Hey James, those inner barrels aren't polished, they are all like that now. HRE changed manufacturers a while back.

 

Hey Peter,

You've got probably as much experience as anyone when it comes to wheels for our cars. So, maybe you can answer a couple questions.

I've compared my front fenders with Shank's GT2, and our front fenders both appeared to be rolled. At the rear, only the GT2 is rolled. Can you confirm this?

If I roll the rear fenders, I should be able to run whatever a GT2 can run, right? Or, do the GT2s have larger wheel-well linings?

Also, what is the widest wheels possible for the Turbo if it's unrolled vs. rolled in 18"?

Thanks,
Stephen
'01 Turbo Ti
1stephen1.com

 

Look great Shank...

I'm thinking about 542R's in the same finish for my TT...

Hee Hee... Never though I would be thinking about black wheels...

 

Can the inner barrels be annodized black also?

Let m guess -> 'Of course they can HRE's are a custom wheel!'

Mike

 

They're 'bendable'.....take my word on it.
But on the upside, you may find em tougher than you'd expect.

 

Wow! Really? Thanks for that info Pete! They look pretty sick! Damn!

 

 

Thats REALLY nice Shank....you've got great taste in cars and accessories !

congrats

 

I'm not Peter but a quick comment.......if you want to go to the 'extreme' (ie "the widest wheel possible").....you will want to take into account what your suspension is ....meaning how low, and what springs or coil-overs. Fender clearance issues for an OE setup would be dif for a car that has been significantly lowered, or dif on a car that has spring-damper travel of say, H&R coil-overs.

Other trivia........going to 19s from 18s or visa versa is not a big factor since the tires aspect ratio (sidewall height in this case) changes.......the running diameter of a 295/30X18 (OE 996TT) is only about 1/4" dif than a 315/35X19. Less height in the sidewall of the latter (as you see on his pics).

Of course, one of the most important dimensions is wheel offset......(to clear calipers, to get the rim spaced where you want it relative to the fender, etc ).
If you select an HRE840Rs (for instance) and stipulate 42mm offset up front, then you can ask what kind of a lip that gives you on that wheel. Designating a lip width as an order spec is a tad backward....may not get ya where you want to go.

Hope something was helpful here......... nice wheels Shank!

Oh...BTW.....further complication, if you go to 12Js from 11s you need to add to your 11J offset (to maintain same position in the fender.........did I mention some tires are wider/narrower than their dimensions or their competiion of the same size)

 

You can put 12" rims on a regular turbo with some rear fender rolling. Most of the extra 1" of width is thrown to the inside, so like Greg said, i will usually add X # of mm to the offset. A 19x12 with a offset around mid to high 30s is where I usually put it.

As far as I know, the front fenders for the GT2 and Turbo should be the same as all 996 models. The rears are defintely modified on the GT2 to help accomodate the 12" wheels.

The widest I personally would ever run on a TT with non-modified fenders is 11.5", in either 18 or 19, but remember, your lowering and tire choice will basically be the deciding factor. For example, in 18", we can run a 18x11.5 with a 305/30/18.

Hope that helps!

 

BTW, i forgot to add, it appears that Gregg really knows his wheels

 

I concur with and know all these things, however, it still does not answer my question... specifically, how wide can one ride?!

I'm just looking for a general size limitation with stock Turbo fenders vs. rolled rear fenders (assuming all Turbos come with rolled front fenders like mine). When I get around to doing the suspension later on this year, I plan going with a height and damper/rebound adjustable coilover setup... probably lowered about 1~1.25" up front, and slightly less in the rear. I do track occasinally when time permits, and will probably go with a 18" setup unless I decide to keep two sets of wheels.

The wheel width limitations that I am looking for will give me a starting point to work from in terms of the desired ratio of front to rear tire width (the determination of which partially hinges on wheel width). As mentioned in a previous post, I think the Turbo's handling balance can benefit from an increase in front to rear tire width ratio, which is what I want to accomplish.

You are perfectly correct that not all same-sized tires are in fact sized the same. One has to go to the tire manufacturers' websites to determine the actual diameter, which I've seen in some cases, have a greater variance than one would think.

Additionally, while it is not posted, I'm sure Shank didn't go with 315/35-19 as you've indicated... that would simply be way to large. On this forum, where acceleration and horsepower is a major player, an increase of 1/4 of rolling diameter will make a difference. If I were to go to a larger tire diameter setup, I'd certainly compensate with shorter gearings to bring the acceleration back to where it should be (or better).

Stephen
'01 Turbo Ti
1stephen1.com

 

So Peter, what offsets would clear my Brembo and give me the biggest lips front and rear without the wheels 'sticking out' too much??
If you look at Evan's car, I think the wheels stick out a bit too far...definitely dont want that look

 

OK Steve...here's an answer.....given all the variables discussed.
On a turbo, 30mm offset rear, 42mm front is 'do-able' with a lowered car, relatively stiff suspension, some fender prep, 11J / 8.5J rims mounted with 315/25-19 and 235/35-19.

As Lee said........going to 12Js (which I guess I would not do) pushes the rear offset to high 30s.

 

Thanks Peter/Greg, that's exactly the information what I was looking for. Now, being that most of the extra 1" of width goes on the inside, what are your thoughts in terms of added stress on hub/wheel-bearing assembly (great moment acting on hub)?

Thanks,
Stephen