need suggestions for wheel companies

[husker boxster]

I was in the same boat as you about a year ago. You will soon find out Porsche wheels and inexpensive are never used in the same sentence. If you are going new, chances are you won't find much for less the $1200. You may find cheaper prices if you go the fleabay route. Regardless of where you buy your wheels, be sure you get the proper offset for a Boxster. Offset is how far in or out a wheel sits on the hub. Part of the reason Porsche wheels cost so much is because they have unpopular offsets, so there's not much else they fit besides Porsches. Wheel producers shy away from niche markets, so the ones who do make wheels for Porsches have to make up in price what they lose in volume.

Also, never trust an ad that says their wheels fit a Boxster. They may have offsets that aren't correct for a Boxster and then you have to use spacers to make them work. Spacers vary in thickness, generally from 5 - 15mm. When you use spacers, you must then purchase longer lug bolts because you don't want those fancy new wheels flying off. Many forum members use spacers, I chose not to. Back to my original stmt, be sure the ad says the specific offset for their wheels rather than just trusting them in saying they will work. Blindly trusting an ad could at the least cost you addl $$$ and frustration or at the worst be a very expensive mistake.

OK, with all that being said, what are the proper offsets? You don't say whether you have a 986 or 987. In Porsche's infinite wisdom, they gave each different offsets, so the wheels are not interchangable.

Here are the offsets for a 986. I only have numbers for 18" wheels. Don't know if 19s are different and if they are, other forum member may have them. Offsets are measured in mm

986
7.5 x 18 50mm
8 x 18 50mm
9 x 18 52mm
10 x 18 47mm

Factory 18" wheel widths for a 986 Boxster are 7.5" front and 9" rear. Most aftermarket wheels come in the 8" front and 10" rear.

987
17" 55mm front / 40mm rear
18" 57 / 43
19" 57 / 46

Never use an 11" wheel on the rear, they are too wide for a Boxster.

Good luck with your search and welcome to the forum. Check out Wheel Dynamics for some very nice wheels at a "reasonable" price. Once you decide on a wheel that you like, then you get to figure out which center cap you want - but that's best left for another day / thread.

[tboyer]

husker boxster, great post, lots of info I've been looking for, thanks!

[Bob Z.]

I had a set of OZ wheels on my first Porsche, a '87 930. Great looking wheels but the person who bought it went back to the stock Fuchs. My last Viper had HREs, which are real nice but cost alot and most, if not all, are 3 piece, which based on my experience, can be troublesome after extended periods of heat (i.e., track time).

Take a look at Tire Rack & Discount Tire to get some ideas and as others have said, ebay is a good place to buy from as long as you know what you want.