steel wheel question

[Kubelmann]

Your solution for 5 x 130 steel rims is simple. What you are looking for are the steel 924 / 944 spare tire rims. They would allow hub cap clips and would look stock Thing, You would not even need a paint job as the silver/gray paint is the same colroas Thing stock rims. I just got one on eBay for $25 as a spare for my off road thing. They are 5.5 or 6" wide I can measure mine this weekend to ensure the exact size. I ended up chickening out on the Blizzks and went wiht 195 65 15 mud and snow studded Hankook tires for hte street car. I am now planning to run the Blazzaks onthe back of my off road car. Since I have a new set of four i figure I can run teh two pairs bald and get the use of them rather than try something else for now. K-mann

[Kubelmann]

I forgot to mention that if you need 924/944 brake parts I have a great source for them at a good price. My experience wiht the 5 x 130 brake set up is to secure the wheels at a allowable price prior to commiting to this set up. I have runt he 5 x 130 off raod and it holds up to the beating well. The down side is you will not be able to get a spare tire from a buddy of you eat a wheel/tire and are out of spares. One of the revered addages of the off road creado is to run what everyone else runs so that you can bum parts and get home. On Herr Kubelmann I plan to runa pari fo the compact stock steel Porsche spare tires. I have one and am looking for a second. I also plan to have a rear spare tire holder with a Centerline like everyone else runs. Considering I can build a full 4 wheel disc brake system for way under $500 the other issues are minimal. The other advantage to this set up is that the parts are very cheap to replace adn repair adn the engineering is far beyond any of the after market high dollar parts. A 944 rear caliper or a CSP German front cross drilled rotor or a Brembo rear cross drilled rotor is nearly indestrucable. Not to mention the 14 x 1.5 x 220 mm wheel studs and lug nuts. I am also running stock 944 rear wheel spacers that add and additional 2" of total rear tire width wiht no loss in strength. The good news is that these spacers were specifically engineered for the Porche, wheels, arms and brake hub set up. Very harmonically balanced. It took me nearly three years of constant hassle to allign these parts but when I didi the second thing it was plug and play. I even have a perfect solution to adapt the rear interior independent drummed e brake sytem for the 944 rear brakes to the Thing that costs under $10 and works every time. K-mann

[suntour]

RW,

As Bob mentioned earlier you really should do a write up of this 944 swap. It sounds like a perfect solution for the disk conversion. Normally when someone mentions Porsche parts you start to see dollar signs flash before your eyes. I guess that could be why people don?t often consider it as a viable solution. Last Porsche I had was going to break me. The air box for the fuel injection crapped out and it was $500 to get a used one, I don?t even want to mention what the used transmission cost me when original one grenaded and blew the side of the housing apart. (of course this was before the internet and its wonderful source of parts and information, had I know then what I know now?) Anyway because of previous experience I wouldn?t normally consider Porsche anything assuming it would be cost prohibitive, I think that your write up would be perfect to help break the expensive stigma and help a lot of people convert to a amazing piece of German engineering.