Andre Roodnat

I wan't to fit the phone dial rims with winter tyres under the Porsche this winter. They are 16" and 205 wide. I had them under the car last winter also, but I really don't like the looks of the narrow wheel in the fender. Spacers would bring the wheels further out which would improve the look a little. Could I do this with spacers? Anyone got a drawing, so I can have them made? How wide can they go?

Erik - Denmark

Andre'
I have 28 mm - You shall not make them (to risky) but buy them - Buy the type with 'build in' studs - Expencive ~ 200 €
Regards from Erik in Denmark

hupp

Performance Products has a good selection of spacers.

Andre Roodnat

Thanks, I'll look em up. Anyone know how wide you can have em with the original log nuts?

hupp

Not wide enough!

BrianG

I thought phone-dials wouldn't fit over the larger brake calipers of the S4 wheel?

Big Dave

That's what I thought, too.

Jim bailey - 928 International

Leave them in so the rears track in the same track as the front tires ,spacing out means they have to break through new snow. Also the bolt on spacers do NOT work with phone dials the phone dial has a circle of metal which connects the five mounting surfaces on the back of the wheel these hit the nuts which hold the spacers to the hub. You would need to install longer studs (a lot of work)and use a slip on spacer but then the rear track is wider than the front.

Andre Roodnat

Mine do. I don't think they are 928 though.

Thanks Jim. That's good advice. They are genuine winter tyres, but above about 10°C. Its still feels like I'm driving on snow. Once, I barely could keep the 928 out of the guard-rail. They are very, very treacherous above certain temperatures. I don't want to keep on the polished design 90" in winter, with all the salt and all.

Nicole

In his new book "Porsche 928 - Die Technische Dokumentation des Transaxle-Achtzylinders", Jörg Austen explicitly states that the phone dial rims MUST NOT be fitted on Euro cars from 86 onwards, because there is not enough clearance between rim and brakes. that's why the '86 S models in Europe - which had the S4 brakes - went back to standard flat dish wheels.

It sounds to me that you are taking a big risk here...

hupp

I suppose the bolt on spacers would work, granted they are thick enough such that the nuts holding them on the hub would counter sink. In other words, the spacers would need to be thicker than the original studs are long -- by some amount that I have not measured.

The DRM series, H&R Trak+, bolt on spacer offered by Performance Products appears to be designed such that the nut will counter sink. If the spacer chosen is thick enough. Probably need 35mm-43mm. PP also sells the "sandwhich" type spacers, along with a selection of longer wheel studs.

Obviously I've been thinking about spacing my rear phone dials as well. No worries about breaking through snow down here, but will spacing have any long term effects on bearings, etc?

Nicole

A few years ago I asked a good friend of mine - who happens to be an Engineer at Porsche's Chassis engineering team - what he thinks about spacers.

He told me that they influence a lot of factors on a suspension - more than many people think. The different position of the wheel in relation to other components of the suspension can put tremendous extra strain on these components, and change certain aspects of handling in unexpected ways.

I don't recall all the details of his answer, but I was reminded that sometimes when things look very simple to the clueless (like myself in this case), they can be outright dangerous to mess with. In other words, you might find a high quality spacer that itself holds up to all the strain, but something else on your suspension will wear out much faster. Or your steering or braking characteristics will change. For example, the car might no longer be as stable when you brake hard on uneven or slippery surfaces.

Be safe!

Andre Roodnat

They came with the car when I bought it. I drove around with them 1 season. Spacing was OK. Didn't come near the S4 brakes. Maybe it's because they aren't 928 rims.....