jkb

i have decided to get 19" wheels. my logic is as follows:

- when i move to 997, i can simply (re)use 19" wheels
- i will keep my 18" wheels for track/autox

so i am thinking of BBS RS-GT in 19". will they fit? well... when in doubt, look at the manual, which states the following OEM specs for "911 Carrera, Carrera 4":

Front: 225/40 8x18 ET50
Rear: 295/30 11x18 ET63

the BBS RS-GT specs are:

Front: 235/35 8.5x19 ET53
Rear: 295/30 11x19 ET60

so the difference is just 3mm, which should not even register, right? is it really that simple? sounds too good to be true since tirerack rep claims BBS RS-GT with those specs wont fit my C2 (but he wont tell me why)

LVDell

They will fit with one caveat. Make sure they clear the calipers. Most poeple stop at just making sure they fit within the wheel well and are "flush" enough or do not stick out. What some fail to look at is brake calipers.

jkb

i think calipers should be fine. its a bigger (not smaller) wheel. i am more concerned about this math being too good to be true. i feel like i am missing something...

LVDell

You're only pushing the wheels out ~3mm in F and R. Almost like adding a 3mm spacer all the way around. Why do you think the math it too good to be true?

jkb

because tirerack told me the wheels simply wont fit and they are not listed on their website as an option for a 996 C2 -- they are listed as an option for a 997 C2. this is while there are other 19" wheels listed for a 996 C2.

so my question is... am i missing something simple? i dont think 3mm spacers all around would make the wheels "not fit", stick out much or scrub. on the other hand, i do trust tirerack and i dont want to make a $5,000 mistake ("hey, we told you that you cant fit those wheels, we can't take them back now")

judging from the GT3 wheel swap pics you took (thanks!), it doesn't look like these wheels would stick out even close to how much the GT3 ones did, right? to be honest, that thread got me so confused after it side-tracked into GT3 neighborhood

LVDell

Maybe b/c they are not a factory option for a 996 (only 17 and 18). Not sure. As long as the bolt pattern works and the offset is one that works I have no idea why they would say what they do.

Besides, those aren't even the 997 19" sizes. So I have no idea what Tire Rack is talking about. Have you thought about sending a PM to Damon? He a board sponsor her with Tire Rack.

jkb

heh.. he is the one who told me (on 6speed via PM) that it wont fit

btw... those pics you posted of the GT3 wheels on a cab. i just re-read the whole thread and it sounds like my 19" BBS RS-GT would stick out just much (if not by 3mm more) -- right?

David in LA

Are you eventually planning on putting these on a 4wd 997 (you mentioned in your first post)? 4wd cars are generally more fussy than 2wd with regards to the ratio of the front and rear tire circumferences in order for the 4wd to function properly Going from a 225/40 to a 235/35 is a big decrease...I would have thought going to 245/35 or 255/35 from 225/40 would be more appropriate.

jkb

hey david.. i am hoping my next car will be a 997S coupe. if the face lift brings more HP and bluetooth, i'll get one new. otherwise i'll pick-up a used one. am i been silly by trying to plan my 996 wheel purchase to also work with a 997 a year or two down the road?

jhbrennan

Have tried the combos using the offset and size calculators at www.1010tires.com

jkb

i actually ripped off www.bigcustomwheels.com one because they didnt have offsets as high as i needed:

http://camel.ethereal.net/~jkb/calc2...m/rt_specs.jsp

jhbrennan

The offset calculator at www.1010tires.com shows going from 8 inch et 50mm to 8.5 inch et 53mm reduces interior clearance by 9mm for the fronts - maybe that's why Damon said they wouldn't work.

TripleM

From 8J +50mm to 8.5J +53 that clearly reduces the inner clearance, not by 3mm but an extra 6mm
so total 9mm

Every increase in the width is divided equally for inner and outer clearances
So 0.5in here and that equates to bout 12mm so 6mm inner, 6mm outer

Final result, 9mm lesser inner clearance (3mm offset +6mm) => your wheel will likely hit the suspension strut
On the outer clearance, your wheel is 3mm closer to the fender