Hey guys,

Could really use some input from some of you who either have already gone this route, or know for a fact what will work and what won't.

I have a 2002 Turbo. The car is basically stock suspension-wise, with the exception of a set of H&R lowering springs. So, it's lowered about an inch. I currently have stock hollow spoke wheels, 18x8, and 18x11, not sure what the stock offsets are as I've seen different numbers thrown around on that.

The tires I'm running now are stock sized, 225/40 in front, 295/30 rear. I want to be able to run 235/40 and 315/30 (if I can get away with 245 in front I would.)

Now... I'm looking at getting custom wheels made, Forgestar F14's. For the front wheel size... should I be getting 18x8.5, or 18x9, and what offsets? I don't want to deal with rubbing issues.

Same situation for the rear wheels, I want to go with 18x12 so I can fit those 315's, but not have rubbing. What offsets would work with a car with lowering springs? I absolutely do NOT want to have to deal with spacers.

My camber settings now are -2.1 in the rear, and -1.1 in the front. Car will not be tracked much, basically just a street car.

Any help regarding the offsets needed and what not is appreciated, thanks!

 

i run the f14's in 9x12x18 w 40 mm offset on michelin ps'2s 235/40/18 and 315/30/18 on a h&r lowered car with at least 1.5 drop, and for me.. it's perfect.

 

40 offset on both front and rear? No spacers needed? Have you seen any rubbing issues front/rear?

Excellent post, thank you, I want real world info on this so I can have the wheels designed right the first time!

 

you're welcome.. get them (and yes to 40mm offset f/r no rub. ) this setup, and you'll never look back. i bailed the spacers ( on stock twists ) when i ordered the "correct" fitment for a semi aggressive street setup. x73 or gt2 alignment also. just don't use forgestar's supplied shiny bolts. replace with some made in the US of A. ( while you can... )

 

Hi,I run 245/40/18 Continental DW fronts on stock rims with stock suspension and have NO issues..

 

What size turbo's are you running? stock? I have 3071's with 36mm rear offset 12"x18" and mine just rubbed through the rear liner hitting the turbo/hose, I had to runn 7mm spacers to clear. I'm running PS2's 315' as well

 

Good to know... that will save me $60, will the stock bolts work? If not, which bolts do you recommend and where can I get them?

Thanks John, I appreciate it... Are you still AWD? What size rear are you running?

Good point... I had heard that intercooler hoses could possibly interfere. I plan on getting either billet K16's, or K24/18g turbos, so those shouldn't be a problem for me.

 

Still AWD
Conti DW 295/35/18 rears.

 

i have 16/24's.. but in my earlier pre- caffeinated condition i neglected to mention a slight fender roll which *may* have eliminated any possible rub. the fender roll had been done before i got the car. i later ordered my wheels w/ offsets and sizes mentioned above while the car ran same ( 315's ) size tires on stock twists, so that i too, could lose the spacers and have the wheels supply the *proper* stance..

OP: don't be dissuaded by a possible fender roll for the rears. it's nothin, and any rubber mallet will do.

 

i lifted an old quote of powderhound's from another thread that helped me in my pre purchase of f14's. perhaps it will help you also. here's a link

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...4-porsche.html

OEM lug bolts will NOT fit these wheels as Forgestars have a cone seat while OEM Porsche wheels require a R14 radius (ball) lug bolt or nut (if you have studs). Forgestars require a 17mm hex cone lugbolt (they have a smaller opening) whereas OEM Porsche lugbolts are larger 19mm hex.


along with the advice to carry a 17mm socket is good too.

 

If you want to be sure just run GT2 offsets which are ET40 front and ET45 rear on 18x8.5 and 18x12 GT2 factory wheels. For my track wheels I run a 18x9 ET40 front and 18x12 ET44 with Nitto NT01 235/40 and 315/30 R compound tires which run wider than a normal street tire and have no rubbing issues but my fenders are rolled and I run -2.3F and -2.0R camber on JRZ coils at GT2 height. My street wheels are 19x9 ET40 and 19x12 ET44 with 235/35 and 315/25 PS2s and no rubbing either. With street tires you'll be good to go and might not even need to mess with the rolling of the fenders. I would not go any more aggressive on the offset but that's just my $0.02.....

 

A rubber mallet for fender rolling... I dunno, you'd be surprised how much damage I can unintentionally do with a rubber mallet...

Well, it sounds like 40 offset would probably do the trick, but my fenders aren't rolled so there could possibly be an issue.

Running ET45 in the rear could possibly cause rubbing issues with the turbos/intercooler piping.

I'm thinking an offset of 40 should be just fine for the front, no problems.

Rear... I'm hearing anywhere from 40 to 45. Which side of things do I have more room to play with, the inside width to the strut housing, or the outside distance to the fender? Going with a 45ET in the rear for a 12" wheel will move things 13mm closer to the strut and 13mm to the fender... Where am I most likely to see rubbing first?

Ugh, what a pain... Wish I could try out some wheels to make sure before I order!

 

the higher the # the farther inboard they will be. so you will have 5mm to play with between the 40 and 45 et. i will have my forgestar cf5 wheels in next week. 18x12 et 45 with p zero 31530-18 rubber in the back. your welcome to come to tn and try them on!

 

I'll be content to kindly ask you to report back? Please?

 

It's simple. 18x12 ET45 is the GT2 wheel size and it has been done on the 996tt with 315/30/18 by countless people without any issues. This is a proven set up. No need to reinvent the wheel.........no pun intended....