Posted January 10, 2022 by kingroon Porsche Life

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I am going to get into trouble for this, as I did say to my Partner that I wasn’t going to modify the 996. Certainly not to the extent that I modified my 993. But somethings do need to be modified.

A while back, I watched the Auction of an Arctic Silver 996.1 GT3 on the Killing Field that is Collecting Cars. The look, stance and specification of which I drooled over for the duration and weeks since. Now that I have a 996 in Arctic Silver, I am drawn back to it.

Its Stance is absolutely spot on, its Wheels fill their Arches perfectly and its Silhouette evokes stability.

Clearly the owner has made some modifications of his/her own from Stock with the inclusion of the 996.2 GT3 Wheels, which at 18″ do not sit uncomfortably with the car’s proportions. Some research later, I learned the dimensions of the Wheels:

Front 8.5J 18″ ET40
Rear 11J 18″ ET63

So I set about trying to find a set that wouldn’t Break the Bank.; easier Typed than Done. Living in such an Overpriced Porsche Everything time, I saw a few sets for £2,500 which, when factoring in Refurbishment to Black and Premium Tyres, puts you in the region of £3,500.

I found a well used but good condition whose Seller would entertain Offers and after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, an agreed amount secured them.

Sure, the Wheels were not in perfect condition, but there were certainly not damaged or scrubbed in any way. I wanted to have them Black anyways so was not too bothered by cosmetic imperfections.

Rubber next, and as I discovered with the 968 Sport, getting deprecated Wheel size Tyres is fast becoming challenging. Luckily, there are still 18″ Michelin Pilot Sports being manufactured, although I did have to take a hit on the Fronts being Pilot Sport 2 and the Rears 4; I’m sure I won’t notice the imbalance on the Potholed Streets of London..

_{Arriving at Andy’s Garage, he had already fitted the Tyres and Balanced the Wheels..}

Buzz, buzz, crack, crack, goes the Air Spanner with Wheel Nuts off and on. I’m sure I’ll need to get the Geo set properly as not only are the Springs going to sit the 996 lower, but the Tyres are going sit differently, however marginally. But damn, the GT3 Wheels look good on the 996, they fill those Arches in a way that the OEM Wheels only can with Spacers.