Si Mitchell (911&Porsche world)

Carrera 3.2l

Year: 1986

Mileage: 121,998

The ill-suited replica wheels make way for lovely Design 911 Fuchs and Porsche-approved Continental tyres, I know it’s all about personal preference but, in my opinion, the only wheel to fit to a pre-’89 911 is the iconic Fuchs rim. When I went to view my 1986 Carrera 3.2, the previous owner had fitted 17in replica wheels, and I really struggled to look past these because I thought they looked absolutely awful on the car. The offset was in correct, they were too large and looked way too modern for the impact-bumper 911.

As soon as I had the vehicle home, I set about finding a set of 16in Fuchs as replacements, and I scoured eBay and all the Porsche forums.

Sets were coming up (and going) and selling for amounts that were out of my budget, and most of these were in need of a major refurb, plus tyres, which meant I could easily spend well over £1500 for the privilege.

I spoke to a few people within the scene, and they suggested I consider replica Fuchs, as these would be brand new and available at a very reasonable price.

I made a call to Karl Chopra, at Design 911, and he confirmed that he had the required wheels in stock and available in the size I wanted, 7×16 front and 8×16 rear, so a deal was struck. I’m not normally a massive fan of replica wheels (there’s nothing like the real deal!), but I was very impressed with the quality of these wheels and, at £556, they’re good value, too.

Right, now I needed tyres. After a bit of research, I discovered that Continental produces Porsche- approved N1 marked Z-rated tyres in the required sizes (205x55x16 front and 225x50x16 rear) – and I knew I had to have these. A few days later, a lovely set of tyres arrived at the 911 & Porsche World offices, and I couldn’t wait to get them on the car.

RSR Tyres & Exhausts, in Cousldon, fitted the tyres to the Design 911 Fuchs wheels, the old wheels were removed and the Fuchs were fitted in place. Wow! What a fantastic improvement! The wheels fit perfectly, with the correct offset giving the car the look I was after.

After a quick test drive, the difference is amazing – the old wheels were way too big and the vehicle used to tram-line like crazy. Now the car feels exactly how it should. The grip from the new Continentals was also noticeable straight away, as I guess it should be!

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