Need a little help. Every single person i speak to says "Just post it on 6speed and ask!" got a lot of great info. So far, nothing solid saying "yes, this is EXACTLY what you need."

So here's the scoop. 1984 Porsche 944. Stock offset is 23mm. Mind you, the stock offset in front is 23mm. The original wheels are as follows:

FRONT:
Part Number KBA40196
7JX15H2ET23
Offset ET23
16.75lbs each

REAR:
Part Number KBA40197
8Jx15H2ET11
Offset ET11
17.5lbs each

The NEW wheels which are from a 1996 911 Targa are as follows:
996.362.124.00

FRONT:
17x7"@55 offset

REAR:
17x8.5@50 offset


Now the confusing thing since i've never done spacers in my life is.... what do i need to do to space these out, WHAT kind of spacers do i need. And, before we get into the giant "spacers are bad, mkay!" discussion, I'm going hubcentric as they are the ONLY solution i'll go, i'm not doing standard spacers, HUBCENTRIC ONLY. However, I am unable to determine how big of spacers I need as this stuff makes no sense to me. I get mixed numbers. So does anyone have a definitive way of doing this? I've seen these wheels on the 944 many many times, but was never able to reach the owners on the spacer lengths needed.

HELP!

Some visuals... without spacers. Now, i've used a couple spacers from the stock ones to try and push them out, looked "better", and they don't rub. In fact, the car actually sits LOWER and has a bit more clearance because the tire profile is so low, compared to the others.





The other wheels:

 

To make the wheels sit at the EXACT same spot relative to your fender, you need:

32mm front, 33mm rears.

 

32mm frt and 33mm rear is correct to have the wheel face end up in the same location as before but your rear tires centerline will be inboard by 6mm.
If you want your tire centerline exactly the same as before then you'll need 39mm for the rear.
If I remember correctly the rears of the 1 gen 944's came with spacers already when the car ran 7" wheels front and rear (stock) ..... were you running that stock spacer with the ET11mm wheels?

 

...... another thing to keep in mind is the "many many many 944's" you've seen these wheels on were most likely '87 or newer ....... '86.5 they changed the interiors, '87 they "upgraded" the suspension making the wheels with the 55mm and 50mm offsets fit w/o spacers ..... just fyi

 

The back spacer is on the ET11 yes. Without the spacer, going hubcentric I was told to go with a 43mm in the rear. 33mm front from Alan. I did mean that I have seen them on the older cars, using spacers. I know the new ones have a different offset. Still can be done with the early 944.

 

If you need it, a handy offset calculator can be found here -> http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp

 

How thick is the stock spacer ..... you're better off not stacking spacers if you can help it so add the stock thickness to the numbers I gave you ..... I'd go with the '39mm + Stock Spacer = New Rear Spacer'
If I remember right (been 16 years since I sold my '83) the rear spacers were maybe 10mm. If they are, then you're going to be much happier with a 49mm rear spacer. The 43mm would be dead nuts to put the wheel face at the same place as before but since you're going 1/2" wider on the new wheel (8 1/2" right?) then the centerline of the tire is going to get pulled in half that 1/2" (1/4"). So to compensate for that (unless you plan to run a 10mm wider tire) you need to add that 1/4" (6mm) to the spacer landing you at 49mm.

Good Luck!

P.S. free to PM me with your phone number if you want to talk it out

 

Well guys, I ended up having a guy at a local performance shop say he would cut me a deal on spacers, charge no shipping/ freight. I did end up getting some locally.

However, if it weren't for the price difference, I'd have got them from Alan.

I do want to take a moment and thank Alan because he knows his stuff, and if not for him, I'd for sure have ended up with the wrong stuff. I put them on today and fitted the wheels and was in awe at how closely they fit, and how well they fit. I ended up going 43mm rear, 33mm front. The pics speak for themselves. I know where I WILL be going for the future, Alan impressed me with how QUICK he figured out everything, helpful and was nice enough to talk to me over the phone about it. No one else had offered that and explained it to me, and it made sense. So thank you.