Porsche 911 996 C4S & Turbo Wheel & Tire Fitment Guide

Vehicles Covered in this Guide 2002-2005 Porsche 996 911 C4S, Turbo & Turbo S, Widebody Chassis

* Click here to view our 996 GT2 guide (https://support.apexraceparts.com/knowledge/articles/4405492221467/en-us?brand_id=204357)

12" Rear Wheel Clearance Information

12" rear wheels come standard on the 996 GT2 and are a popular upgrade for 996 Turbo owners due to their ability to support the sidewalls of wide 305, 315 & 335 tire compounds. With that said, these wide wheel & tire configurations will take up all of the available real estate under the rear fender wells, so aftermarket turbo/intake setups may cause interference. GT2 rear fender liner brackets may be needed for extra inner clearance depending on tire model and size.

Brake Clearance Information

In the engineering phase of wheel development we 3D scan factory brakes and review 2D aftermarket brake templates in order to optimize our barrel profiles and spoke curvatures. As a result, our wheels offer massive brake clearance so you can run the smallest possible wheel diameter.

These bolt-on wheel fitments are ideal for enthusiasts enjoying their car day-to-day on the street, and they are typically paired with All-Season or performance oriented Summer tires.These wheel and tire configurations will improve the appearance and performance of the car without requiring modifications or adjustments to the factory alignment. Just bolt-on and enjoy!

While these wheel fitments can be used for track days and AutoX, performance will be left on the table. Drivers that prioritize performance should review our Performance Street & Track and/or Hardcore Track & Race sections below.

Wheels

• Front: 18x8.5” ET45 // Rear: 18x11” ET36
• Available in: SM-10
• Popular fitment
• 3mm spacers required up front for caliper clearance

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick: Front: 235/40-18 // Rear: 295/30-18
• Direct Fit
• Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (300 TW), Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (220 TW)
• Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW), Bridgestone RE-71RS (200 TW), Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect 240 (240 TW)
• Alternative: Front: 225/40-18 // Rear: 295/30-18
• Factory C4S, Turbo and Turbo S tire sizes
• Direct Fit
• Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (300 TW), Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (220 TW)
• Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW), Bridgestone RE-71RS (200 TW), Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect 240 (240 TW)

Whether you enjoy spirited street driving or you are a weekend track warrior chasing lap times, these wheel & tire configurations improve the appearance and performance of the car without requiring a bunch of modifications. In the rear, you have your choice of 11" or 12" wheel widths depending on how much power the car has and what rear tire size you want to support.

Wheels

• Front: 18x9” ET46 // Rear: 18x11” ET36
• Available in: SM-10

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick: Front: 235/40-18 // Rear: 295/30-18
• Direct Fit
• Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (300 TW), Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (220 TW)
• Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW), Bridgestone RE-71RS (200 TW), Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect 240 (240 TW)
• R-Compound: Toyo R888R (100 TW), & Pirelli Trofeo R (60 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)
• Alternative 1: Front: 245/40-18 // Rear: 305/30-18
• A minimum of -2º of front camber is recommended
• Max Performance Summer: No available options 
• Extreme Performance Summer: No options currently available
• R-Compound: Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Toyo R888R (100 TW)
• Alternative 2: Front: 235/40-18 // Rear: 315/30-18
• Factory GT2 tire sizes
• Direct Fit
• Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (220 TW)
• Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW) or Falken RT615K+ (200 TW)
• R-Compound: Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)
• Alternative 3: Front: 245/40-18 // Rear: 315/30-18
• Typically a direct fit, but we encourage a little additional negative camber
• Max Performance Summer: No options currently available
• Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW), Falken RT615K+ (200 TW)
• R-Compound: Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)

Wheels

• Front: 18x9” ET46 // Rear: 18x12” ET45 or ET46
• Available in: SM-10, EC-7RS, VS-5RS
• Popular fitment

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick: Front: 245/40-18 // Rear: 315/30-18
• Typically a direct fit, but we encourage a little additional negative camber from the front strut top mount
• Rear fender rolling & GT2 fender liner brackets may be required
• Max Performance Summer: No options currently available
• Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW), Nankang CR-1 (200 TW), Falken RT660 (200 TW), Continental Extremecontact Force (200 TW)
• R-Compound: Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)

• Alternative 1: Front: 235/40-18 // Rear: 315/30-18
• Factory GT2 tire sizes
• Typically a direct fit in front
• Rear fender rolling & GT2 fender liner brackets may be required
• Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (220 TW)
• Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW), Nankang CR-1 (200 TW), Falken RT660 (200 TW)
• R-Compound: Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)
• Alternative 2: Front: 255/35-18 // Rear: 315/30-18
• A minimum of -2º front camber is recommended with camber plates
• Rear fender rolling & GT2 fender liner brackets may be required
• Max Performance Summer: No options currently available
• Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW), Nankang CR-1 (200 TW), Falken RT660 (200 TW)
• R-Compound: Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)

These fitments are best suited for weekend track warriors and competitive club racers looking to maximize grip and overall performance. They incorporate wider 9” front wheels (or 10" if you are real hardcore) which provide superior tire sidewall support over the more "generic" 8.5" options listed in the section above. A wider front wheel and tire combination will increase front end grip and close the stagger from front to rear resulting in sharper turn-in and less understeer. This is one of the easiest and most effective improvements you can make to your Porsche from a handling perspective. 

We've optimized the offset of our 9" front wheels to to work well with the stock fenders, however, a wide variety of tire compounds can be used and some may require negative camber to fit properly. See fitment notes under each tire configuration below to see if modifications are required. If you plan to track your car, we highly recommended dialing in negative camber regardless of whether your wheel/tire fitment requires it for fender clearance. Negative camber is vital for extracting the most performance and longevity out of your tires, and without the proper amount the outer shoulders of your tires will wear out prematurely and running tire costs will dramatically increase.

Wheels

• Front: 18x9” ET46 // Rear: 18x12” ET45 or ET46
• Available in: SM-10, EC-7RS, VS-5RS
• Popular fitment

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick: Front: 255/35-18 // Rear: 315/30-18
• A minimum of -2º front camber is recommended with camber plates
• Rear fender rolling & GT2 fender liner brackets may be required
• Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW), Nankang CR-1 (200 TW), Falken RT660 (200 TW)
• R-Compound: Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)
• Semi-Slick: Hoosier R7/A7 (40 TW), Toyo RR (40 TW)
• Alternative 1: Front: 245/40-18 // Rear: 315/30-18
• Typically a direct fit, but we encourage a little additional negative camber from front strut top mount
• Rear fender rolling & GT2 fender liner brackets may be required
• Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW), Nankang CR-1 (200 TW), Falken RT660 (200 TW), Continental Extremecontact Force (200 TW)
• R-Compound: Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)
• Semi-Slick: Hoosier R7/A7 (40 TW), BFG R1S (40 TW)
• Alternative 2: Front: 235/40-18 // Rear: 315/30-18
• Factory GT2 tire sizes
• Typically a direct fit up front
• Rear fender rolling & GT2 fender liner brackets may be required
• Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW), Nankang CR-1 (200 TW), Falken RT660 (200 TW)
• R-Compound: Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)
• Semi-Slick: No options currently available
• Alternative 3: Front: 245/645-18 // Rear: 305/645-18
• A minimum of -3º of front & -2.2º rear camber is recommended
• Rear fenders may need to be rolled
• Racing Slicks: Pirelli DH
• Alternative 4: Front: 245/645-18 // Rear: 305/660-18
• A minimum of -3º of front & -2.2º rear camber is recommended
• Rear fenders may need to be rolled
• Racing Slicks: Pirelli DH
• Alternative 5: Front: 265/645-18 // Rear: 325/660-18
• A minimum of -3º of front & -2.2º rear camber is recommended
• Rear fenders may need to be rolled
• Racing Slicks: Pirelli DH

Wheels

• Front: 18x10” ET36 // Rear: 18x12” ET45 or ET46
• Available in: SM-10, EC-7RS, VS-5RS
• Motorsport oriented suspension with a slim silhouette (short linear 2.25mm or 60mm springs) must be used for maximum inner clearance with camber plates
• Front & rear fenders must be rolled
• Radiator brackets must be trimmed and mounting holes slotted so it can be moved forward slightly. Then reshape fender liners.
• Shorter GT2 rear fender liner brackets are ideal. Then reshape fender liners.

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick: Front: 275/35-18 // Rear: 335/30-18
• A minimum of -3.8º front & -3º rear camber is recommended
• Extreme Performance Summer: BFG Rival S 1.5 (200 TW)
• R-Compound: Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Toyo R888R (100 TW)
• Semi-Slick: Hoosier R7/A7 (40 TW)
• Alternative 1: Front: 265/35-18 // Rear: 315/30-18
• A minimum of -3.8º front & -2.2º rear camber is recommended
• Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW), Falken RT660 (200 TW)
• R-Compound: Toyo R888R (100 TW)
• Semi-Slick: No options currently available 
• Alternative 2: Front: 275/35-18 // Rear: 315/30-18
• A minimum of -3.8º front & -2.2º rear camber is recommended
• Extreme Performance Summer: Falken RT660 (200 TW), BFG Rival S 1.5 (200 TW), Continental Extremecontact Force (200 TW)
• R-Compound: Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Toyo R888R (100 TW)
• Semi-Slick: Hoosier R7/A7 (40 TW)
• Alternative 3: Front: 265/645-18 // Rear: 325/660-18
• A minimum of -3.5º front & -2.2º rear camber is recommended
• Rear fenders may need to be rolled
• Racing Slicks: Pirelli DH

Brake Clearance Information

In the engineering phase of wheel development we 3D scan factory brakes and review 2D aftermarket brake templates in order to optimize our barrel profiles and spoke curvatures. As a result, our wheels offer massive brake clearance so you can run the smallest possible wheel diameter. The following brakes have been tested and confirmed to clear our wheels.

• OEM 380mm 6-pot PCCB - fits all
• Brembo 1M1.9006A1, 380mm 6-pot - fits 18x9" ET46 only
• Brembo 1M1.9005A1, 355mm 6-pot - fits all
• StopTech 83.780.4700.61 355mm 4-pot - fits all
• StopTech 83.781.6900.XX, 380mm 6-pot - call to confirm