How wide can you go in the rear?

[truegearhead]

Does anyone know how wide of a rear tire I can put on my 97 non s wheels?

[ProjectM96]

I think it is 9 inches stock.(not 100% on that) Keep it that way on the stock wheels.

You can get wider tires, up to 10 inches, if you get aftermarket wheels that are equally as wide.

[chris97boxster]

Stock 97 boxsters rims as seen above are as follows

Front 7J x17 ET 55 with 205/50 ZR17 tires
Rear 8.5J x ET 48 with 255/40 ZR tires

I would like to know also from other forums what they
have put on their 97.
yes I also understand that in the following years they
made improvents to the suspension etc for allowing larger wheels

18's are as follows for boxster
front 7.5J x 18 ET50 with 225/40ZR18
rear 9J x 18 ET52 with 265/35ZR18

I've got my eye on a set of Carrera III wheels that I would love to put on
but the rears are 11 inches...hence I have the same question as truegearhead
thanks
Chris

[ABQautoxer]

People have definitely put 10" rears with 285s. Not sure on the exact offsets use. I have 9" rears with a very wide 265 on there and can see there is room for at least a 285, but I'm not sure how much more than that. Offsets are going to be the big factor, I do recall some specs out there somewhere that detail which 993/996 wheels you could use.

[Johnny Danger]

I've found that anything more than 235's up front and 275's on the rear is superfluous for street driving . Also, here are some guidelines to follow when choosing wheel fitments:

Fronts : 8 to 8.5 inches wide with offsets ranging from +35 to +45 depending on how aggressive you want to go.

Rears: 9.5 to 10 inches wide with offsets ranging from +35 to +45 depending on how aggressive you want to go .


* These are general guidelines, and specifications can vary depending on the vehicle's suspension set-up and application .

My wheel fitment consists of the following :

Front: 19x8 +31 offset 235/35/18
Rear: 19x10 +31 offset 275/30/19

[DenverSteve]

Does the wheel/tire height change the widest possible width? I know this is well-discussed and known information to some. For some of us .... you know, drivers.... this is not well known. I have factory 18" wheels with 55mm offset. If you go wider, do you need to increase or decrease offset?

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

Does the wheel/tire height change the widest possible width? I know this is well-discussed and known information to some. For some of us .... you know, drivers.... this is not well known. I have factory 18" wheels with 55mm offset. If you go wider, do you need to increase or decrease offset?

In order to advise you correctly, more information is needed . What size wheels and tires are you currently running ? And, do you plan to change over to 19 's ?

[RandallNeighbour]

Folks, TrueGearhead never said he wanted to put bigger rims on his 97, just wider rubber.

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

In order to advise you correctly, more information is needed . What size wheels and tires are you currently running ? And, do you plan to change over to 19 's ?

Keeping 17's and am currently running 255/40ZR17's. I typo'd earlier that they are 18's.

[gomarlins3]

I am interested as well, but I want to keep my OEM 16's. I would like to know the widest TIRES I can squeeze onto the OEM rims for autoX purposes.

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

Danger, How did you get an 18" tire on a 19" wheel ???

[golonaus]

Originally Posted by Idaho Red Rocket 3

Danger, How did you get an 18" tire on a 19" wheel ???

My guess will be
With the heat gun!!

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by Idaho Red Rocket 3

Danger, How did you get an 18" tire on a 19" wheel ???

Lots of this stuff .

[Mrmaddbrad]

Originally Posted by gomarlins3

I am interested as well, but I want to keep my OEM 16's. I would like to know the widest TIRES I can squeeze onto the OEM rims for autoX purposes.

Tire rack has a great chart on what size wheel can fit on what size rim. As people already said, do not go larger than 275 in the rear or 235 in the front.

However; for autocross. The hot setup is to run 245 Hoosiers all the way around. Takes out the ridiculous amounts of understeer and brings the car to a very neutral, throttle-on-oversteer type of car.

Best of luck


Also... To everyone else; 11 inch wide tires will never fit on your boxster without doing some cutting. 10 is the largest i believe you can comfortably fit, even though a nice set of 997/987 19x8/19x10 are hard to find, they are the best fitment you'll find.

[Topless]

Originally Posted by gomarlins3

I am interested as well, but I want to keep my OEM 16's. I would like to know the widest TIRES I can squeeze onto the OEM rims for autoX purposes.

Kumho V710
225/50/16 F
245/45/16 R
Very tight but doable.

[gomarlins3]

^Thank you guys. I might have to go to 17's due to not being able to find VERY sticky street tires in those sizes. We have a street tire multiplier here in SCCA and it works well for me so I don't have to drag a trailer to events with other wheels and tires.

[Topless]

Originally Posted by gomarlins3

^Thank you guys. I might have to go to 17's due to not being able to find VERY sticky street tires in those sizes. We have a street tire multiplier here in SCCA and it works well for me so I don't have to drag a trailer to events with other wheels and tires.

These DOT-R tires would fit and you could certainly drive to the event on them:
Toyo****Proxes RA1

Finding a good takeoff set of 17 rims will serve you well though. More tire choices and a wider contact patch. A win-win in AX.