Wheel sizes for 98 Boxter

[RandallNeighbour]

Bill, you own a boxSter...

I have 18's on my 97, which is a no-no because the frame evidently can't handle it under extremem pressure. They fixed this in 98, so you're golden there.

I will say that my Carrera Light aftermarket 18's make for a rougher ride than my 17's but look so doggone great I don't care. 19's are just a waste of money... the rubber replacement cost factor alone should help you make that decision.

[Boxter]

Howdy Randall,

I cannot debate the "waste of money" comment yet because I have not driven another Boxster with 18's but have you driven one with 19's?

If so were there any noticable/appreciable differences?

If not, how can you make such a finite statement?

As far as the looks are concerned its all subjective but I really love the looks of the 19s on many of the cars on this forum that have them vs the ones that don't.

...just my 19 cents.

[RandallNeighbour]

Maybe I should have said that I personally think it's a waste of money (my opinion and possibly only my opinion) to put 19's on a boxster. It's sacrificially aesthetic in my opinion.

1. It does nothing for the handling from all I have read. I put 18's on mine just because my 17's were crappy aftermarket rims that were heavy.

2. It does nothing for the ride... a friend has 19's on his Boxster and his wife refuses to ride in it because it provides her with a jarring, harsh ride. He doesn't live near me so I can't say I've ridden in it, but he says it has taken "road feel" to a whole new level.

3. The choices of appropriate 19" tires on the market are a) expensive and b) limited.

But, like you said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If someone wants a boxster that has 19's or even 20's on it, go for it. I just think the cash could be better spent elsewhere on the car to improve the looks, handling or even power.

M3's get factory 19's, New Porsches get factory 19's, the saleen s7 gets 19's and 20's. They must know something. They cant be too bad or they wouldnt be an option. Exclusivity+looks make it the right choice for me. Everyone and their grandma has 18's, and plus, if you ever go the GT3 route, you wont reget getting the 19's cause they look so awesome.

[Boxter]

Fair enough.
...and with that said, rims would not have been my first upgrade had they not been on there upon purchase.

However I don't feel like I have the same jarring/harsh feeling your friend's wife described. My wife (a discerning passenger who did not care much for riding in my 74 VW vert given the feel of the wind and noise experienced with the top down) has not mentioned a harsh ride feeling even after driving it herself many times.

Again I would like someone here to discuss the feeling before and after the change to 19s but we'll leave that for another thread.

...but back to your point about the frame issue on your MY...has that proved to be an issue for you at all yet with the miles you have turned?

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

It all depends upon what your objective is. For performance and ride quality, stay with 18's and under. Add to this that Cheating Death isn't an issue with the '98s, but despite those daring few, is a real issue on the '97s (Porsche didn't retool for all that rear chassis reinforcement for frivolity's sake).

Going bigger than 18" is purely for the aesthetic value and braggin' rights. And, if these are your thing - Go for It!...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[David_J]

I've been running 19s since 1 week after purchasing my car. I am glad I went that route. I didn't notice that much of a rougher ride with 19s. I just have to pay close attention to the road looking for hazards. But I'm use to that as I run 22s on my Denali.

If I had to do it all over again, I would go with 19s. I debated a long time over 18s or 19s. The roads in my area are not too bad so that helped in the decision.

For the track or autocross events, I use my stock 17s with MPSC tires on them. The 19s are for around town driving.



-David

[z12358]

1. A friend drives a MB CLS500 with 19" wheels in NYC. He has replaced three tires and one wheel in six months.
2. A NYC Bentley dealer discourages buyers from the 20" wheel option but most of them still get it. He claims they get an average of one destroyed 20" wheel per car per month.

Anything larger than 18" wheels is purely for looks -- it does nothing for performance, and if anything it deteriorates it at the extremes. People who extrapolate the trend from 15" to 18" wheels over the last couple of decades, need to ask themselves at what point bigger eventually stops meaning better. After all, Formula One doesn't drive on 26" wheels.

Z.