I just won an auction on a 2014 boxster. It definitely needs some work....it was hit in the rear slightly...no structural damage.
Because of that and the fact it must go to the body shop, I am considering changing up the color from plain black to the rare basalt black metallic.
Also, I hate the stock wheels, and I would like to upgrade them to 19" or 20" wheels and tires....looking for recommendations.

 

My standard advice is to avoid doing any mods while getting a damaged car repaired. The goal is to bring the car back to its pre collision condition as good as humanly possible and tossing in mods can make this more difficult.

However, if the hit in the rear requires paint work to address and if you want basalt black metallic (which I think is an outstanding color) you need to speak to the shop that's going to handle the rear hit repair and see what it has to say about a full repaint.

I don't know of any real issues fitting the larger wheels provided you stay with wheel sets that are compatible with the car. If you stray too far afield there can be contact between the tires and body and that ain't good.

You certainly realize the ride can be a bit harsher with the bigger wheels/tires. If roads are lousy where you live the bigger wheels and the tires they take can suffer more from lousy roads.

'course part of the repair will be after everything else is taken care of having the car properly aligned. If you go with bigger wheels/tires you want these mounted on the car so the alignment is correct with the wheels/tires you intend to run.

A bit premature but Porsche alignment guidelines call for the spare tire -- if any -- be properly stowed along with any tool kit. Additionally the car should have all junk (weight) removed and the fuel tank be full. Be sure you ask the steering wheel be centered and last but not least get a before and after printout so you have the actual numbers.

Without knowing the severity of the hit in the rear bear in mind if the tech has to use up too much adjustment to get the car aligned this suggests that something in the rear is bent, some suspension component or possibly even the tub/chassis bent and the repair failed to find this.

 

Thanks for that post Mac....I think I'll go with these wheels - the matte silver 19". https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/resu...4&autoModClar=
Now I wonder: how can I get rid of the stock wheels and tires ? Is there any market for them ?
Also, which tires should I get ? I had a bad experience with Conti Extreme DWS because the sidewalls were so soft.....a nightmare in the corners. They were great when it rained though !
Why did Porsche stop painting with the basalt black metallic ?

 

Wheels are a personal choice but the ones at the link look very nice. I tend towards favoring wheels with the thinner spokes. They "look" lighter.

You just want to be sure they *fit* your car properly.

My Porsche tire experience for my Boxster has been with either Pirelli (the car came new with this brand of tire) or Michelin. Pirelli were fine albeit they get a bit noisy as they wear/age but this is a common problem with these high peformance tires. When Michelin tires were available at a competitive price -- on special -- I tried a set and Michelin tires were just fine, too.

I stayed with Michelin -- they remained price competitive with Pirelli tires -- for a few sets then switched back to Pirelli when Michelin tires were on a months' long back order.

Currently Pirelli tires are on the Boxster.

To be honest I could not have told you which tire was on the car without looking. Both tires peformed in a way that was to me indistinguishable from the other. Both delivered the same level of grip and tire life. The Michelin tires I believe were a bit less noisy when worn but not that much less noisy.

Oh both tires were N-rated.

For my Turbo substitute for tire brands Pirelli and Michelin tire brands Continental and Bridgestone and my experience is the same. Both brands of tires delivered exceptional performance and good tire life (20K+ miles with a good alignment).

The car came with Continental tires and these were fine then after a set or two unavailable (at least when I needed them like *right now*) and I had a set of Bridgestone tires fitted. These were fine also.

Curently the Turbo is running Bridgestone tires.

If you stay with Porsche sanctioned tires, N-rated tires, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the brands based on my experience.

If you venture off the reservation and opt for a non N-rated tire I can't help you. I have no experience running non N-rated tires on my Porsches and do not desire to get any experience.

 

Thanks Mac - good advice.
What about the question of terminating the basalt black metallic finish ?
What's up with that ?

 

Porsche adds and drops colors every year for each of the models. There are many shades of black/silver/gray that have been used over the years. If you want to repaint with basalt black, you should not have an issue as long as you use a really good body shop that puts lots of time and effort into the preparation.

 

Sorry but I forgot to address your question about Porsche terminating (no longer offering) basalt black metallic paint.

However, jg_atl addressed your question perfectly.

 

I had my black Cayman R and basalt black Boxster Spyder at the same time. The basalt black was much nicer.

 

Yes, to my eyes too the basalt black color is much nicer. Back in 2009 when I was shopping Porsches I came upon some basalt black cars and in spite of them being black could have picked one. It just so happens though I found a speed yellow Cayman S that I ended up buying then after that got hit and destroyed I ended up with an arctic silver Turbo.

 

I love speed yellow. So much better than its replacement, racing yellow. I know stagnation is death in the automotive world, but when you have it right (speed yellow) there's no need to change to something far less appealing. Even the name is badass...

 

Thanks for that Steve....and I thought the same.
Obviously, something is wrong with Porsche's technical management.
I'm definitely re-coating with basalt. I'll likely have one of only two hundred 981 boxsters in the country with that finish.