New Boxster ordered, wheel question

[Mike in CA]

I just ordered a new 2007 Boxster S to replace my '99 996. The new car will be Arctic silver with cocoa brown top and cocoa full leather interior, 6sp, PASM, Bose, CD changer, heated power seats, wind deflector, and sport steering wheel. Should be early February build with delivery by late March / early April.

I have a set of Carrera 5 spoke wheels which were new take offs from a 2002 996 and which I used for mounting my autocross tires. These wheels are still pristine and I prefer them to the new Boxster S wheels. The Carrera wheels are 8x18 and 10x18 while the Boxster S wheels are 8x18 and 9x18. Will the extra inch at the rear be a problem? Are there any differences in wheel offset that might be an issue? Thanks for any replies and after 20 years owning 911 coupes it will be fun to try out the roadster side of the Porsche family.

Mike

[berty987]

Probably the offset will be different as the 986/996 have different offsets and track width to the 997/987. You may be able to sort the issue with spacers. Best to check with porsche the offsets supplied on the new wheels you get and compare to what you have already. The tequipment brochure will give details of the widths and ET offsets for the new model optional alloys.

[Loren]

The tequipment brochure will give details of the widths and ET offsets for the new model optional alloys.

As does TSB 4440 - for each model.

[White987S]

I just ordered a new 2007 Boxster S to replace my '99 996. The new car will be Arctic silver with cocoa brown top and cocoa full leather interior, 6sp, PASM, Bose, CD changer, heated power seats, wind deflector, and sport steering wheel. Should be early February build with delivery by late March / early April.

I have a set of Carrera 5 spoke wheels which were new take offs from a 2002 996 and which I used for mounting my autocross tires. These wheels are still pristine and I prefer them to the new Boxster S wheels. The Carrera wheels are 8x18 and 10x18 while the Boxster S wheels are 8x18 and 9x18. Will the extra inch at the rear be a problem? Are there any differences in wheel offset that might be an issue? Thanks for any replies and after 20 years owning 911 coupes it will be fun to try out the roadster side of the Porsche family.

Mike

Congrats on the new car! The Carrera 5-spoke is a great looking wheel. Possibly this chart will help you with the offsets:

http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesands.../n38/n186/n205/

[panameras]

I have tried to fit 996 turbo wheels (18 x 8 et52, 18 x 10 et47) on to my 986 boxster (had factory spec 18 x 7.5 et50, 18 x 9 et52). The rear rims do not fit they are about an inch too wide. But could be a different story on 997/987s.

Edited December 11, 2006 by panameras

[Mike in CA]

The tequipment brochure will give details of the widths and ET offsets for the new model optional alloys.

As does TSB 4440 - for each model.

Thanks for the replies and the TSB lead. It looks like the issue may be offset not width. There are 9", 9.5" and 10" rear wheels available for the 987 Boxster S but the offsets for those wheels per the TSB are in the mid 40's while my 10" Carrera wheels are 65mm. I'll try 'em when I get the car but I'm no longer optomistic. If they don't work, I guess there's always ebay.....

[KevinC]

There are 9", 9.5" and 10" rear wheels available for the 987 Boxster S but the offsets for those wheels per the TSB are in the mid 40's while my 10" Carrera wheels are 65mm. I'll try 'em when I get the car but I'm no longer optomistic. If they don't work, I guess there's always ebay.....

Since the offset of your 996 rear wheels is greater than the offset of the 987 stock wheels, you can solve the problem with a set of spacers and bolts. Total cost $150-$200.

[dflohr]

I too, have a new 07 987S and am going through wheel size issues.

Plan on getting Michelin Sport Cups 235/40/18 and 265/35/18 and plan on getting a second set of track wheels.

987S 18" stock wheels are 18x8 57mm offset (Front) and 18x9 43mm offset (Rear)

I have found a set of wheels that will work with the tires but I do not know how to figure out if the different width/offsets will work or not with the car.

The new wheels are 18X8.5 front 46 mm offset and 18x10 rear 40 mm offset

Can someone tell me if these will work as is, won't ever work or will work with spacers? Are there driving issues with increased width?

Thanks so much.

[Mike in CA]

There are 9", 9.5" and 10" rear wheels available for the 987 Boxster S but the offsets for those wheels per the TSB are in the mid 40's while my 10" Carrera wheels are 65mm. I'll try 'em when I get the car but I'm no longer optomistic. If they don't work, I guess there's always ebay.....

Since the offset of your 996 rear wheels is greater than the offset of the 987 stock wheels, you can solve the problem with a set of spacers and bolts. Total cost $150-$200.

Spacers might work, although since the difference in offset is around 20mm they'd probably need to be a lot thicker than the 5mm spacers Porsche offers. Guess I'll wait till I get the car, try mounting the wheels and see what I've got to deal with.