need suggestions for wheel companies - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

boxsteranthony · 12-13-2007, 03:49 PM

so are there any wheel companies that make 5x130's that don't cost $4k+? all i've found are ALT miro wheels for about 1200 a set...if u guys have any suggestions, i'd appreciate it. i understand some of you might ask "why go cheap on a porsche?" well, i simply just wanna get a nice set of rims with fair quality for about half the price.

12-13-2007, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boxsteranthony

so are there any wheel companies that make 5x130's that don't cost $4k+? all i've found are ALT miro wheels for about 1200 a set...if u guys have any suggestions, i'd appreciate it. i understand some of you might ask "why go cheap on a porsche?" well, i simply just wanna get a nice set of rims with fair quality for about half the price.

I bought some bsa wheels for $400 + SHIPPING + TIRES, AND INSTALLATION FOR AROUND $1100, depends what style you want, there in my sig, or you can get some replica Carrera sport wheels from wheel dynamics for around 1200 with no tires.

12-13-2007, 04:20 PM

You get what you pay for in this life, Porsche factory wheels are already very good quality. IMHO, cheap wheels are just that, there is a reason HRE costs six grand and I doubt it's all name recognition. I want my car to look as good as the next guy's but I'm more interested in the performance and feel of the vehicle. I bought American Racing wheels once for my Nissan, they were Aluminum and in a short time they oxidized even though they never saw snow.

drburton · 12-13-2007, 04:23 PM

Wheel Dynamics has quality replicas of Porsche Wheels for reasonable prices. They are made in Italy and are pretty much identical to the Porsche wheels. I have them and have used them on the track etc.. with no issues.

husker boxster · 12-13-2007, 06:58 PM

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 · 12-14-2007, 02:53 AM

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

Bob Z. · 12-14-2007, 03:41 AM

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.

JoshMD · 12-14-2007, 05:30 AM

I think inexpensive wheels are a good choice for street cars if you drive on a lot of rough roads. Chances are, eventually, you will hit a pot-hole or get some curb rash. I'd rather spend $200 to replace a wheel than $700. Even if you get tires wih a good rim protector, the sidewall is so small (more so on 19's and 20's) that it's going to be difficult to avoicd damaging the a wheel at some point.

I plan on getting new wheels for mine, and here are the things I'm going to look for:
- the right width/offset (so not too look sunken in the wells like the stock wheels =gross)
- farily easy to clean
- not too heavy (rotating mass kills power)
- don't have to use spacers
- not going to have to run rubber band tires to avoid rubbing on the suspension components.

Expensive wheels are expensive to replace, and for 99% of drivers that don't track their cars, inexpensive wheels should serve their purpose just as well as the baller ones.

husker boxster · 12-15-2007, 08:47 AM

Had this link in my favorites, thought it might be helpful once you get some possibilities lined up.

http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp

Gary in BR · 12-15-2007, 11:40 AM

Does anyone know the weight of OEM wheels??

brp987 · 12-15-2007, 11:47 AM

hope this works...

wheel info

Aron in T.O. · 12-15-2007, 12:30 PM

Here is a set of Factory 18" wheels for a Boxster on Ebay w/ no reserve.
I'm not affiliated w/ the seller just posting something I noticed over there.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SET-FACTORY-18-PORSCHE-BOXSTER-OEM-WHEELS-RIMS-TIRES_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ66484QQihZ022QQit emZ350006407606QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

Chippy · 12-15-2007, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoshMD

I plan on getting new wheels for mine, and here are the things I'm going to look for:
- the right width/offset (so not too look sunken in the wells like the stock wheels =gross)
- farily easy to clean
- not too heavy (rotating mass kills power)
- don't have to use spacers
- not going to have to run rubber band tires to avoid rubbing on the suspension components.

Sounds like the wishlist I had when I was looking for mine, except weight was the top of the list. Going for 18"ers gave a bit more tyre so the ride wasn't too harsh for everyday driving.

Ended up with BBS RS-GT's from Tirerack.com .......but they were expensive (ish)

boxsteranthony · 12-19-2007, 02:43 AM

thanks a lot! u guys are great help! would 11's in the rear be too wide only because they'd poke out the fenders? because if so, i really don't mind haha i don't know what you guys think, but i actually think it looks pretty menacing (in a good way) when the wheels poke out of the fender a bit. well..if not, i just want some flush 19's. a price range of 1000-2000 is fine for me. anythin less would seem too cheap. i think i'm set on the JAZ trinity's..thick 5-spokes but with a very slight VIP look rather than sporty if u know what i mean..they're about $280/wheel.