alternative options for wheels & tyres for a 996 GT3?

[arjamieson]

My GT3 has brand new rubber – far too costly to shred on a track day so soon after fitting!

So Im thinking of getting a spare set of wheels (& tyres) on ebay.

Sourcing actual genuine GT3 wheels is a nightmare (>£2500 for a full set)!

Who knows if it will mess the car up if I get something slightly different?

Either

a) Smaller wheels (eg GT3 replicas that go on to Boxters – same radius but slightly narrower 285 vs 305mm)……but then fit them with slicks or semi-slicks = more grip, overall no difference?

b) Get the cheaper wheels for day to day use on the road and make the original GT3 wheels (305 mm on the back) my track ones, then fit them with track tyres or even slicks. (There’s a nice set of “hoosiers” on ebay, R18 305mm wide., £150 quid the pair….hmmmmmm!). Issues with fitting under the wheel arches? (Slick dimensions aren’t quoted the same as a road tyre?).
c) Get a set of 19” 997 GT3 replicas on ebay (not that expensive compared to the real deal) which I think look nice, and again save the genuime 18” GT3 wheels for the track (with fitted with maybe cheaper part-worn rubber)

Ideas welcomed - Lowest cost without totally messing up the car is the aim!



The main question here is can I run narrower (eg 285mm vs 305mm) on the real for everyday use without totally messing up the car: OR: fit narrower for the track, but make them slicks or semi-slicks (seem cheap second hand!) which balances out the overall effect of the narrowness.

What about offset and all that? Concerned not to mess up the track / camber which is alledgedly hyper-sensitive on a GT3

HELP!

[keep it lit]

hi,

which model mate, 6.1 gt3(285 rears) or 6.2 gt3(295 rears)

I tried 305 slicks on the rear of my 6.1 and failed, too big..

ade

[keep it lit]

cheap wheels; team dynamics
cheap tyres; federal 595 rsr
hassle free rear slick size; 285/645/18"

[DiscoColin]

The OZ Alleggerita comes in the exact size and offset (18x8.5ET40/18x11ET63) as factory wheels at an appreciable weight saving in the £1200-1400 range. I used to run them quite happily when I had a 996 and so do a few other people that I know. There are practically no alternatives with the same offsets and widths in the price range and you probably won't get cheaper without going out of spec for the sizes. I have a set of OE wheels that I may auction later in the year, but if I get around to it the reserve will be much more than that.

Edited by DiscoColin on Tuesday 10th January 19:48

[Harris_I]

arjamieson said:

Who knows if it will mess the car up if I get something slightly different?

Yes, absolutely it will. Stick with the standard sizes and offsets. Those who have gone up to 19" have struggled to find the right tyres.

Also, you might find some of the race teams keep old slicks hanging around. I used to keep them for shakedowns on the Cup car and they fit the road car. Be warned, though, that they heat cycle out very quickly so you may only be marginally quicker on track than a set of road-going semi-slicks (plus of course you can't use them in the wet).

[arjamieson]

thanks for the advice guys.

Sorry, should have said that its a later spec with the 295 mm rear tyres.

Ive done a bit of digging - would 996 Turbo wheels fit? they are the same radius / tyre spec on the rear (slightly narrower on the front) but the offset seems to be sublty different. Will that cause me a lot of trouble? can I fit a spacer to make up the difference?

My car: Rear: 295/30/ZR18 11Jx18 offset 63mm.
Front 235/40/ZR18 8,5Jx18 offset 40mm

996 Turbos:
Rear Tyres- 295 30 18, Wheel size 11Jx18 ET45
Front Tyres- 225 40 18, Wheel size 8Jx18 ET50

Ive even gone as far as looking at 17" wheels on semi-slick toyos but with a larger profile such that the overall rolling diameter is virtually the same. This seems like a cheap option, but too good to be true?

Digging out the manual I note that winter tyres are different width and offset anyway, so it cant be terribly bad to change it a little bit, surely..... (he says rather optimistically, waiting to get shot down in flames)? ;-)

I appreciate that the standard spec is by far the optimum. But how close to I need to be, if it saves me £100s if not £1000s in cost, I would be prepared to compromise a LITTLE bit.....

[Slippydiff]

arjamieson said:

thanks for the advice guys.

Sorry, should have said that its a later spec with the 295 mm rear tyres.

Ive done a bit of digging - would 996 Turbo wheels fit? they are the same radius / tyre spec on the rear (slightly narrower on the front) but the offset seems to be sublty different. Will that cause me a lot of trouble? can I fit a spacer to make up the difference?

My car: Rear: 295/30/ZR18 11Jx18 offset 63mm.
Front 235/40/ZR18 8,5Jx18 offset 40mm

996 Turbos:
Rear Tyres- 295 30 18, Wheel size 11Jx18 ET45
Front Tyres- 225 40 18, Wheel size 8Jx18 ET50

I've even gone as far as looking at 17" wheels on semi-slick toyos but with a larger profile such that the overall rolling diameter is virtually the same. This seems like a cheap option, but too good to be true?

Digging out the manual I note that winter tyres are different width and offset anyway, so it cant be terribly bad to change it a little bit, surely..... (he says rather optimistically, waiting to get shot down in flames)? ;-)

I appreciate that the standard spec is by far the optimum. But how close to I need to be, if it saves me £100s if not £1000s in cost, I would be prepared to compromise a LITTLE bit.....

Not as simple as it looks, a lower ET number means the wheel sticks out further. So an ET45 Turbo rear will stick out 18mm further than you current ET63 GT3 wheel. Clearly the Turbo wheel is designed to fill out the arches of the wide body car and thus is not suitable for the narrow body variant.