944T spare wheels on 356?

[Bill Shea]

Hi all,

I'm considering installing a set of aluminum 944 Turbo spare wheels on my 64SC. Anyone out there who can give me a rundown of the pros and cons? What's the best solution for the 'second hole'? Other issues?

TIA,

Bill S.

[Greg Bryan]

Bill - that's a pretty common addition for the outlaw look. While I've never done it, I believe the second hole is welded up and the wheel is stripped of the paint, polished or repainted.

[Scott Halperin]

Bill,

Greg is spot on. Here are mine. The deflate holes are welded shut. The inflate stems seem to be a bit specific as they screw into place with o-rings and nuts. The pro is that they are really light weight. Con is you need to change out the studs to longer ones. I think mine are 45mm.

[Harold Singh]

Do they not bolt right onto a disc brake car?

[Scott Halperin]

The studs on my car were too short. I wanted to have a few threads to spare.

[Cliff Hanson]

Bill - that's a pretty common addition for the outlaw look. While I've never done it, I believe the second hole is welded up and the wheel is stripped of the paint, polished or repainted.

I have these wheels on my 64 SC and they fit perfectly with 195/65-15 size tires. They are 5-1/2" wide and only weigh 10.5 lb, about the lightest wheel you can find.

While most people weld up the extra holes I did not. I found a chrome plated or stainless steel (forgot which) button head, socket head cap screw (allen wrench) and a flat rubber washer that fit the threads and head and used a thin jam nut on the inside, which doesn't interfere with the tire bead. I think I used some thread locker Loctite on the nut threads. After nearly 4 years not they have not leaked any air. The button head capscrew is just about invisible at first glance and was much easier to do than having the hole welded. The valve stems that came with the wheels are like or the same as used on motorcycle wheels, are threaded with nuts on the inside.

[Al Zim]

I think this is the most DANGEROUS thing you can do to a disc brake car. Why not put some additional holes in the wheels as shown on page 27 of the May/June registry magazine. Vol.42 #1. This in NOT a DOT approved wheel! it was designed to run at 50 MPH maximum. The wheel is spun aluminum not forged or cast. Experience with my customers is that when you have a wheel or tire failure (tire most common) it results in about 10K damage to the fender of the car. Zim's does not make a market in those wheels. Hell no! al zim

[Cliff Hanson]

I think this is the most DANGEROUS thing you can do to a disc brake car. Why not put some additional holes in the wheels as shown on page 27 of the May/June registry magazine. Vol.42 #1. This in NOT a DOT approved wheel! it was designed to run at 50 MPH maximum. The wheel is spun aluminum not forged or cast. Experience with my customers is that when you have a wheel or tire failure (tire most common) it results in about 10K damage to the fender of the car. Zim's does not make a market in those wheels. Hell no! al zim

You may have a valid point, Al. Has nayone every heard of one of these 944T spare tire wheels failing? If so I'd like to hear about it.

[Sean M Rooks]

I think this is the most DANGEROUS thing you can do to a disc brake car. Why not put some additional holes in the wheels as shown on page 27 of the May/June registry magazine. Vol.42 #1. This in NOT a DOT approved wheel! it was designed to run at 50 MPH maximum. The wheel is spun aluminum not forged or cast. Experience with my customers is that when you have a wheel or tire failure (tire most common) it results in about 10K damage to the fender of the car. Zim's does not make a market in those wheels. Hell no! al zim

You may have a valid point, Al. Has nayone every heard of one of these 944T spare tire wheels failing? If so I'd like to hear about it.

Was it the rim or the space saver tire that was rated to 50MPH? I always assumed it was the latter. My '92 GTI spare for example has a goofy skinny little tire, like most modern cars do, that I can't imagine is safe beyond a certain speed. The steel wheel it's mounted to is likely more sturdy.

[Daniel Penfold]

I have a set on my coupe, had them on there for about 15000 miles no issues .
It’s the tyre that’s the speed limiting part , lots of outlaws running these wheels

[Al Zim]

Over the years a plethora of individuals have has better and more sophisticated ways to make the 356 BETTER! What they fail to realize is that the original design of the car was complete picture. Their creations may not fit the picture. These guys who built the 356 were all skilled engineers and were relying on skilled technicians to give them feedback on how things worked before they manufacturing process was set. That does not happen now.
Specifically in the case of the wheels after the Daytona speedway opened in 1959 what were the problem with the wheels on the stock cars and how did Junior Johnson solve that situation? That is the key to understanding your wheel situation. Go to Utube and look him up. Then this will be meaningful.
al zim