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After 2-1/2 years with my 2011 Boxster Spyder, I finally decided that I needed a set of all-season tires to supplement the 19” (Extreme Performance Summer) Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 tires that came with the car. I've been cheesed off about keeping the Spyder parked when the temperatures fell down into the 30s (deg-F), which seems to happen more and more in SC during the winter.
So I decided to go to a -1 configuration, with a set of 18” faux Fuchs wheels made by Starke Design (the SC18 in black with a machined lip, ET45 for the rears and ET48 for the fronts). For tires, I went with the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 in 265/40R18 for the rears and 235/40R18 for the fronts, as suggested by TireRack. As far as I could tell, these were dimensionally the same (+/-) as the RE-11, 265/35R19 rear and 235/35R19 front. I also got new TPMS units, all mounted, delivered to my house, ready for my installation. It was $2,043 for the whole enchilada.
The standard Starke wheel center emblems are a bit sucky, so I splurged on a set of four real Tequipment Porsche wheel centers ($190 from Suncoast, in gloss black - they fit and color match the Starke wheels perfectly).
Just for grins, I also weighed the original and new wheel sets. This was on a bathroom scale, so the absolute numbers may be off, but the differences are maybe OK. For the original 19” wheel/tire sets: fronts at 47.8 lb, rears at 52.4 lb. For the new 18” wheel/tire sets: fronts at 48.0 lb, rears at 55.8 lb. So little unsprung weight penalty with the new set-up on the front, and about a 3 lb penalty on the rear. Pretty good for what looks like a meatier wheel.
As for the retro-look (more rubber on the sidewalls), I love it! The Starke SC18s make the Spyder look less delicate (IMHO), front and rear. At least it is something different from the airy, multi-spoke wheels that everyone else has. I do not track the Spyder, so all those kind of considerations are blah, blah, blah for me. And now I can blast around on my rural roads during the winter, sofa sport seat heaters on full (eat your hearts out LWBers), frigid air sneaking into the cockpit. Spyder life is good....
Okay I was a little questionable at first but the more I looked at it the more it washed over me and I guess it isn't so bad for a winter setup. Definitely prefer the more athletic looking OEM wheels. These make the car seem out of shape if that makes sense?
Okay I was a little questionable at first but the more I looked at it the more it washed over me and I guess it isn't so bad for a winter setup. Definitely prefer the more athletic looking OEM wheels. These make the car seem out of shape if that makes sense?
. . . . I've been cheesed off about keeping the Spyder parkedwhen the temperatures fell down into the 30s (deg-F), which seems to happen more and more in SC during the winter.
. . . .
And now I can blast around on my rural roadsduring the winter, sofa sport seat heaters on full (eat your hearts out LWBers), frigid air sneaking into the cockpit. Spyder life is good....
Mike, I love that you embarked on this project for the sole purpose of extending your driving season when temperatures dip. I'm in favor of anything that results in more time behind the wheel.
Enjoy the cooler months ahead when your Spyder is on the road rather than sitting idle in your garage.
Looks GREAT Mike. Well done. I'm looking at doing the same to extend the driving season. A good winter's day with the top off and the heating blasting - nothing like it. And the LWBs? The extra bolsters keep the heat in.
It's a nice change of pace. I had a set of the Fuchsfelde "updated" wheels on a 981 and they looked great too. My guess is, if you're under 40, Fuchs wheels don't make much of an impression.
11-07-2018, 06:05 PM
Retro Shoes for the Spyder
