Thought some of you guys on the forum can help me decide between 7 and 15 mm spacers for my front carrera classic wheels. I have the carrera 4 offsets on the rear which fit really nicely in my opinion.

I know the 7's are really popular but I thought about trying the 15's on the front since they would give me the exact same offsets as the techart formula wheels which I think look great on the 997's.

So any advice on look, safety, advantages/disadvantages of the 7 vs 15 would be much appreciated.

I have some pics of the 7 and 15 on but they're really bad quality and I didnt do the best job at getting the same angle. Here they are anyway...(7's on the left)

 

7mm for the front.

 

I've been giving this a lot of thought lately as well. I would stick with the 7mm in the front to compensate for your C4 rear offset. Besides just looking good, I believe this way it will maintain a 'better' handling geometry since our cars are supposed to be staggered. Maybe someone else who is an expert can chime in for the rest of us contemplating this subject.

 

The more you push out your front wheels from their factory offset, the more you impact the steering geometry. I believe the folks at Wheel Enhancement suggest a minimum 49 or 50 mm offset on the front, which is normally 57 mm. Do what you want with the rears, but be careful with the fronts. Using 8.5" rims up front helps to push them out without having to get too radical with the spacers and geometry.

 

I run the 7mm H&R spacers in the front on my car, no problem with rub or vibration on either the street or the track. I think you could push the front a little more, but 15mm might be too much. Try them out, one advantage of the 15mm over the 7mm is they are hubcentric. What ever you do make sure you get the right bolts, factory bolts won't work with spacers.

 

+1 go 8.5 with 245/35/19

 

With 8.5 rims, you can stay with 235/35/19, which is what Porsche puts on their 8.5" rims (Carrera Sports for example).

 

Spacers have two significant drawbacks: greater unsprung weight and increased stress on the wheel bolts, due to their longer length. Maintaining proper torque on the wheel bolts is critical. This "need" for spacers is purely a cosmetic issue and is an indication that the wheel offset or width is incorrect. A better solution is to get the right wheel to begin with.

 

Thanks for all the great advice so far. One last question... Is it unsafe to use the 15mm spacers on the fronts, given the fact that they are torqued correctly with the appropriate bolts?

I dont drive the car too hard or track it so loss in performance (greater unsprung weight), although definitely a concern, is secondary to cosmetic appearance.

Thanks

 

Suggest you contact Wheel Enhancement, as they can advise what drawbacks there might be to use of 15mm spacers on front, in addition to tire wear due to different steering geometry (your front wheels will no longer be pivoting on the center of the tread).