doodledad

I have a 2002 Porsche Carrera 2 cabriolet, stock suspension set up. I just bought some used winter wheels/tires, which the previous owner had on a Cayman. I went to install them, but the clearance between the tire and my suspension was very minimal on the front (probably <5mm). Like an idiot, I thought I would be able to make them work and didn't fully investigate beforehand.

I am wondering if I need 5mm spacers or if I should sell the wheels. it really would pain me to sell them, as the tires are nearly new Michelin Pilot Alpin and I like the look of the wheels (the Tire Rack sport cups).

Wheel/tire specs:
-Front:
—8x18; offset 54
—tires: 235/40/18

-Rear:
—9x18; offset 40
—tires: 255/40/18

Anyone have experience running the above setup on a stock narrow body 996.2? I am not interested in modding the suspension, rolling the fenders, etc, but would be fine getting spacers if I knew it would work. How much clearance is enough between the suspension and the tire?

Thanks!

lowpue

Wrong size...you should sell them. Front is easy to fix with Spacer but I would never go that narrow on the back.

nckwrnr

They would look narrow in the back but they would fit and work as a winter tire and wheel setup.

doodledad

Thank you both for the reply.

I finally put them on. They are pretty close to the suspension tower in the front, but seem to clear. The outer tire/wheel is the same with regard to the wheel well, compared with stock.

The back, while more narrow than my summer tires, are actually pushed out fairly far due to the wheel offset (0.11’” out compared to stock). However, there doesn’t appear to be any fender rub.

I am actually not that bothered by the narrower rear tires- this is actually the same width as the 996.1 17” option. These are just winter tires, so the aesthetics are not that critical to me.

Here’s my question for those that are more knowledgeable (may be kind of naiive but this is not my area of expertise):
-Will I harm the car by running these wheels/tires, assuming no rubbing? I know that for C4/C4S, the front/back ratio is really critical. The front/back circumference is 2.3% different.
-Adding small spacers would probably give me a bit more clearance for the front wheels away from the suspension. Would it be ok to just add spacers in the front only? Does this affect the handling?

Cintel7

You can add spacers without issue, probably 15mm max, assuming you don't track with it. It gives a better grip due to wider track, less understeer, a little more stability but a little more steering effort. Make sure the spacers are hubcentric so there is less chance of vibration.

doodledad

Thanks for for the reply!