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Old 12-29-2006, 06:00 AM   #1
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Question Wheel sizes for 98 Boxter

greetings...I am a new member and need some help with wheel sizes..I purchased a 98 Boxter with 17" boxter Sll wheels. I would like to know what other size wheels will fit on the 98 model? are 19" wheels too large? thanks for any help on this subject...

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Old 12-29-2006, 06:13 AM   #2
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You can check out Tire Rack online and put your car information in to see what is available.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/wtpack.jsp
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Old 12-29-2006, 06:30 AM   #3
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19" Wheels will fit but it doesn't leave much rubber between the rim and the road. If you have rough roads in your area the ride gets pretty punishing. Also, hit one big pothole and you've got a broken rim (I broke one on my BMW). Most guys are running 18" wheels for this reason.
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Old 12-29-2006, 06:31 AM   #4
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I have 19"s and there are many others that also run them here but you will be cautioned by many that 19"s are too large and they carry no extra benefit. Some of the folks here have also stated that they may cause damage to the car in the long run because this model was not designed for them.

I know Grizzly has been cheating death on them for quite some time now so he could add some feedback here as well...

My experience has been nothing but good to date however I only have a few thousand miles under my belt as my tires/rims were new when I purchased the car in August.(the ride and handling are both excellent).

Do a search on wheels, or 19" wheels and you should find some more on this topic.

Good luck.
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Old 12-29-2006, 06:52 AM   #5
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Bill, you own a boxSter...

I have 18's on my 97, which is a no-no because the frame evidently can't handle it under extremem pressure. They fixed this in 98, so you're golden there.

I will say that my Carrera Light aftermarket 18's make for a rougher ride than my 17's but look so doggone great I don't care. 19's are just a waste of money... the rubber replacement cost factor alone should help you make that decision.
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Old 12-29-2006, 07:06 AM   #6
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Howdy Randall,

I cannot debate the "waste of money" comment yet because I have not driven another Boxster with 18's but have you driven one with 19's?

If so were there any noticable/appreciable differences?

If not, how can you make such a finite statement?

As far as the looks are concerned its all subjective but I really love the looks of the 19s on many of the cars on this forum that have them vs the ones that don't.

...just my 19 cents.
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Old 12-29-2006, 07:46 AM   #7
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Maybe I should have said that I personally think it's a waste of money (my opinion and possibly only my opinion) to put 19's on a boxster. It's sacrificially aesthetic in my opinion.

1. It does nothing for the handling from all I have read. I put 18's on mine just because my 17's were crappy aftermarket rims that were heavy.

2. It does nothing for the ride... a friend has 19's on his Boxster and his wife refuses to ride in it because it provides her with a jarring, harsh ride. He doesn't live near me so I can't say I've ridden in it, but he says it has taken "road feel" to a whole new level.

3. The choices of appropriate 19" tires on the market are a) expensive and b) limited.

But, like you said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If someone wants a boxster that has 19's or even 20's on it, go for it. I just think the cash could be better spent elsewhere on the car to improve the looks, handling or even power.
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Old 12-29-2006, 07:59 AM   #8
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M3's get factory 19's, New Porsches get factory 19's, the saleen s7 gets 19's and 20's. They must know something. They cant be too bad or they wouldnt be an option. Exclusivity+looks make it the right choice for me. Everyone and their grandma has 18's, and plus, if you ever go the GT3 route, you wont reget getting the 19's cause they look so awesome.
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Old 12-29-2006, 08:01 AM   #9
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Fair enough.
...and with that said, rims would not have been my first upgrade had they not been on there upon purchase.

However I don't feel like I have the same jarring/harsh feeling your friend's wife described. My wife (a discerning passenger who did not care much for riding in my 74 VW vert given the feel of the wind and noise experienced with the top down) has not mentioned a harsh ride feeling even after driving it herself many times.

Again I would like someone here to discuss the feeling before and after the change to 19s but we'll leave that for another thread.

...but back to your point about the frame issue on your MY...has that proved to be an issue for you at all yet with the miles you have turned?
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Old 12-29-2006, 08:47 AM   #10
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Hi,

It all depends upon what your objective is. For performance and ride quality, stay with 18's and under. Add to this that Cheating Death isn't an issue with the '98s, but despite those daring few, is a real issue on the '97s (Porsche didn't retool for all that rear chassis reinforcement for frivolity's sake).

Going bigger than 18" is purely for the aesthetic value and braggin' rights. And, if these are your thing - Go for It!...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99
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Old 12-29-2006, 09:11 AM   #11
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I've been running 19s since 1 week after purchasing my car. I am glad I went that route. I didn't notice that much of a rougher ride with 19s. I just have to pay close attention to the road looking for hazards. But I'm use to that as I run 22s on my Denali.

If I had to do it all over again, I would go with 19s. I debated a long time over 18s or 19s. The roads in my area are not too bad so that helped in the decision.

For the track or autocross events, I use my stock 17s with MPSC tires on them. The 19s are for around town driving.



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Old 12-29-2006, 09:40 AM   #12
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1. A friend drives a MB CLS500 with 19" wheels in NYC. He has replaced three tires and one wheel in six months.
2. A NYC Bentley dealer discourages buyers from the 20" wheel option but most of them still get it. He claims they get an average of one destroyed 20" wheel per car per month.

Anything larger than 18" wheels is purely for looks -- it does nothing for performance, and if anything it deteriorates it at the extremes. People who extrapolate the trend from 15" to 18" wheels over the last couple of decades, need to ask themselves at what point bigger eventually stops meaning better. After all, Formula One doesn't drive on 26" wheels.

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Old 12-29-2006, 11:51 AM   #13
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Your talking about NYC...those roads are the absolute extreme conditions for any roads...I am in there quite often on business in my company car and I would bet that better than 95% of the owners here do not drive in conditions like that ever, let alone on a regular basis.

That said I have heard that the 19"s do not enhance performance in any way but i have not heard anything to substantiate that ever. Nothing to back that up...

Does anyone have first hand knowledge of this?

Regarding the Formula 1 tire comparison... I am not running nitrogen mixed air either so I do not think that point is relevant at all...but Heck, look at their overall tire sizes...you were right on! They are 26" almost on the nose. Ha Ha!

Fronts are 10.0w/25.8H and 10.0w/25.8h
Rears are 14.0w/26.8H 14.0W/27.0H
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Old 12-29-2006, 12:06 PM   #14
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I did mine solely for the looks. On the street, I don't think you would even notice a difference between 18s and 19s as far as performance goes. On the track, yes. But that is why you keep your stock wheels around and put some good track tires on them.
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Old 12-29-2006, 12:27 PM   #15
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thanks for the feedback...
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Old 12-29-2006, 02:49 PM   #16
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Jeez, where have I been all day?

I put 19s on ours purely for the aesthetics. Our car is a cruiser, though I drive the crap out of it whenever I'm left alone with it. I don't plan to race it, but if I do, I'll get a proper wheel/tire combo for the track. When I bought the car it had some hideous aftermarket 18s on it. I couldn't get them off fast enough! I pored over this board looking at every photo I could find. To me, the 19s are just tougher looking and fill the wheel wells better. Despite my joking about the cheating death issue, I did a fair amount of research and was satisfactorily assured that the rear suspension would survive the 19s on a street car. I've noticed zero change in ride quality or handling on the 19s over the 18s. I will say, however, that the roads here are pretty good. My opinion on ride quality might change if I had to routinely drive through NYC or Jersey City.

If I didn't have such close adult supervision I'd lower the car, as well. Check out David J's car with the 19" GT3s and lowered suspension. That thing just looks like all business. ("My God David! What...are...you...doing?" )

Your original question was about wheel and tire sizes. My fronts are 19x8 with 235s. The rears are 19x9.5 (though 19x10s will fit) with 275s. I have no spacers and no rubbing anywhere.


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Old 12-29-2006, 03:24 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grizzly
If I didn't have such close adult supervision I'd lower the car, as well. Check out David J's car with the 19" GT3s and lowered suspension. That thing just looks like all business. ("My God David! What...are...you...doing?" )
Man, that quote from my wife is going to haunt me forever now.

I should mention that I am running 265/30/19 tires in the rear and have zero issues. I just ordered a new set of rear tires this morning and was going to go with 285/30/19s, but the price on the 265s was too good to pass up. 19x8 up front, 19x9.5 out back.

Hey Grizzly, looks like I'm copying you now. I just added the same spoiler the other day. To me it makes the back look more complete.

-David

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