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Wheels 101
As with all things Porsche, cheap and wheels are never used in the same sentence. Since last fall I have been chasing the elusive combination of good looking wheels that don't require the birthrite of a child. The problem has to do with a term called offset, which determines how far in or out a wheel is on the car. Too far in and the wheel / tire will rub. Do a search in the General Disscussion section for OFFSET, as there are tons of threads on this topic.
Porsches in general have uncommon offsets compared to the "normal" population of vehicles. Because of this, aftermarket manufactures need to custom build the proper offset wheels for Porsches and our community is rather small, so that equals BIG BUCKS (I found a particularly nice wheel by HRE but needed CPR when I was quoted the price - $1250 PER WHEEL!). Porsche also changes offsets between models and years, so those sexy 911 wheels you have your eye on may not work because of an incorrect offset even if they happen to be the proper width. DRB is correct, an 11" wheel will not work on a Boxster.
During research for my 986, I found these numbers listed for 987 offsets (first number are for front wheels in MM, second number rears):
17" 55 / 40
18" 57 / 43
19" 57 / 46
As an FYI, the offsets for a 986 are different than a 987 so you cannot use 986 wheels on a 987 (just in case you wanted to). There are lots of Boxster wheels for sale on ebay and this would probably be your source for the cheapest set of wheels, but be careful. The wheels may require spacers for them to work, which some forum members successfully use but I choose not to. Read the fine print of any advertisement for the offset - lots of sellers like to say their wheels will work on a Boxster. Don't trust them, do the homework.
Wheel Enchancements has a nice website to view various options available for a 987, which helps give you an idea of what a particular wheel will look like on the car. But it is not the be all - end all. And again, steer clear of the HRE wheels unless you are sitting on a pile of ca$h. Wheel Dynamics sells good quality replica wheels that many forum members use (mine are on order from them).
Hopefully this gets you started. There's a lot to know before you plunk down your hard earned $$$. You don't want to make an expensive mistake.
Terry
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GPRPCA Chief Driving Instructor
2008 Boxster S Limited Edition #005
2008 Cayman S Sport - Signal Green
1989 928 S4 5 spd - black
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