P.J.S.

fwiw Cantrell ms in WA just put cup centerlocks on a 2011 RS for a customer - pics on their face book page

and air jacks

mooty

wont work, i tried.

mooty

LOL, that's why i never driven my to/from any place where my friends with trailers can't reach me in 2-3 hours.

mooty

right on, i have three of those.

Condor Man

You were very, very lucky!!

DLJ

Love the GT3.2 as a potential Pcar purchase vs the TT.1. However, these centerlocks are becoming a real concern to me. I don't want to opt for the GT3.1. I would be using the car far away from any Porsche dealers (4-6 hrs avg.) and knowledgeable tire shops (plus may be tricky even to get good flatbed tow operators,etc. at times where I would drive). Not liking the idea of being stranded with a flat. Plus it sounds like a real PITA to carry breaker bar, torque wrench,etc. all the time. Do my circumstances constitute a deal breaker/ large concern to those of you familiar with the CL's? Sorry if a bit off topic.

kyrocks

For me, definitely not a deal breaker.

Richie18

This forum just puts a huge microscope on what are usually small issues.

pdxjim

A large, and informed microscope!

stout

It would appear Marketing is now really > engineering. I file CLs into the same category as the 2011 GT3 RS's side stripe/graphics (sorry, just my own opinion) and the new Speedster, under "Things that may cause Porsche to lose its cool."

By PAG's own measurements, CL-equipped Turbos are slightly heavier than 5L cars, as I learned while talking with a Weissach engineer. It's due not to the wheels but to the large centerlock socket in the front trunk. Factor in all the headaches and special (!) procedures, and I don't get it.

I too rue the day I am out on a test in the middle of nowhere with a tire failure. Worse, it's pretty difficult to get a GT2 or GT3 onto your average U.S. flatbed without damaging the front lip or, worse, the tailpipes. At least you can remove the former. The best solution is to put a real wheel and tire on and drive to the shop...but who has that backup plan ready? Not many.

The looks are subjective, too. I don't mind some of the centerlock designs, but I am not sure they're inherently better than 5L wheels. Also not sure anything trumps "functional" when it comes to Porsches, and it would appear that centerlocks, for GT buyers especially, aren't. This forum seems to prove it.

Centerlocks on a race car? Yep. On a street/trackday car? It's bling to me, and when did bling and Porsches ever go together? The fact you have Mooty and others even thinking about spending four figures on a swap over says a lot!

pete

stout

Not sure it would be a deal-breaker for me, either. But it is definitely not a value-add in my book. It's just the opposite, and leaves me with a little pause every time I head north to see Ralph. I my window of flat opportunity in these cars is pretty small.

But then, I had similar feelings when Porsche decided to ditch the spare tire altogether. I asked an engineer about that, and he said (loosely),"Yeah, but tires are so much better now. When was the last time you had a flat?"

I said, "I used to comment to friends how rare flats are these days—until I had four in one year." Every time, I needed a real spare. Every time, there was one. The worst was a 996 C4 Cab, as the rear had to ride in the cabin with us, on the leather. The best was a VW GTI Mk.IV press car. Car was doggy, but it had a full-size spare. No limitations, back on the road in 10 minutes.

I know, I know—spares are heavy. But when you need them, you really need them. Now add the complicating factor of CL....

pete

jenk12m

I didn't go back through the thread, but is it necessary to torque the wheels off the ground. What will happen if you torque it while the wheels are on the ground??

911SLOW

Excellent sir you covered everything!

And to paraphrase Blaise Pascal if I had more time the other day I would have written something longer and not just quote Einstein on stupidity. : )

911rox

Lee, they are a pain in the *** but DEFINITELY NOT a deal breaker... You can safeguard yourself against most situations you've posted. I carry a Porsche collapsable breaker bar in the car. Most tyre/repair shops may not have required tools but using the b-bar you can loosen the wheel for them to repair/replace your tyre. There is an emergency procedure for tightening the wheels with just that b-bar to 100Nm until you get home and torque them properly. The b-bar costs about $300 and will sort you out anywhere as long as you can get to any tyre/repair shop that can do a basic puncture repair or tyre change.

As for tyre changes, i have the required tools at home and remove them, get them re-shot with rubber and put them on myself at home as i don't trust tyre shops to get it right...

stout

Forgot one thing: Very glad the OP is OK!

I sure hope our friends at PAG are watching this thread. There are some brilliant (and very sensible) car and trackday nuts in Weissach, but I suspect building the momentum to go back to 5L would be an uphill battle—and that's assuming they'd have any interest in doing so. Pretty sure Marketing won't, and it's probably easier to just say "new technology takes time for customers to adapt to." Not sure why iDrive just came to mind. Not sure where CL will end up on the scale, but it's VERY interesting to read all the comments here.

Thanks to those who posted them.

pete