A five-lug wheel and tire odyssey: 205/55 to 195/65 to 185/70, Going old-school, in terms of tires and wheel finishes... Options

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So I've been on a return my car to 1973 kick... and the wheels and tires are the latest step. Next up, NARP reflector removal.

Anyway, I searched and searched and found few threads that offered me a chance to really look at the various choices.

So... here's some pics I took along the way.

First up is the car as it's been since 1992, on 15x6 "Deep Six" Fuchs with polished lips, silver painted centers, and 205/55ZR15 tires (in this case Yoko ES100s, which I hated with a passion).

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And...last one.

All up, I dig the new look and the fact it is period-correct, but I do miss the "uniqueness" of the old silver wheel with polished lip look. However, I like the fact that the wheels now complement the rest of the 914's bright and black finishes.

I also miss some of the aggressive stance contributed by having 205s filling out the fenders. On the other hand, I dig the fact the taller tires fill out the fender cut-outs both vertically AND horizontally, the latter being an aesthetic "problem" with low-profile rubber on 914s.

I'd be tempted to move to 195/65s or 205/60s to fill out the fenders, but there are none I like in terms of vintage-looking sidewalls and non-alien tread patterns. I think I am leaning towards thin spacers in back and fairly aggressive spacers up front to fill out the fender wells, a problem that's most noticeable in the photo in the post above. And this is with 911 front suspension. The narrower 914 four-lug setup would be even worse!!!

I know there are others who could care less about sidewall and/or tread pattern aesthetics (I used to be among them), but I am starting to view my 914 differently. I don't plan on driving it any slower, but I do like the idea of tires that look like they're from the period and, more importantly, accentuate "feel."

Now, if I get a killer motor, the only way to fly might be a set of Yoko R-compounds in 205/60R15. The good news with those is the sidewalls are simple...

Hope this is an informative thread for someone trying to visualize differing options when it comes to 914s...

[McMark]

On the other hand, I dig the fact the taller tires fill out the fender cut-outs both vertically AND horizontally, the latter being an aesthetic "problem" with low-profile rubber on 914s.

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The new stuff looks GREAT! Nice move Pete!

[orange914]

On the other hand, I dig the fact the taller tires fill out the fender cut-outs both vertically AND horizontally, the latter being an aesthetic "problem" with low-profile rubber on 914s.

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The new stuff looks GREAT! Nice move Pete!

i like the 205x60x15's on my sons 73. we really size shopped to find what wouldnt look to low pro on the 15's but "still aggresively square" not bulbuos (?). we had a set of 17's with low pro's that we mocked up and they looked real cool (updated look). but i dont like the lo profile look on 15's, just too small (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif)