will i even notice 5mm spacers?
 

I'm waiting on my GT3 bumper and skirts (still)...and I've been toying with
then idea of adding 5mm spacers. For those who have seen these installed,
will I even notice the change?

I have 'em. The visual difference is very-very slight.

Did you add them on yourself?? I mean are you disappointed in them??

I notices some 15mm spacers on e-bay not to long ago. They looked like good quality to. Sold in pairs for around $100.00. If you get those, you should definately notice a difference.

I ordered my car this way last year. I am NOT disappointed. Makes my car a little different.

bmus,

Did you get the spacers only for aesthetic purposes ?

( BTW - if you haven't seen his ride in person, it is awesome ! )

Just wondering...

Thanks,

Nick

I saw a Boxster with them on at the dealer when asked to see if they had one. I didn't notice a thing but the car was not sitting next to another Boxster. 5mm is less than 1/8th of an inch. Take a look at that on a ruler and judge for yourself. I've also read some complaints that they push the wheels our just far enough to kick more crud up onto the car but I find that hard to believe considering the tiny amount they extend the wheel.

I know 5mm is not much, but when I put them on my car it did seem like it had a little wider stance. Maybe I can notice it more because my car is sitting lower with Bilstein coilovers.

Ed

I would agree with the "kicking up more dirt and crud" comment. I don't have a comparision, but still think this happens.

Hey Nick, yes, mainly for aesthetics. I also thought that I would get a little (very-very little) more "grip" in the corners with the slightly wider stance.

Funny thing is, at PCA Concours Events, other Boxster owners who know our cars so well, comment on the fact that I have the spacers. So they notice. The car looks a little wider from the rear to a trained eye.

Here is one GREAT benefit that I was not planning on. Since the wheel is pulled out about 1/8 of an inch from the calipers, I can get my hand and cloth in there and can clean my wheels and calipers a little easier. :)

This option (code XRP) was $490...and I did not mind spending this amount to make my car a little more different that the rest.

My understanding is that the primary reason they have the 5mm spacers on the 987 options list is to provide caliper clearance should a buyer choose to add PCCBs.

According to my calcs it's more like 5mm/25.4mm =~ 1/5th of an inch.
Didn't know spacers were on the option list. Now that bmuss has them and after the discussion about lowering (not planning it) and filling out the wheel well better, I'm thinking of putting some on myself this spring.

Z.

Z, I think I have seen the Porsche Tequipment 5mm spacers for about $300-350. Don't remember where. Sorry. This includes the longer wheel bolts. Paragon Products (www.********************************************************************.com) has some cool spacers too. And I think Wheel Enhancements has them too.

15mm would be more noticeable...
 

I found these on e-bay. 15mm. They look solid. Sold in sets of 2.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...l_Space_04.jpg
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280065944283&ssPageNam e=MERC_VIC_RUPX_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=2800 71733848&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item &usedrule1=UpSell_LogicX&refwidgettype=cross_promo t_widgethttp://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...l_Space_03.jpg

Good point. It would definitely help, especially on my stock 18"s.
Thx for the suggested links.

Z.

I saw the Porsche for $292.50 in a dealer ad in the curent Excellence Magazine - don't remember which dealer. I may get these to throw on in Spring, too.

"According to my calcs it's more like 5mm/25.4mm =~ 1/5th of an inch.
Didn't know spacers were on the option list. Now that bmuss has them and after the discussion about lowering (not planning it) and filling out the wheel well better, I'm thinking of putting some on myself this spring."

Z.

You got me - actually 0.19685 of an inch. Somewhere between 1/8th and 1/4 of an inch. My ruler doesn't have 1/5 of an inch on it.

do you need
 

longer lug bolts? With the 15mm? Also, I heard they cause uneccessary stress.

HI, 5mm is closer to 3/16 (5 divided by 25.4 =.1969) and 3/16 is .187" :cheers:

Hey ya man, Mr. Marley, man! Be happy man! If you space out the wheels you need longer bolts too. I think 5mm adds negligible stress, if any. That's why I went with the Porsche approved. Now...15mm...you might be right. :)

If you look at the techart kit for the 987, they actually use 35mm spacers in the rear. I wonder if that is really bad for the car. I actually like the look.

http://www.cecwheels.com/tuners/products.sd?iid=113&type=vehicle&modelId=&category Id=61&tuner_brand_id=7

I'm sorry I can't address the 5mm spacers, but I put 7's on the front and 15's on the rear. As was pointed out above about the 5's, there really isn't that much to them (7 mm is pretty small), but they DO seem to help fill out the wheel well and the 15s on the back make a definite difference. THey're H&R's purchased from Paragon Products....total including longer bolts $282. BUT.... Paragon and I had quite a long (like two month) misunderstanding about what I was ordering (long story and it was completely and totally settled with both sides happy), and I got a pretty good discount, including free shipping.... so I doubt you'd be able to get them for the same price.

As far as any handling improvement, I'll let you know after the next DE in June... OMG is it really that long till the next DE!

Bob

I hope everyone realizes that we have all lost our minds in a wonderful kind of way. We're actually enthusiastically discussing the pros and cons of 5mm spacers. Maybe we're actually living on the funny farm but oh what a funny farm it must be. "They're coming to take me away, hehe, haha ,,"

I think a 4.25mm spacer would be ideal! :) And color matched to the specific car. Or red to match the calipers on the "S".

Dude, you nailed it. :cool:

What I was thinking was: The only people we can impress with all the many modifications we do to our cars (I am not only talking about spacers, I mean front wings, side skirts, rims, etc) are a few Porsche affiniados (I am sure I spelled that wrong). 99.99% of all people on the road won't notice a thing, BECAUSE they are already totally impressed with the Porsche itself, no further bells & whistles needed.
I am driving a (well pampered) 2002 Box and people still ask me if the car is new, meaning they don't know the difference between a 2002 and 2007...

What the heck, my next project is waiting (maybe the Gemballa rear wing :D )