Boxster 718 Wheels
 

I bought a 2001 S this summer and I thought the rims that were on it were genuine Porsche wheel, but instead they were Chinese knock offs. I found this out when one of the rims were bent and caused a flat and was told by my local Porsche mechanic that they were fakes.

I found some 718 wheels to replace them, but I'm not sure if the size will work. Here are the specs:

Front 8 x 18 Porsche 718 Boxster Wheel with Goodyear Eagle F1 235/45 tires
Rear 9.5 x 18 Porsche 718 Boxster Wheel with Goodyear Eagle F1 265/45 tires
Bolt pattern is 5 x 130
Offset front 43 mm
Offset rear 52 mm
Center bore 71.6

Yes, those will fit beautifully on the 986. Although I'd use a 10~15mm spacers on the rears. Not because of a structural fitment issue, but just for a far better look ;)

Chinese knock-offs.

You might have been rolling those wheels that were manufactured in the early 2000 or prior when only 'gravity casting' techniques we're used then. Those are the wheels to avoid-at-all-cost as the density of the aluminum is nearly the same if not identical to the one of your wrist watch or keychain lollll

The good news is all those manufacturers were heavily cracked-down by the authorities here (2004~5 if I recall, most shutdown and fined basically). The only ones who survived are those manufacturers that uses the exact same manufacturing techniques as those of oem (pressure casting). Resulting is far superior quality wheel productions, although all those mfg are still copying designs (but then who cares here). In fact, some of today knockoff's are in fact superior to the stock Twisties that your Porsche car came with :D

How to tell the difference? Just knock on the aluminum with a solid object. If it sounds & feels like knocking on wood (no vibrations) you have the gravity cast wheels (do drive alone lolll).

Biggest issue is that the tires are too large (diameter) for the car. The 986 runs a tire about 25" in diameter, whereas those are a bit over 26" on the front and almost 27.5" on the rear.