Ray S

I'm guessing this is it...

http://www.zeintec.com/

bruinbro

Ray S is correct.

The rear trunk lid and clamshell need to be removed, the soft-top can stay or go (I think). Unless you are the Hulk and can lift buildings by one corner it requires 2 people to remove and install the Zeintop. Or, if you have some sort of hoist or forklift you could do it with one person.

Anything else you want to know?

Bro

arenared

I would not use 275s. They will be too tall, and the rear of the Boxster does not weigh enough to get decent inflation pressures. 265-35 or 285-30 are the right sizes (diameter and load rating). Considering your offset is 40mm, I would opt for the 265-35 to avoid rubbing problems. 285s should be fine if your offset is 47mm. 295s or 10.5" are only if you're really brave and willing to sort out any issues you may run into. Don't base your tire decision on price. AVS ES 100s are decent tires, but I had them on my ACCORD. Unless you are putting a bazillion miles on your car annually, you should be looking at better tires.

Ray S

+1 275/35 will be too tall. It will effectively raise all your gear ratios and slow acceleration.

I have found 235/265 to be perfect for the street and track.

bruinbro

I would like to echo what arenared and Ray S have said with a little personal observation.

My car with the cage needed the 285 or 295 tires to work with the 235s. Now that I have removed the cage to get the Zeintop on I have noticed (on the street so far) that the 295's are too much. Unfortunately, I had 265's on the rears temporarily a while ago and they were stretched too much on the 10.5" rims. So, I need to get a cage back in the car. If you are using 9.5 or 10" rims I would go with the 235/265 combo unless you plan on getting a cage.

Bro

insite

bro -

how do you like the JIC setup? what spring rates are you using?

calvani

Thanks for your comments regarding the 275/35 tire profile. And I definitely agree with you about not making tire decisions based on price. I decided to go with Michelin Sport Pilots. These were after all used by the Porsche factory and hence, are a better match given the performance/capabilities of the Boxster.

Regarding the wheel offset and rubbing problems. I think the logic is the other way around. That is, the lower the magnitude of the wheel offset, the more the wheel moves OUT from the car. Hence, one could run 285/30/18 tires on a 10" x 18" ET 40 mm rims w/o any rubbing problems. These are in fact the wheel/tire specs on Gemballa-based Boxsters *w/o* the usage of spacers.

Cheers,

Humberto-

arenared

Excellent. Handling is the reason to own a Boxster!

Yes, the lower the offset, the more the wheel sticks out. So, an ET40 sticks out more than an ET47 and increases the possibility of rubbing with the fender. Remember, there is a problem of inboard clearance as well. Basically, with a 10" rear wheel, you want that wheel inboard as far as you can go without hitting anything so that you have the maximum clearance for the tires and the fender. That maximum is in the vicinity of 47mm depending on exact wheel construction, alignment, and considerable manufacturing tolerances.

What fits is often in the eye of the beholder. A lot of tuners have tires that I consider sticking out past the body and dont look good.

calvani

True...When I read your post, I thought you were referring to rubbing with the
shock strut.

And I agree that if the tires sticks out "too" much from the fender it does not look good (on top of the possible rubbing problems).. But if you get the set-up just right (just a tad), in my opinion it looks fantastic

See: www.gemballa.com and follow the "Conversions based on the 986" links...

Thanks very much for the clarification.

Cheers,

Humberto