18" to 19" wheels - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Wingnut2u · 04-17-2008, 04:55 AM

There is no way you will be able to fit an 11. The largest you will see is a 10.5 and that is with a 265 tire that will be stretched and will look a little too ricer for most, not to mention the hassle of offset and spacers.

That being said, I got a good deal on some wheels and I am currently trying to fit some 10.5 Cargraphic Racing wheels that were on a 996 on my 01 Boxster S. I took my car to Ruf and they tried but they couldn't make it work with the 285 tires that were on the wheel. We are going to try different tire size options today and see how they look and if we can fit them on the car.

If they don't fit then maybe someone on here will have an interest and want to buy them.

Getting larger wheels on a Porsche is a science. I would look for wheels in 9.5 just to take the guesswork out of it and no larger than 10 just to ensure proper fitment

Now if I could only just follow my own advice

idheaton · 04-17-2008, 05:34 AM

The tire cost from 18's to 19's is not a small jump. Right now 18's are the sweetspot for wheel/tire prices, just like in prior years when 16s the were the 'affordable' setup when 17s came out and subsequently 18s when 19+ came out. Give it another year or two with wheels getting larger and even more common and 19's will probably move into the more affordable range, if $ is an object.

I have a friend who has 19's on his boxster in which I believe the rears are 19x11's, they came off a turbo. I can double check if anyone is interested. I do know he had to roll his rear fenders to get them to work though.

986Roadster · 04-17-2008, 06:56 AM

I have 19 x 275 x 10.5 rims/tires and from what i know they were not stretched on....

If you decide to put a 11" width, i think all you have to do is put a bigger spacer.
my 10.5" was very close to my strut on the inside, so i had to put a 7mm spacer to clear a piece of cardboard through the gap from inside rim to strut. the car has also been lowered 1.3 inches(this makes a difference).

I DO NOT RECOMMEND a 19" tire on a 2000 boxster... It will slow the car down and the overall suspension can't handle it over time. i've been driving on 19s for over 3 years, and i can feel the wear and tear. If i could go back in time, i would of put a 18inch rim and lowered my car 2inches instead of the 1.3 inch drop. If you decide to go with a 19inch rim, try and stay within the porsche recommended! 19x 265x10......11 inch width isn't a great idea.

18 x 265 x 10 with a 2 inch or 1.3 inch drop is the right way

p.s if your just looking for crusing tires, and not in need of super expensive tires for the track....check out general exclaim tires. i drove 30k on a set and i drive rough and hard! the front tires still look brand new, after 30k of driving. the rear needed to be changed after 30k. i just changed my rear tires last week, and the grip is insane!! check the ratings on tirerack.com!

986Roadster · 04-17-2008, 07:11 AM

another issue that i have...........kind of hard to explain, but here it goes!

when i stand behind the car on an angle, looking at the back of the car, and
the rim from a distance. the rims look too big. they don't fit the car. the back bumper looks awful. the rim looks like its sticking out and has a very odd look.

i hope this helps. buttt if it helps, i didn't listen to anyone when i bought my rims. i went with the look that i wanted. one things for sure....the car looks amazing!! from the side to the front to the back of the car, it looks mean!!

Where's my car? · 04-17-2008, 08:50 AM

19" rims can slow you down?? care to explain more? thanks

cbenitah · 04-17-2008, 09:46 AM

This is funny actually.. I had 11" wheels on the car yesterday with 295 and no problem with clearance. I went back to 18"s with a 285 tire for a little while until the 19" wheel I want is available with my offset. But either my boxster is different than any other boxster out there or it works with that wheel..

porsche986spyder · 04-17-2008, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Where's my car?

19" rims can slow you down?? care to explain more? thanks

I think he is right. I too share this belief. It all has to do with adding more weight to the rear hub and flywheel. The lighter the rim, the less weight put on both and you can usually feel the difference in pick-up. So unless you can find a super light-weight rim that is still 19" you will be adding more weight and stress to the rear axle. I choose the 18s with a lowered stance for better handling and looks. When I owned a Mazda RX7 and had 17" racing rims on it and then switched to 19"s just for looks, I noticed a significant loss in pick-up and torque. So ever since I bought my Boxster, I swore I would not go over 18s. Hope this helps. Cheaper on your wallet too, since we cannot rotate the tires front to back like other cars. And you will go through rear tires fast if you are a daily driver.

hqduong · 05-09-2008, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by porsche986spyder

I think he is right. I too share this belief. It all has to do with adding more weight to the rear hub and flywheel. The lighter the rim, the less weight put on both and you can usually feel the difference in pick-up. So unless you can find a super light-weight rim that is still 19" you will be adding more weight and stress to the rear axle. I choose the 18s with a lowered stance for better handling and looks. When I owned a Mazda RX7 and had 17" racing rims on it and then switched to 19"s just for looks, I noticed a significant loss in pick-up and torque. So ever since I bought my Boxster, I swore I would not go over 18s. Hope this helps. Cheaper on your wallet too, since we cannot rotate the tires front to back like other cars. And you will go through rear tires fast if you are a daily driver.

Actually this has to do with highschool physics of "Rotational Inertia". Wikipedia this

When putting more mass outside rather than inside, it takes more time to slow it down and also to speed it up. i.e. More metal rather than rubber with 19 rather than 18s.

It's similar to an figure skater, you see how they pull their arms inwards when doing a spin? It makes them go faster.

jmatta · 04-17-2008, 02:51 PM

I have 18 X 10's on my car with an ET 47. I don't know how 11s would fit, as the tolerances are tight with the 10s. My car is also lowered quite a bit so the "rim" could not extend beyond the wheel lip and I sure wouldn't raise the car to make it fit and look like a 4 X 4. As is, I had to cable tie the parking brake cable to the lower arms so it wouldn't rub on the tire.

Cloudsurfer · 04-23-2008, 09:37 PM

I run an 18x10 ET45 and I find that to be perfect. You can run ET40 on a 10" rim but that is absolutely outer limit if you expect the tire to clear the fender. I know some guys run a 10.5, but I don't see how there is room for an 11" rim if you still want to keep fender clearance on the outside.

As to spacers, you only need spacers if there is not enough offset in the wheel. The sweet spot for a 10" rim is 45-47mm.

The 996 Turbo rears are 18x11 ET45.

Patrick