Help with 18" wheels

[Wiesel]

I want 18" wheels for my 987S (on order), for ride comfort and handling. I like the look of the 18" Carrera III wheels, but I understand they don't fit on a Boxster.

It has been slow to dawn on me that 18" 996 Carrera 5-Spoke wheels look nearly the same and were optional on the 2003 Boxster S. Those wheels come in 8" and 9" widths -- the same widths as the 2005/2006 18" Boxster S wheels.

You can see the wheel choices at www.WheelEnhancement.com

Is there any reason why I shouldn't put 18" 996 Carrera 5-spoke wheels on my 987S?

Below is information that I got from Wheel Enhancement. Any comments on the info they have provided? Is there any issue created by these differing offsets, or with the use of spacers on the rear wheels only?

According to Wheel Enhancement:

The wheels on the 2006 Boxster S have the following offsets:

8x18" 57mm

9x18" 43mm

The 2002 996 Carrera 5-spoke wheels have the following offsets:

8x18" 50mm

9x18" 52mm

Using the 8x18" 2002 wheel with a 7mm more aggressive offset on the front is not a problem, the wheel will be well within the fender on the car. The rear 9x18" 2002 wheel sits too far inboard without using a spacer, affecting the handling as well as having a negative affect on the appearance. Using a 17mm Porsche Factory wheel spacer (and silver anodized lug nuts) will bring the rear wheel out 8mm further than the stock wheel, compatible with the front wheel's position.

[Highlander]

Everything you have said makes sense and should work with no problems.

Have fun,

Graeme

[Loren]

The 2002 996 Carrera 5-spoke wheels have the following offsets:

8x18" 50mm

9x18" 52mm

Those would be mix of Boxster (986) Carrera II wheels (rear) and Carrera front 5 spoke wheels. The Carrera has never had 18 x 9" rear wheels.

[gchu]

My 2002 Carrera 5 spoke wheels has 18 x 10" rear wheels.

[Highlander]

If the wheels really are 18x10, you'll probably need a 2 or 3mm spacer to slear the parking brake cable that runs down the outside of the rear diagonal brace.

I'm running 17x10 ET50 with 275's on the rear and need the spacer or it rubs just a smidge.

Graeme

[Wiesel]

Those would be mix of Boxster (986) Carrera II wheels (rear) and Carrera front 5 spoke wheels. The Carrera has never had 18 x 9" rear wheels.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

According to WheelEnhancement, the 996 Carrera 5-spoke wheels were made optional for the Boxster S in 2003 with a 9-inch wide rear wheel. See this webpage: 996 Carrera 5-Spoke

I think I understand what you mean by a "mixture" -- for the MY2003 Boxster, if you ordered the 18" Carrera 5-spoke wheels, you got a front wheel with a width of 7.5" and a rear wheel with a width of 9". Whereas the 996 wheels had widths of 8" front and 10" rear.

As long as the look is identical, is there any reason I shouldn't do this mixture of the 18" wheels, with 8" wide in the front and 9" wide in the rear?

Edited September 23, 2005 by Wiesel

[adsach]

Boxster (986) Carrera II wheels (rear) ...Carrera front 5 spoke wheels.

Call them what you want - they are beautiful wheels, and exactly what I would have purchased if they had been available in late fall 2001 when I ordered my car. When I went in the dealership to pick up my car a few months later, and saw a set of those elegant 5-spoke wheels my jaw dropped. It would be real nice to have the 'stiletto heel' look for the legs of my baby. :thumbup:

[Loren]

Those would be mix of Boxster (986) Carrera II wheels (rear) and Carrera front 5 spoke wheels. The Carrera has never had 18 x 9" rear wheels.

According to WheelEnhancement, the 996 Carrera 5-spoke wheels were made optional for the Boxster S in 2003 with a 9-inch wide rear wheel. See this webpage: 996 Carrera 5-Spoke

If you got these wheels on a MY03 Boxster, did you get a "mixture" of the wheels as described in the above quote?

The WheelEnhancement site doesn't list any "Carrera II" wheels, see the Wheel Gallery, so maybe they are combining the two. Would the two wheels look different in any way? I don't mind "mixing" the wheels if the look is identical but only the name is different.

I didn't say they didn't make them in Boxster sizes - My point was that specfic wheel sold by Porsche for the Boxster did not come in an 8" front width. Not for that wheel for a Boxster. It will fit fine - it was not a factory option for the Boxster though.

[Wiesel]

I didn't say they didn't make them in Boxster sizes - My point was that specfic wheel sold by Porsche for the Boxster did not come in an 8" front width. Not for that wheel for a Boxster. It will fit fine - it was not a factory option for the Boxster though.

You replied by the time I figured it out and edited my post above. You're saying if I want to be true to what was offered for the Boxster, I would go with the 7.5" wide front wheels.

I really like the look of these 18" wheels. They're not offered by Porsche for MY06, so already I'm not being true to the year. Am I even "less pure" if I go with the 8" wide front tires? The standard MY06 Boxster S 18" wheels are 8" wide in the front.

Edited September 23, 2005 by Wiesel

[Highlander]

Go with what fits and looks good *to you*. The wheel/spacer combo you originally listed will fit well and look fantastic IMHO.

Go for it and post pics once you're done.

Graeme

[Wiesel]

Go with what fits and looks good *to you*.  The wheel/spacer combo you originally listed will fit well and look fantastic IMHO.

Go for it and post pics once you're done.

Graeme

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

OK, thanks to all. It will be more than a month before the car is delivered, but WheelEnhancement has the 18" 996 Carrera 5-spoke wheels in stock. They will take my MY06 18" Boxster S wheels as a trade-in. They also say the same tires will fit the Carrera wheels, since I'm going with the 8" wide front and 9" wide rear. So it will be one stop shopping at WheelEnhancement.

BTW, here are the weight differences (I'm losing five pounds on the front and gaining four and a half pounds on the rear, due to the spacers):

2002 996 Carrera 5-spoke

8x18" 19 lbs. 5 oz.

9x18" 22 lbs. 13 oz.

2005 987 Boxster S

8x18" 21 lbs. 11 oz.

9x18" 22 lbs. 14 oz.

The 17mm spacers weigh 2 pounds, 4 ounces each.

[MikenOH]

For track tires, I'm thinking of going the other way with our incoming 987.

Using the offset calculator that is avaialble on a website, by changing from the Boxster S 18" wheel and going with a set of Boxster style 17" wheels there are no clearance issues but the fronts come in 11mm and the rears come in 13mm. BTW, I'm considering 17" wheels since I already have a set and 17" tires are significantly less expensive.

My question is, does reducing the track by these amounts make that much of a difference in handling that spacers would be required? I'm not terribly concerned with the asthetics seince these would be track tires. If spacers are required, are what kind of pricing are we talking about for a 10-15mm spacer?

thanks for any help.

[Highlander]

Don't sweat it. The reduced track will make no significant difference. If you fell you really, really need to get that missing track back, you will have to use 15mm or bigger spacers. The hub-centric wheel nature of the wheel/hub mount makes is difficult, if not impossible to use spacers >6mm and <15mm.

A pair of 15mm spacers will run ~$200

Graeme