have a classic car show here in Stuttgart (http://www.retro-classics.de) where Porsche Classic will attend and I will ask them for their recommendation concerning tires and let you know.
Stefan

[NeunElf]

Yes, but did you like how it "drives" on the steelies ? I love the look as well, but I took a spin around the block and went back to fuchs. I thought my steering was broken and I'd lost 30 hp ;-( The "light allow" steelies is what I want now, but $$$$$.

Maybe some of this was tire selection, maybe the wheels needed straightening... Of course I never drove your car so I'm just wondering.

When I restored my 911 back in 1997-1998, I used two sets of wheels: the original 4½ x 15 steel wheels with Dunlop SP21 165SR15 economy car tires and 5½ x 15 Fuchs alloys with 195/65VR15 Continental Sport Contact tires.

The handling left something to be desired with the Dunlops, especially if I couldn't use any throttle in turns. The car was just evil, unstable, and squirrly, and that was without generating a lot of lateral g's.

More recently, I replaced the Dunlops with Vredestein Sport Classics in 165HR15. The Vredesteins feel pretty much like the wider Continentals and I haven't mounted the Fuchs since.

[Greg D.]

Well, I did compare apples to apples with the exact same tire brand and size, to exclude such variations. You are talking about 165 vs 195 so it is entirely possible the much smaller wheel and tire combo mitigated the weight difference. And I am glad it worked out for you...

In my case , first time was on a 69 912 (steelies vs fuchs, both in 185 or 195 if memory serves). Second time on a 72 911, same wheels (I only have so many sets at my disposal). A third time (I'm a slow learner), I replicated that experiment with modern minilites (about as heavy as steelies) vs fuchs on a later 911 (SC)- same conclusion. Gone ! I wanted to love the heavier wheels (3x!!) but each time I hated them. They made the steering feel numb, the car felt slower to accelerate and decelerate. All seat of the pants, but that's what those cars are about (feel). The only "good" consequence of the heavier wheels was that the car felt more planted on bumps or road imperfections. I forget the exact numbers but the weight difference was huge, maybe 10lbs per corner? modern manufacturers would give their left nut for a saving like that (new carbon wheels come to mind). I could feel it, very strongly. More so in the less powerful 912 (and it felt like the steering got a novocaine shot). To each his own, however, it is a good look and I like it. I just could not live with it.

[Bobs 67S]

After 28 years on Fuchs I went back to steel wheels. Totally changes the look of the car. It looks far more period correct. Note i didn't raise the stance back to stock and mess up the corner balance. The front has the wider track with vented rotor hubs and the rear had longer studs for the 10mm wheel spacers to push them further out. Check the specs your front track is already wider than the 65/66 cars and verify if you have wheel spacers on the rear. The factory was playing with getting wider track and some rear brake rotors had a wider cast face to push out the track by about 4mm. You can hot rod your stance and track width without any adverse change to the look of the car... the cornering is vastly improved.

And, skinny little Vredestein 165 tires are a hoot to drive on. Steering is more .... ummm lets say active. Grip is wonderful.

(Lets not compare them to the 195/205 50 series sticky street tires - Tire rack calls them extreme performance summer tires - or other more grippy rubber aka Hoosiers). But you will not be addressing every corner with the same commitment to hold grip and responsive turn in as you would on the other gripmasters. Give the Vred's a try, I really liked them on this car.

The car is "TK" a fun 1964 911 on his way to California with what totaled to 407K miles. I put on almost a quarter of a million miles during a 31 year ownership, so I know your 1968 should be driven to at least that amount. And, Yes wheels date stamped one, two or three months prior to you kardex delivery date will be a perfect period match.

[T308]

This might sound like a dumb question but did the factory ever mix manufactures on a car? Did the spare ever not match the four tyres for example?
Thanks

[damsroy]

For what it worth on my May 73E built I have four 04/73 stamped Fuchs wheels. Spare is also dated 04/73.