Coochas

I posted this in the 997 forum as well - hoping someone here might know the answers!
If you've ever changed your wheels you know that there is a floating washer that sits between the head of the lug and the threads (see between the arrows in the pic). This washer is made such that it cannot be slipped off of the bolt.

I am buying 14 mm rear wheel spacers for my new snow tires/rims from H&R via Tire Rack. The spacers come with longer bolts to accomodate the extra width of the spacer BUT do not have the little floating washer - which is necessary.

Damon at Tire Rack has told me (and has offered) that one can cut the Porsche bolts in half, remove the floating washer, and bore it out slightly so that it will fit the new bolts by slipping over the threads. This has been done but necessitates trashing a new set of Porsche wheel lugs.

My Questions are:
1) Does anyone know a source of just the floating washers?
2) Has anyone gotten around this spacer problem using the aforementioned technique or some other way?

THANKS!

TT Surgeon

Takes about 5 min to pop those off, but a better solution is the longer bolts with the proper collar, no real need to have it floating per se. I've run a set of longer bolts from prestige wheel with a fixed collar for two years with zero problems.Way cheaper too.
www.prestigewheel.com

Coochas

Thanks,...I'll look into their bolts as well.

TT Surgeon

I added the link. Ask for Chris Arnold 800-854-6770

Long Islander

I had the same issue when I bought 15mm spacers. I replaced all my OEM bolts with nice chrome ones (46mm for the ones with spacers, 30mm for the others) from Ralph Boothe (www.boothedesign.com). They have the collars, and they look stunning (nice enough to put on display).

Coochas

Yeah the Boothe ones look nice. I'm really starting to consider the Porsche 17 mm kit just to keep it simple.

wlee69

I used a dremel and just grinded the inside of the washer till it could slipped over the existing threads. On my 01 996 washers, there are 4 pts on the inside edge that actually "stop" the washer from going over the thread...just grind those down it they slid right off...and you slide them right onto the new bolts. Never had a problem.....

Will

Long Islander

Don't do that. The Porsche kit bolts onto your hubs with your original lug bolts, then you have studs that stick out of the spacer, onto which you attach your wheels with lug NUTS. You now have the added weight of the nuts. Plus, the nuts that come with the kit are black. and the heads are a different shape than your original bolt heads, and I don't think you can find any that do match. Also, it would bother me that I have lug nuts on two wheels and lug bolts on the other two.

Just get H&R 15mm spacers (which is what I have) and buy the chrome Booth bolts.

TT Surgeon

The lug nuts are aluminum, they sit so far into the wheel that you can't tell. I have them with my sport techno wheels from the factory.