Hello all, Anyone out there have any experience installing larger after-market wheels on a 308 that actually fit and clear the fenders? Just received my "new" 78 308GTB last thursday and I'm busy digging into it. Over-hauling the steering rack right now. This car is a Koenig hot-rodded 308. It has wider 15" Boxer wheels with wide low-profile tires that stick out of the side of the car and throw the speedometer way off with their smaller than original diameters. I looked at some wheels at nicksforzaferrari.com but they are quite wide and I wonder how well they fit. Haven't found any other listings so far. Wil de Groot
Biggest that can fit are 19s...but you should ask yourself, why?? I think 17s or 18s are the best bet. IMO. You can use the wheels off most modern Ferraris, unless that is you have a single lug..
I saw some 17" Speedlines on a 308 years ago. They looked great. And,had the,basically,same pattern as the Ferrari wheels. I'm even considering them for my 308.
see my "288 GTO STYLE Wheel" thread Compomotive makes some great wheels www.usacomp.com the thread and link may be of some help. my red 1977308GTB was delivered Thursday. best of luck to you with your "new" 308!
Hey thanks, the issue is not what fits the hub but what fits the fenders on a 308. The wheels at NIcksforzaferrari.com are 18" dia but the rears are 10" wide so I just wonder if that fits inside the fender.
Agreed. The 308 looks great with 17 or 18" wheels. IMO the best looking 308 on the board belongs to Steve Rochlin. Have a look at the new wheels he installed on his 308 Euro.
Thanks Jeff. IMHO this whole larger rims thing depends if you just want a 'cheap' set of bigger (bling) rims or want something worth upgrading to for enhanced performance (or larger tire choice if you have those worthless stock metric rims). Larger rims, some of which discussed here, weight A LOT MORE THAN STOCK and as such you will cause the performance to go to sh*t fast. This is UNSPRUNG weight/rotating mass. i will not expose the guilty party(s) here who offer heavy rims at 'cheap' prices. Ask about rim weight and decide for yourself if the added weight over stock and the lowering of performance is 'worth it for the added bling bling. As for rim size without using spacers the stock 308 here seemed to be fine with 17x8 front and 17x9 rear BUT REMEMBER i DO NOT use a stock suspension system. The rear could go 10-inch wide, but then you have to decide if you will be achieving higher or lower performance (10-inch great for drag race, perhaps not good for a road course). BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER!!! So this all goes back to do you want bigger for 'bling bling' sake or for performance? My apologies if my writings read a bit less than tactful here. Just moved and my cell phone company is giving me the shaft, the mover's bill gave it to me up the a$$ without lubrication, am stuck using lousy dial up until the sat net system arrives, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc (you get the point). So my apologies for being very blunt here. As with nearly everything Ferrari, if you REALLY want to do it RIGHT open your wallet BIG. And now some pics...
Saw a set of 360 rims on a 308, pretty sweet and no rubbing, front or back. Here is a pic. Image Unavailable, Please Login
No reason to fake 'em, they go pretty cheap used. And, of course, they're SMOKIN' HOT looking! I will (1) be selling a set myself soon! and (2) be writing up the process I used to put a set on my 308.
Auraraptor, Real, thats cool. Looks good. Is that your car? Can you tell me what size tires are on there? I'd really love to know. Wil de Groot
I've not heard of anyone tooling up to manufacture copy 360 wheels. I can't see the point, there are enough people selling standard 360 wheels anyway, check ebay.
No, I have a 328 that also has these wheels. I am have 225x40-18 all around on S02s. (I run all 'fronts' and they are only a 7.5 wide rim) I only run fronts because 1) the rears are extremely heavy compared to the stock, the fronts are not as much 2) our 3x8s hardly make enough low-end power to warrant much wider then 245 or 255 in the rears, in fact a good sticky 225 or 235 is more then ample 3.) if I want to run a wider rear, I need to alter the rear spring/shock setup to correct interference issues with in the rear. Not something I am willing to do at this time, and thus I can only run the narrower fronts, which limits my max width to 225. At a later date, if I do not bent up my rims, I am going to up size the rear to a 245x40-18 or a 255x35-18 on 512 rims (keeping my front at 225x40-18). I need to get new pictures of my setup. Soon. This was my teaser: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10071 If you want to have a set on your car, it is a simple manner of getting the proper spacers from Paul o Hill Engineering (site sponsor, he knows the sizes, just tell him what you currently have and that you are switching to all 360 fronts) and bolting them up if they are all fronts. Make sure to use 360 bolts and not your 308 bolts! If you DO want to run 360 rears, it may be possible to use spacers to push out the wheel beyond spring. You will need to run a 255/35. Final thought, remember to get an alignment when you are done!
Thanks for the info. It all helps. I'm still waiting for a reply from Kinesis about tire sizes used with their wheels. I have to decide soon because I already sold the Boxer wheels that came on the car. They actually looked pretty cool but the fit in the rear was bad. I'm curious to see your new pictures. Wil de Groot
Steve, Thought you might be interested to know that I sold the Boxer rims that were on my 308GTB and ordered a set of Kinesis K57 (5 point star center) 17 X 8 and 17 X 9 three piece wheels today. I was told 5 to 6 weeks to build them so I guess I won't see them untill some time in January. That's OK I guess. The car had Koenig installed fiber-glass side skirts and fender flare extensions, for the 285/40-15 tires on the back, that I don't need anymore so I'm going to be busy for a while restoring and repainting lower body work. There is a list of other items that need attention so I'll just be patient. I'll put the fiber-glass on Ebay to try and raise some money for new tires. Anyway, Thank you very much again for all the advice and input from you and the other Fchat guys that contributed their insight. I know from experience how easy it is to make an expensive mistake and really apreciate all the help. Regards to all, WIL DE groot
netviper, many thanks my friend. The rims are 'only' 17-inch so as not to have too little nor too much sidewall rubber. It was a compromize as the New England roads have pot holes and too little sidewall would probably further stiffen the suspension and more adjustments would need to be made. The 17-inch Mich PS2 has a softer sidewall than the previous 16-inch Kumho tires so in the end re-tuning the car was not THAT big a deal. This is the advantages of having an adjustable suspension versus the stock Koni. Wil, congrats on the new rims and look forward to seeing pics when you have them mounted. 17x8 front and 17x9 rear should be very nice and take care about the rears and spring/shock clearance. As stated earlier, my suspension system in not stock so just want you to note how the rears clear the suspension system. It does indeed sound like you have a project on your hands. Am still amazed how well the new rims, Brembo brakes, and Mich Pilot Sport PS2 all work together on the 308 here with the dual adjustable suspension and black Energy suspension bushings. The car is FAR better than stock as the difference IS NOT subtle. Makes for a MUCH more drivable/usable car... (said in good humor) provided the nut behind the wheel know what s/he is doing entering/exiting turns, and the many fast twisty bits and elevation changes on these New England roads. The many mountain roads here are erotic Enjoy THE DRIVE Steven R. Rochlin
Steve, Thanks, I'll post those pictures when the wheels are mounted. By the way. Does your speedometer read correctly with those back tires? Did you install double adjustable racing Konis or some other brand? Yeah, Connecticut is a beautifull state with great driving roads, I've driven to Lime Rock a zillion times and have crossed your state on many occasions, But I live in west central Jersey right on the Pennsylvania border and it's pretty with great winding roads around here too (and with pot holes too!) I'm of the same opinion concerning the larger rim diameters. A few years ago I visited my daughter when she was living in Savanah. She had giant chrome wheels on her car with super low profile tires and would drive at snail's pace on the cobble stone streets for fear of bending a rim! Regards, Wil de Groot
Wil, The speedo is off about -3% or thereabouts. So i am going faster than what it reads out (this is all tested via GPS speed tracking). The shocks and springs are from Fchat sponsor Nick http://www.nicksforzaferrari.com/forzaferrariwebsite1005.htm . The Kinesis rims are VERY rigid so unless you hit something really big i would not fear for bending them. This is also why 17 inch makes sense over 18. And as for the suspension, i HIGHLY recommend redoing it with new shocks, springs, and Energy Suspension graphite (black) bushings. Not cheap, but it TRANSFORMS the car's handling
