Fitting 17" wheels for winter tyres

[cptspaulding]

I have a 2005 987.1 standard 2.7l Boxster. It came to me with a bunch of options fitted which I didn't know were options when I bought it & I'm still discovering others (e.g. I only discovered last week it has SPP - whoop).

It came to me with 19" Lobster claw wheels & has red brake calipers. Now I believe that red was standard on the S model but not the base. Could the S style calipers have been fitted as an option at point of sale? There's nothing in the previous owners' receipts to suggest they've been painted red in the meantime (that doesn't mean they weren't though).

The crux of the matter is I want to put a set of winter wheels on & I'd prefer to go with 17" for the narrower tyre options. Can I fit 986 or 987 17" wheels without fouling the calipers? & is there an easy way to determine if I have base breakes or S brakes on the car?

[Paul P]

It’s pretty common for people to paint the callipers red if they do a refurb. If you can see a part number on the callipers then you can check if they are standard.  
 

not sure about wheel fitment but  you should be able to establish what you are working with. 

[zcacogp]

As said, I'd suspect that the calipers have been painted at some time in the car's history. 

Well done on going for the smaller wheels and winter tyres - I did the same on my 987.1 Cayman and it's a very good thing indeed. Smaller wheels bring the chassis alive and winter tyres grip so much better when it's cold (even when it's cold and dry; throw some rain, ice or snow into the mix and the difference becomes even more marked). 

I'll be sticking with 17inch wheels when I go back to summer tyres for sure. 

[box100]

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I have a spare set of 17’s which I put new Michelin winter tyres on a few years ago. I didn’t really notice much difference, probably because it was quite a mild winter. I probably drove too fast and can only imagine it damaged them as the grip levels on wet roads became absolutely appalling. 
I swapped to my summer set, also 17’s while still in the winter with new Pirelli summer tyres, the grip, even on wet roads was an amazing improvement.

I personally won’t get again, but not trying to put you off as my experience may be down to me / weather that year. 

[DaveEFI]

Measure the diameter of the discs?

[Glosrich]

All the approved tyre and wheel sizes are in the back of the handbook also.

Didnt think the S calipers are any larger than the standard, just painted red. Still Brembo 2 pots.

 

[½cwt]

On 10/13/2020 at 2:26 PM, Glosrich said:

All the approved tyre and wheel sizes are in the back of the handbook also.

Didnt think the S calipers are any larger than the standard, just painted red. Still Brembo 2 pots.

 

4 pots???

[cptspaulding]

On 10/12/2020 at 8:23 PM, box100 said:

I swapped to my summer set, also 17’s while still in the winter with new Pirelli summer tyres, the grip, even on wet roads was an amazing improvement.

I'll be staying with the 19"s for summer. I like the look of the lobster claw wheels too much. (Hate cleaning them, though.)

I can't for the life of me think why 17" wheels won't fit on my car, but one eBay seller had a caveat on his 17" Porsche alloys to the following effect - 

"Porsche Boxster 986 17" Alloy wheels 6.5J and 8.0J 
 

NO BUCKLES, WELDS OR PREVIOUS REPAIRS. SOME LIGHT KERBING AS SHOWN.

 

Won't fit cars that originally came with 18" wheels due to clearance on the calipers."

 

Just making me a bit cautious before I pull the trigger & buy 17s

[½cwt]

Sizes of rims for the 987 listed in the parts catalogue as follows with 986 17" sizes in brackets:

FRONT

6.5J 17 ET55, 8J 18 ET57, 8J 19 ET57, 8.5J 19 ET55 (986 7J 17 ET55)

REAR

8J 17 ET40, 9J 18 ET43, 9.5J 19 ET46, 10J 19 ET42 (986 8.5J 17 ET50)

The 986 17" rims go over the larger calipers on the 986S (17" rims as standard) which given that the 987S has the same front disc and calliper part numbers 986S 17" rims would be fine.