Tires for 73 911 S with 7 in rims front and rear

[Chief_charlie]

I am in the process of bringing back to life a 73 911S that has 7 inch Fuchs rims front and rear. These rims were on the car when I purchased it in 1989. It needs new tires; and the ones on it..205 x 60 x15......were purchased 10 yrs ago and only mounted to make it a "roller" to get it to the shop that is "reviving" the car, so the ride height is not set or any clearance issues identified.

I want to keep the 7's on the car, and could use some suggestions on whether staying with the 205 x 60 x 15's is advisable. Also a recommended tire/brand from either the Tire Rack or Discount Tire in that size. Looking for an all-season hi performance tire rather than a streetable competition tire such as the Yoko AVS.

Tire Rack salesperson suggested 205x55x15, byt that seems a little too low profile.

Thank you in advance for your suggstions

[jameshtaylor]

195/55's, 205/55's and 205/60's will all work well on the 7" rim. The profile difference between a 55 and a 60 is pretty minor. Yoko, Bridgestone, Firestone, BFG, Kumho, Toyo Pirelli and others all make fine tires.

[RSTarga]

This is what the factory recommends
http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...R15-CR6-ZZ-NEW

[kentf14]

FWIW, you aren't going to comfortably stuff anything over a 205/60 without rubbing. I ran 205s on my 6" wheels without issue under spirited driving conditions... loading up the rear etc. Once I put 7"s all around, the very same 205/60s would rub up high in the rear fender when loading up in a corner. I've got yellow Bilsteins, upgraded torsion bars and fat sway bars, but they still rubbed. Rather than repaint the rear quarters once the paint burned from the rub, I went with the Avons in 185/70
They look awesome, drive very well and I've got no risk of burning my paint. While 185 may seem skinny by todays standards, keep in mind that the Avons are DOT race tires and will outgrip ANY 205 street tire.

-Kent

[merbesfield]

Avon's are too expensive, IMO. You should have no problem running 205/60's I have done it many times before. Plenty of good reasonably priced tires. If your rubbing you may need some adjusting? I've never had that problem. 55's will look less "correct", i.e. stock on the car unless you are going for a lowered non stock look. The OD of a 205/60 is 24.7" which is very close to the OD of the original 185 and or 195/65 that is commonly used on the 6" wheels. So you know, the difference between a 60 series and a 55 series is 1/2". Each step up or down adds or subtracts 1/2" from the OD. Good luck and post some pics.

[gled49]

Did I miss? What kind of 7's, 7R or Carreras 7's. I had problems with 195/60's on C7's.

[kentf14]

"Avons are too expensive" says the guy with a $200K car
They last a long time given that most of us aren't using our '73S as a daily driver. Tires are definitely a personal taste thing though. We've got more than a few tire threads on the forum proving as much.
If we're talking about standard 15X7 wheels (i.e. Not 7R) that extra inch is placed outboard. You might be OK on 205s if you're going with factory US specific ride height, but I don't roll that way.

[cmcfaul]

205's will generally fit with the max camber you can get in the rear. Will not be able to fit your pinkey finger between the fender and the tire but should not rub. Again, with the maxium amount of negative camber you can adjust to.

Chris

73 911 E

[Chief_charlie]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I think I will go with the 205 x 60 x 15's, Yokohama YK580's from Discount Tires. The car is in San Diego @ Wayne Baker's Personalized Autohaus and their folks will get the tires for me and set the ride height. I don't know if the wheels are "regular" 7 in rims or the 7R's as mentioned in your Replies. Perhaps one of you could advise how you tell...is there a marking on the inside of the wheel? (I sorta remember seeing 6J on the inside of other Porsche wheels in the past)

The car is almost ready to roll after being "inactive" since 1993. The front seats are being re-done by Tony Garca @ Autobahn Interiors nearby; and the carpets need to be replaced. After that it's...drive it! Thanks
Charlie

[jameshtaylor]

7 x 15's fetch a couple hundred dollars each; 7R's are worth North of $2k each.