Gary Gaukler

I guess I am doing the reverse of what most others are trying to do. I am thinking about downgrading from 18" to 17" wheels, for three reasons:
1. lower unsprung weight
2. softer ride
3. 18" are just too large, optically (IMHO)

Two questions that I hope you can help with:
1. Which 17" Porsche wheels can I use? What widths and offsets will work without spacers?

2. What are the lightest 17" Porsche wheels? I currently have the 18" Turbo Look wheels, anybody know how heavy these wheels are? How do they compare to the 17" 996/Boxster wheel for example?

Thanks very much!

Gary

arenared

18" Turbo Look are the heaviest--I think high 20s if not just over 30s in the rear. The Twist/Design wheels are a dime a dozen and are light low 20s. The Boxster S II are supposed to be the lightest of the factory 17s--very low 20s. Another reason to go for 17" wheels is that the tires are much cheaper. You can afford to go through stickier tires a lot more. 18" is definitely stiffer than 17" but there is an even bigger difference in tire construction across brands/tires. Going to 17" you can also go to something stiffer as well as stickier. I think 17.5" would be just about right as far as looks

bruinbro

Does Porsche make a hollow spoke in a 17"? You can also rummage through http://www.wheelweights.net/ and then see if the manufacturer makes a wheel with the Porsche bolt pattern.

Bro

blinkwatt

DO NOT GO TO 17 INCH WHEELS. You will regret it,I can almost gaurentee it. Having the 18 inch Turbo Twist wheels give the car a much more aggresive look compared to any 17 inch available( I went from 17s to 18s). You may want to check out the Moda R6 model,they look VERY nice on Boxsters if you want to go to 17s.

lowside67

They do not make a hollow 17".

If you are going for 17", be aware you can (and should) run 996 wheels. They require a spacer in the rear, but the extra width is nice to have to shoehorn some extra rubber on.

DHL LMP2

Why would he regret the look of 17s if he has already stated the 18s look wrong to him?

Gary Gaukler

Thanks for all the replies!

What I've been able to find out so far re widths and offsets is the following:

18" Turbo Look II: F - 8x18/50 R - 10x18/47
18" Carrera 5spoke: F - 7.5x18/50 R - 9x18/52
17" Boxster S II: F - 7x17/55 R - 8.5x17/48
17" Turbo Twist 996: F - 7x17/50 R - 9x17/55

Does anyone have more info about other Porsche wheels? I'd love to compile a list.

The wheelweights.net database is not so helpful, because they don't list Porsche wheels by their proper name (e.g., they list "Boxster 17" - which wheel would that be? Lots of Boxster 17" wheels around...)

I like the Boxster S II wheel, but if you calculate the clearance of that wheel (I am using http://marksink.com/tire_wheel_offset/offset.html), it turns out that they require spacers (else they'd be too far inward). And spacers add weight again...

bruinbro

Another dumb question: is there a Sport Techno wheel in 17"?

Bro

lowside67

Just a thought, but though spacers add weight, a wheel with the correct offset will have material around the hub that is in effect a spacer attached to the wheel with the same weight consequences.

arenared

Is your application a 986 Boxster? If so, then I don't know why any factory Boxster 17" wheels would need spacers. lowside67 is right that offsets and spacers are about a wash as far as weight. On the Turbo Look 18" wheels, I remember seeing about a 2lb difference between wide and narrowbody offsets for the same 10" width which is probably about the same weight as a spacer and another set of bolts. IIRC, the Boxster II wheels are like 19.5 lbs front/21.5 lbs rear which is very light. You should probably verify my numbers if that's important to you, but I'm pretty sure that I've read in a few places that they're the lightest of the OE Boxster wheels. The Boxster Design/Twist wheels are also pretty light--maybe a pound or so heavier and are dirt cheap. I sold my old set for like $450--no curb rash or anything. The 996 9" rear twists will let you run some big rubber like 275/40s but the style, while not bad, is a little too dated for me, and if you have an S, they'll make yours look like a base. There is also a 17" 10-spoke in 9" for 996s which is a nice wheel, too. Don't let a pound or two make or break the deal for you if you like the style/size/offset. Different brands of tires can vary by 4 lbs each. Wheel Enhancement has a lot of good pics on their site for wheels, but I was not too impressed with their prices or attitude. Wheels are a very personal taste, and I've been through a few myself.

Irishdriver

This is not logical, the offset is different by the middle being attached to the rim at different depths, not by adding material to the centre.

Wheels of the same type with different offsets should have the same weight.

arenared

No. Different cast wheels with different offsets have different weights because usually the face/style does not change. It is logical and is more often correct than not. What Irishdriver says is only a valid argument for 3-piece wheels where the "lip" size of the wheel halves is changing independent of everything else.

Gary Gaukler

Yes, it's a 986. They don't technically require spacers, but it turns out that the 17" wheels do not stick out under the fender as much as the Turbo Looks. According to the calculator mentioned above, the 17s have something like 15-20mm more distance between wheel face and fender edge than the Turbo Looks. I think that would look weird, so I'd add a spacer just for looks.

Interesting comments re spacer weight and weight of diff. offset wheels.

Which ones are the Boxster Design/Twist? I can't find them on wheelenhancement.

Arenared, just out of curiosity, what wheels have you tried, and which ones did you like best?

Gary

Jay Laifman

I believe these are turbo twists. Probably what you have.

arenared

Jay, those are commonly called Turbo Twists, but Porsche calls them Turbo Look (I). There is also a Turbo Look II. I think these names are to differentiate them from the hollow-spoke which are just called Turbo (non-Look) from the 993 Turbo. I think the other common wheels like on lowside67's are commonly called Turbo Twist, but I think Porsche calls them Carrera or Boxster Design.

I looked up some old posts and here's what I found: Boxster S II are 17.8 lbs F and 19.6 lbs R. That is #$%& light. The Boxster fitment Turbo Look wheels are 24.4 lbs F and 29.3 lbs R. The 10" ET40 Turbo Look are 31.1 lbs. The narrowbody are 29.3 lbs.