need wheels/tires, ...autocrossing Options

[Schnell944]

hey all. I'm getting my car ready for the autocross season and am new to the 914 scene. i was wondering what you guys consider from experience to be a good, relatively low budget, autocross wheel/tire setup. im prob. looking to buy used, and yes, ill be looking at the classifides here....i just would like some background info to help me with the choice....and if anyone knows of a set available please let me know! thanks! btw, this is a '72 914 1.7L w/o any mods.

Ryan Z

[Dave_Darling]

Version 1--Steel 914 wheels, 5.5x15" with about 4 3/4" or a little more backspacing. (That's the distance from the inner lip of the rim to where the wheel meets the hub.) Those should fit 195-width tires easily, and probably will fit 205-width tires. Steelies are cheap, which is their main plus.

Version 2--four-bolt Fuchs. They're 5.5x15 and have the right backspacing. They're also light and strong. They fit 195s on pretty much all 914s, and 205s on most. They seem to run "around" $100 each used, but prices can vary a lot.

Version 3--any alloy wheel that fits correctly (5.5x15, ~4 3/4" backspacing, 4x130mm bolt pattern). Not a lot of aftermarket wheels fit. These can be cheap or expensive, but are usually lighter than steel wheels and heavier than Fuchs.

Version 4--Revolution 6.5"x15" wheels with 5" backspacing. These should fit 205s on most cars, and should be medium-light. The tires will work more effectively on 6.5s than they do on 5.5s.

Which version you choose depends on what you need and what you can afford. Some rulesets will penalize you (put you in a different class) for using wider wheels than the stock 5.5 inchers.

I say go for the steelies. If you're just beginning, the extra weight won't make an appreciable difference, and you can put the money you'll save over Fuchs or other alloys into attending more events and keeping up on the maintenance of the car.

Seat time is the biggest single factor.

--DD