11" rear wheels fugetabotit

**SRT84X4** · #1 (**permalink**) 04-30-2007, 11:11 PM

After reading in another thread and a reply from boinkus44, I ordered a set of 997 wheels from NR. They were the exact same size and offset as he said that he had on his car. Going back to that thread now I can't find the information, so I assume that Boikus has realized his mistake and edited it out..... (bet they were really 10")

Anyway, there ain't no way to put any 8 x 11" rears on a Cayman S. when the wheel is touching the strut, it is sticking out of the wheel well 1/2". Tens will fit, and maybe, if custom made for a cayman, you could get 10 1/2's on but never 11's. You would have to change the wheel wells. I'm sure that boikus didn't intentionally mislead me, and NR is going to take them back, but there is a restocking charge (NR also said that they would fit by the way, so they are changing their records as well). We need a definitive article on wheel well dimensions. I will try to get that done with photo's and post it in a few weeks.

Take care when ordering wheels

**Deanabmf** · #2 (**permalink**) 05-01-2007, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SRT84X4

Anyway, there ain't no way to put any 8 x 11" rears on a Cayman S. when the wheel is touching the strut, it is sticking out of the wheel well 1/2". Tens will fit, and maybe, if custom made for a cayman, you could get 10 1/2's on but never 11's. You would have to change the wheel wells.

I have 19" x 10.5" HRE 542R's with 285/30/19 tires and they fit fine with no spacers and no rubbing. I could have gone up to 295's on these wheels. When I bought my car they had another Cayman in the showroom with Porsche sport design 19" x 11" with 305 tires. Search some threads on here and I am sure someone put the max width info. You may need some spacers which you can get from Boothe Design.

**StatiX** · #3 (**permalink**) 05-01-2007, 07:39 AM

i'm using 20"x11 at the rear with 15mm spacer.. no rub ... perfect !!

**C - Man** · #4 (**permalink**) 05-01-2007, 11:27 AM

I believe the key here is offset. I am running the Cayman Carrera S wheel, 19x9.5. When I bought the car these wheels weren't on at first and the dealer tried to fit 997 Carrera S 19x11's and they would not fit. I spoke with Wheel Enhancement (SRT84X84 - I don't know where you got the wheels as I don't know who is "NR") and they confirmed that the only 997 wheels that would fit were the Carrera Classics, I did not inquire about any other 997 styles. They did state however that there were other aftermarket wheels in the 11" width that would fit the Cayman with no problem. I would suggest calling Wheel Enhancement and let them guide you.

**SRT84X4** · #5 (**permalink**) 05-01-2007, 04:55 PM

OK guys I believe you on your 11". The key here is I said 18" x 11". The strut rises at about a 30% angle relative to the ground, so that the larger your wheel diameter is, the wider the wheel that you can fit without rubbing. A 19" wheel is 1/2 inch larger on the radius, therefore you pick up about 1/4"+ in width....double that for a 20" wheel. The wheels I had were thicker at the bead area than a spun 3 piece wheel would be , so you could pick up a little there, but I stand firm on the no 11" if you have 18" wheels.

We fit the 18" by 11" NR Le Mans wheels without tires by adding washers as spacers until we had just a few thousandth clearance to the strut (absolute max offset). The outside of the wheel was proud of the wheel well by about 1/2 inch. I have 18" x 10" wheels coming (now canceld see below). I will be running the 295/18 Michelin pilot sports on them, so the tires are OK. There is a lot of tire information on the site, but no article with all of the dimensions that would be handy. JUST TALKED TO NR about the return. My wheels are TSW. NR had me call the factory and talk to Ryan. Ryan told me that they sent the wrong offset.......that with a 40mm offset the 11" wheels will fit. That matches with my experience on the inside as with the washers listed above, so I said what about the 1/2 in sticking out on the outside, and he replied that when the suspension is compressed they will just fit(strut angle as above). So, I am returning the 52mm offsets for 40mm x 11" and we will see. I will take photo's when I mount them. I hope that they work. It will be the best setup I could hope for if it does.

thanks for your input

boinkus44 · #6 (**permalink**) 05-01-2007, 08:53 PM

SRT84X4,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with 18 x 11's and absolutely there was no intent to mislead. I presently have the Victor Equipment Tourismo 18" x 11" (they don't make 18" x 10" wheels) with 52mm pos offset and a 2" lip on my CS (rear) with no spacer. I was given the offset numbers right out of the Victor Equipment catalog by their local dealer. I have since re-confirmed the offset through another dealer (just be double sure) as I can't find any offset info on the Victor Equipment website (www.victorequipmentwheels.com). I'm running Yoko Advan Neova 295/30R18 tires on these rims, and I've got about 15 track days with this set-up and no rubbing and/or interference issues.

I came across this wheel/tire combo at a Porsche organized track day last year where Yokohama brought an inventory of wheel/tires that they would install free of charge for a bunch of demo laps. All of their wheel/tire combos were on 18" Victor Equipment wheels for 996's and 997's. I was the only CS who gave the Yoko's a try, and even the tire tech was surprised that the 18" x 11"s fit the CS as well as they did. In any case, I loved the tires (noticeably better than the PS2's in the rain that day), so I negotiated a deal to buy the demo wheels/tires, and I've been running them as my track set-up ever since.

I'm not sure what to say, but these 18" x 11" wheels do fit the CS with no spacers. Is it maybe an issue with the lip dimension ? I'm not an expert on wheel fitments, but based on your experience, I double checked my set-up and can confirm the info is correct. I'm surprised that an 18" x 11" wheel with the same offset from another manufacturer fits differently, but I can vouch for the VE's.

Again, sorry about your frustrating experience.

**SRT84X4** · #7 (**permalink**) 05-02-2007, 03:41 PM

Boikus 44

No worries,

I think that the issue is confusion over offsets. As I said in the above post, I talked to Ryan at TSW, and he told me that I had been shipped 52mm (11" rears)offsets because I ordered them that way. They offer the same rear wheel specifically for the Cayman in 40mm offset which makes sense considering my experience with the 52's. I'll bet that if you take off your rears and measure your offset you will find that they are 40mm. Unlike the factory wheels, most aftermarket wheels are not marked for offset, and you can easily get a different offset than you think you are getting. I should have my new rear wheels next week, and I'll post photo's of the install.

boinkus44 · #8 (**permalink**) 05-02-2007, 04:09 PM

SRT84X4,

You may be right on the offset issue. The 52mm offset that I mentioned was quoted to me (twice !) out of the Victor Equipment catalog, so it is entirely possible that it is incorrect, especially given your experience. Now I'm a little nervous as I've ordered a set of Volk Racing TE37 18' x 10" wheels with a 50mm offset, and now I'm not sure about their fitment. I guess I'll find out in a month or so. Good luck with your new wheels.

**SRT84X4** · #9 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 03:34 PM

Boikus,

Yes, I think that the 11" wheels require the 40mm offset. I wanted Volk's also but couldn't get delivery in time for track and AX. You should be fine at 50mm with the 10" wheels, as you are giving back 10mm in offset and gaining 1/2" 12.7mm per side with the 10" wheels. They should be a perfect fit.

**SRT84X4** · #10 (**permalink**) 05-28-2007, 12:01 AM

Well, I got the 18"x11"x40mm offsets from TSW, and they fit. However, they have only .017" cleance to the rear struts, and that is with Bilsteins, I think they could be an issue with the stock struts.

Both my hoosier 285/30 A6 tires, and my Michelin pilot sport cup 295/30's fit without rubbing.

HOWEVER, HERE IS THE RUB. At my first autocross with this car and the new wheels. I experienced a rubbing noise at the rear. We found that the .017 clearance was taken up by flex in the wheel under hard cornering load. If I can get the photo's to up load, I will show you the evidence. The problem is only on the left side. The fix will be a 2mm spacer on that wheel only.

P. S. I won ASP over a modified Corvette (with a good driver), and an Acurra NSX that was set up. The car works fantastic.....Bilstein, H&R, LSD, Milltek, Allignment etc.

boinkus44 · #11 (**permalink**) 05-28-2007, 02:42 PM

SRT84X4,

Congrats on the autoX success. I really like the way you have set your CS up as I'm heading in that same general direction. I've got a lot of the same mods as you, but I don't yet have an LSD or coilovers, but that is in the cards for later this summer.

Hopefully you've got the wheel/spacer/fitment issue resolved. Obvioulsy it was an painful process getting there. I expect my Volk wheels sometime in the next 3-4 weeks, and I may have to do some of the same finessing that you did. I do have some 7mm spacers for the rears if it turns out that additional clearance is needed. I'll know soon...