18" wheels don't fit - a cry for help! - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

c-c · 03-22-2007, 08:03 PM

Quick wheel spacer/fenderwell mods.
I have an 01 boxster base and after talking at length with someone from wheelenhancement I was assured that I could put 18's on by boxster with no real mods.

Today I tried to put the following wheels on my 01.
Tire Size: 225/40ZR18 Front and 265/35ZR18 Rear

Here are the dimensions
Fits PORSCHE 911, 996, 997, 930, 944 boxster
Quantity Set of four
Size (front) 18x8.5
Size (rear) 18x10
Condition New never been mounted
Finish SILVER WITH CHROME LIPS
Offset 52MM-F, 52MM-R
Bolt Pattern 5x130

The rear wheel didn't fit because it hit the strut brace. I think hubcentric spacers should solve the problem.

The front will rub the front fenderwell so not sure here. I've heard I can remove the well and heat it up with a torch to mold it, but would spacers push the wheel out enough to clear??

Any help would be appreciated.
-c

Dohertycm · 03-22-2007, 08:09 PM

They should fit, unless the offset for the wheel is wrong. I have the same size on my 2000. But you can try 5mm spacers and see if that works, on stock for this size you shouldnt go anymore than that. The front is the same also and I dont rub, so maybe your offset is wrong... PS...I dont have spacers..

Grizzly · 03-22-2007, 08:21 PM

I think the rears may be O.K. The wheels are hitting the strut brace when the car is jacked up, right? I ask because mine did that and it scared the crap out of me. When I put the car down, they were fine.

I'm not sure what to tell you about the fronts. I have 19x8s with a 49mm offset and no clearance issues.

c-c · 03-22-2007, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grizzly

I think the rears may be O.K. The wheels are hitting the strut brace when the car is jacked up, right? I ask because mine did that and it scared the crap out of me. When I put the car down, they were fine.

I'm not sure what to tell you about the fronts. I have 19x8s with a 49mm offset and no clearance issues.

Car was on the lift, I was wondering what would happen if I lowered it. I emailed wheelenhancements to see what they reccommend for spacers. Probably 5mm will do it.

Will keep you posted.

RandallNeighbour · 03-22-2007, 09:04 PM

I put H&R spacers on the back of my box with 18's and they're priced right and visually help the tire and rim to fill out the wheel wells nicely.

H&R spacers are not expensive either and good quality.

TriGem2k · 03-22-2007, 09:55 PM

5MM spacers for the rears will work just fine....I would say 7mm would be better though. To fit an 18x10 on the rear of the Boxster with a nice clean look you need an offset in the range of 40mm to 48mm. Anything less than 40 will stick out past the fenders and anything more than 48mm will rub the strut tower.

You should have no problems with an 18x8.5 at 52mm. That is exactly what I run on mine. No rubbing issues at all.

Hope this helps.

James

edevlin · 03-23-2007, 04:17 AM

My 18" by 10" aftermarket carrera wheels fit snuggly on my 2000 boxster with Falken tires. When I ate those up and went to the wider PS2 tires it was very snug fit, so I added 5mm spacers all around and I now have about 5mm clearance from my Bilstein coilovers.

Ed

TriGem2k · 03-23-2007, 07:44 AM

Ed

What size are you running on the PS2s?

joyfrog · 03-23-2007, 08:05 PM

I just got done installing some 19x8.5 and 19x10 they came with the 10mm spacers I needed for the rear, I installed the on my 02 boxster S, they only rub a wee bit in the front but I have 245`s up front and 295`s in the back

edevlin · 03-25-2007, 05:25 AM

"What size are you running on the PS2s?"

They are 225/40 and 265/35.

Ed

Sparxta13 · 04-27-2011, 02:01 PM

I have a 2001 boxster S I have grabbed a set of 997 5 spoke whhels the rears are 10x18 ET58 and are touching the struts does anyone know what size spacers I need to clear the strut

Johnny Danger · 04-27-2011, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparxta13

I have a 2001 boxster S I have grabbed a set of 997 5 spoke whhels the rears are 10x18 ET58 and are touching the struts does anyone know what size spacers I need to clear the strut

You'll want to reduce the offset to at least +48 or lower. You can accomplish this by adding a 10mm or greater spacer. Personally, I would reduce the offset to
+45-40 et; especially if you are going to install adjustable coilovers.

jhandy · 04-27-2011, 03:14 PM

just food for thought....

I had 7mm HR hubcentric spacers all around. I had nothing but trouble with them. Shaking and balance issues. Dealt with it for 2+ yrs, spend all sorts of cash trying to balance/rebalance/tires/rotors......I refused to believe that it was the spacers. Because I sold my OEM rims, I could not remove the spacers for trial runs.

Finaly I bought new OEM rims.....With spacers.... Shaking.....Removed the front spacers and instantly no shaking.

It would have been enormously easier and cheaper to just get proper fitting rims to begin with.

Just my 2 cents

Johnny Danger · 04-27-2011, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhandy

just food for thought....

I had 7mm HR hubcentric spacers all around. I had nothing but trouble with them. Shaking and balance issues. Dealt with it for 2+ yrs, spend all sorts of cash trying to balance/rebalance/tires/rotors......I refused to believe that it was the spacers. Because I sold my OEM rims, I could not remove the spacers for trial runs.

Finaly I bought new OEM rims.....With spacers.... Shaking.....Removed the front spacers and instantly no shaking.

It would have been enormously easier and cheaper to just get proper fitting rims to begin with.

Just my 2 cents

I had a similar situation a few years back with a set of Sportec wheels . Because of their offset they required spacers. In fact, it was a propriety design, wherein the spacers were specifically designed to countersink to the back of the wheels . To make a long story short, there was a vibration in the front end that drove me to near madness ! No matter what I tried to do to remedy the problem - failed . It was like a "ghost in the machine" complex . I eventually dumped the wheels (they were 6k I might add

) , and I purchased a set of Champions vowing to never rely on spacers again . Interestingly, once I had everything dialed in with the new wheels, I decided to experiment with some spacers. Miraculously, the vehicle was dead stable with each and every spacer application that I tried . So, as a friend of mine and fellow enthusiast likes to say, "every vehicle is it's own episode"..

JD
p.s. The Sportecs eventually went to friend who put them on his cayman. The vehicle is dead stable and he loves them . Don't figure ?