20''-22'' inch rims

[crunch90]

Hi my father is buying me a [IMG]2001 boxster s for my 18th birthday i wanted to know if i can fit a 20 or 22 inch rim on a boxster with a 25 rubberband tire here is a pic of a car i saw what size rims do you think those are i dont like the rims just the way the car sits here is a pic of the rims i want do you think they will fit i am going for the black on black chrome lip [IMG][/IMG]

here are the rims i want
[IMG][/IMG]

here another set i want
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

[Frodo]

Sounds highly excessive to me. I could be wrong, but I don't recall hearing about anything bigger than say 19". It's not a Bentley...

[rick3000]

I don't think you can fit anything that big on a Boxster. And if it will be a daily driver I would not go any bigger than 18" or the ride will not be very comfortable.

[bmx672]

Not to mention it would look REALLY blinging bad.

[crunch90]

Originally Posted by bmx672

Not to mention it would look REALLY blinging bad.

Sorry im only 17 if i was looking for something to race i would have got a 2000 911
just looking for somthin to ride in

Don't forget the issues of unsprung weight if you decide to go to 20-22 inch rims.

That silver BMW looks stupid!

[bmx672]

Yeah, that BMW is terrible. I was going to mention that...

If I were going to just cruise, I'd get a 63 Impala with 24's... and a step ladder to get in it...

[Topless]

The BMW looks Ghetto. The Porsche may be un-drivable with 22".

[JPW]

Congratulation on getting a Porsche, and even bone stock, it is still a Porsche, and will turn heads.

Dont over compensate looks at the cost of performance.

It should not take long before you realize, that any Porsche looks the best from behind the steering wheel.

Congrats again.

[husker boxster]

Hope you enjoy your birthday present. You are very lucky. Don't be disappointed if the guys in the forum dis your idea. They can be a bunch of traditionalists (not the first word that came to mind but the nicest) when it comes to doing something different with wheels. They totally hated that I put chrome wheels on my previous Boxster but I liked the chrome wheels. And that's my advice to you - do what you want to do and don't worry about what others think.

That being said, you may not be able to find wheels that large for Boxsters (unless you're willing to spend $5K). Porsches have a fairly unique offset (how far in or out the wheel sits) and not many manufacturers make wheels only for Porsche - just too small a market. So your choices are limited. Fewer choices mean higher prices (get used to that with Porsches). Most common aftermarket sets of wheels cost $1200-$1500. If you want 20+, you'll probably have to go with a custom 3 piece wheel which will quickly put you into the $4K neighborhood.

Something else to be careful of - lots of sellers say their wheels fit on Boxsters. What they mean is they'll fit if you put an insane sized spacer on to make them fit. NEVER buy a wheel without knowing what the offsets are. You don't say what year Boxster you are getting, but an early 986 will probably be 50mm front and 52mm rear offsets.

One more thought on 20s. I'm sure you don't care about unsprung weight or moment of inertia, and that kind of stuff. But 20s will put a tremendous pressure on your wheel bearings, which are not a strong point on the Boxster to begin with. In fact, Porsche does not recommend putting 18s on 1997 Boxsters because of the wheel bearing issue (however, there are several forum members who are "cheating death" with 19s on their '97s). Replacing wheel bearings becomes an expensive proposition if you cannot do it yourself. Something to think about.

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your Boxster responsibly.

[ChrisZang]

you forgot the spinners

Originally Posted by bmx672

Yeah, that BMW is terrible. I was going to mention that...

If I were going to just cruise, I'd get a 63 Impala with 24's... and a step ladder to get in it...

[unklekraker]

Originally Posted by crunch90

Sorry im only 17 if i was looking for something to race i would have got a 2000 911
just looking for somthin to ride in

Since your only 17...we'll let you slide with this comment

Boxster are not designed to put any blings on it to get attention or turning it into "scraper, scraper"! Just the car alone at your age will for sure grab some attention.

And also, you must be really rich to say that, "you're only looking for something to ride with" at your age coz' maintanance alone is a pain in the *** for me coz' I don't know crap about maintenance but learning slowly though

but, congrats on your first ride. Be safe!

[djomlas]

yeah i dunno man, if u re going that big, y not just get 24s or something, and lift it up?
would look just as stupid as 22s, but u can brag that u got 24s lol

good luck with whatever u decide to put on it

[pk2]

I’m hardly conservative when it comes to making a car go fast. But I’ll admit I prefer a clean sleeper. I have Stock looking turbo twist, but there 18’s and have 5mm & 14mm factory spacers. Petty subtle but pretty quick.

19’s are probably all your going to find (ebays full of them) and all your going to get out of them are loose fillings. If you could get 20-22 somehow, racing or not, it will be brutal on your tailbone while completely screwing up all the suspension dynamics.

Anymore happy thoughts I can impart?

Regards, PK

[mikefocke]

You say you live in New York (where the winters are harsh and the roads crappy).

In order to keep the speedometer readouts correct, the overall diameter of the wheel+tire must be the same as stock. (17" wheels were stock, BTW. 18s were options.) so the bigger the diameter of the wheel, the flatter the tire. Which looks great to some people. But hit a bump and imagine what happens. The tire compresses and there is less crush space before the bump contacts the wheel. The result is bent wheels. (Just replaced 3 stock "Mag" wheels last week on my wife's Acura.) Bent wheels can often/sometimes be rebuilt at the cost of time, trouble and $n00s.

So go big wheels and skinny tires and you will get:
- fragile wheels
- poor handling due to mismatched suspension design and wheels/tires.
- an uncomfortable ride
- loads on the suspension parts they weren't designed for (read: repair bills)
- more expensive tires and more $ to mount them.
- more frequent tire replacement
- tires that handle less well in the rain or snow (tread not as deep)
- poor handling under all conditions (suspension wasn't designed for those type tires. Porsche has specific tire sizes and specifications they approve for use with each of their cars so that handling is safe and consistent. Ask at the tire shop about N rated tires for a Porsche.)

and all to achieve a look that announces to those who know cars you know nothing about making a car handle.

I'd suggest you spend your money on a driving school that teaches you to drive the car to its capabilities on a race track. While you are there, ask people there about the best wheel/tire combinations for a Boxster. I'll bet you hear that 18s are the sweet spot and that Carerra wheels are the lightest and give the best handling. But that the stock 17s are fine wheels too. Then take your stock wheels and put good winter tires on them because the best tire for a Boxster are summer only tires, don't drive them in temps where the road surface is going to be under 40 degrees. You will have a 50+% increase in stopping distance not to mention a significant loss in lateral traction if you do.

You asked for an opinion, that is mine.

[unklekraker]

Wow, Mike! I wasn't even asking for it but you gave a good info there! Thanks, I learned something today


BTW, I think we scared the kid away

[racer_d]

Hey, what 18 y/o "kid" doesn't deserve a 250hp, 160mph car! Guess daddy's trying to compensate for the guilt of not being around to raise his son.. I know.. political and uncalled for and yes, perhaps jealous.

Seriously though, only 22's? wtf is up with that.. how about some 27's?

[blueillusion97]

You dont need to put large rims for your car to stand out.....if you dont like stock rims why not put something like BBS's? I personaly dont like crome rims with an exception for few cars. Boxster would look horrible with small chrome rims. But there are plenty of choices that are not chrome and would look great on boxster while still keeping right size rims.

[Gary in BR]

I feel like I threw this kid to the lions.

He contacted me about my rims and reffered him to our board.

I saw an ad this week in 911 Magazine for 20s for a 986. I will find it tonight and post it.

My opinion on 22s....stay away from them, I have 19s and would not go any larger.
There are plenty of reasons above my post not to go with 22s.
But as husker says, its your car your money, man do what makes YOU happy.

When I modded my car I went with what I wanted not what the mass opinion said and I am happy with my results.

Dont let this thread hurt your opinion of this forum. You will find all the info you ever need here or we can point you in the right direction.

Have fun.

[SilentThunder]

Just plain retarded. Why buy a porsche if your not going to drive it like it was designed for, because with wheels that big it would be GHETTO.

Thats like buying a geo metro for your "fun" racing car, and using a boxster as your slow hydraulic lowrider. Get a caddy if you want rims big enough to raise the body and make turns above 10 mph deadly.