Porsche 911 996 Carrera and Carrera 4 Wheel & Tire Fitment Guide

The first of the water-cooled 911s, the 1999-2004 996 Carrera wasn’t loved at the beginning but its popularity has come around in recent years with many enthusiasts picking one up. If you want to improve the performance of your 996 or just change up the aesthetic we have you covered here in this Porsche 911 996 Carrera and Carrera 4 Wheel & Tire Fitment Guide. We have a number of options to unlock the full potential of your new Porsche with options like our Flow Formed SM-10 as well as Forged options in the EC-7RS and VS-5RS.

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.

Whether you enjoy spirited street driving or you are a weekend track warrior chasing lap times, these wheel & tire configurations are ideal for enthusiasts looking for a more dramatic improvement in performance and they are typically paired with performance oriented summer tires or track oriented r-compounds. A combination of slightly wider wheel widths that mirror the factory 996.2 GT3 specs and perfected offsets provide enthusiasts with a more aggressive stance, and a meaningful increase in performance over the stock configuration without requiring a bunch of modifications to the car. 

Wheels

• Front Wheel Size: 18x8.5” ET45
• Rear Wheel Size: 18x11” ET60
• • Available in: SM-10
  • Popular fitment

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick: 
• • Front Tire Size: 235/40-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 295/30-18
  • Factory 996.2 GT3 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)
  • R-Compound: Toyo R888R (100 TW), Pirelli Trofeo R (60 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)
• Alternative 1:
• • Front Tire Size: 225/40-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 285/30-18
  • Factory 996.2 Carrera tire sizes
  • Direct Fit
  • Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (220 TW)
  • Extreme Performance Summer: Dunlop Direzza ZIII (200 TW), Falken RT660 (200 TW), Bridgestone RE-71RS (200 TW), Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect 240 (240 TW)
  • R-Compound: No options currently available
• Alternative 2:
• • Front Tire Size: 245/35-18 
  • Rear Tire Size: 295/30-18
  • Direct fit
  • Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (300 TW)
  • Extreme Performance Summer: Continental Extremecontact Force (200 TW)
  • R-Compound: No options currently available

Wheels

• Front Wheel Size: 18x9” ET46
• Rear Wheel Size: 18x11” ET60
• • Available in: SM-10, ML-10RT, & EC-7RS
  • Popular fitment

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick: 
• • Front Tire Size: 235/40-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 295/30-18
  • Factory 996.2 GT3 tire sizes
  • Typically a 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 Tire Size: 245/35-18 
  • Rear Tire Size: 295/30-18
  • Typically a direct fit, but we recommend -1.5º or more of negative camber for additional fender clearance
  • Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (300 TW)
  • Extreme Performance Summer: Continental Extremecontact Force (200 TW)
  • R-Compound: No options currently available

This is for the 996 Carrera which sees considerably more track time than anything else. Designed to give you the most performance possible while potentially requiring suspension modifications and fender rolling.

Wheels

• Front Wheel Size: 18x9” ET46
• Rear Wheel Size: 18x11” ET60
• • Available in: SM-10, ML-10RT, & EC-7RS
  • Popular fitment

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick:
• • Front Tire Size: 255/35-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 295/30-18
  • Front camber plates may be required
  • Front fenders may need to be rolled
  • Extreme Performance Summer: Yokohama A052 (200 TW), Bridgestone RE-71RS (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 Tire Size: 235/40-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 295/30-18
  • Factory 996.2 GT3 tire sizes
  • Typically a direct fit
  • 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)
  • Semi-Slick: No options currently available
• Alternative 3:
• • Front Tire Size: 245/35-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 285/30-18
  • A minimum of -2º of front camber is recommended
  • Extreme Performance Summer: No options currently available
  • R-Compound: No options currently available
  • Semi-Slick: Hoosier R7/A7 (40 TW) 
• Alternative 4:
• • Front Tire Size: 245/35-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 295/30-18
  • A minimum of -2º of front camber is recommended
  • Extreme Performance Summer: Continental Extremecontact Force (TBD TW)
  • R-Compound: No options currently available
  • Semi-Slick: Hoosier R7/A7 (40 TW) 
• Alternative 5:
• • Front Tire Size: 245/645-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 305/645-18
  • A minimum of -3º of front & -2.5º rear camber is recommended
  • Rear fenders may need to be rolled
  • Racing Slicks: Pirelli DH

Wheels

• Front Wheel Size: 18x9” ET46
• Rear Wheel Size: 18x12” ET63 or ET65
• • Available in: SM-10, EC-7RS, VS-5RS

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick:
• • Front Tire Size: 245/40-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 315/30-18
  • A minimum of -2º of front & rear camber is recommended
  • Rear fenders may need to be rolled
  • 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 1:
• • Front Tire Size: 245/40-18 
  • Rear Tire Size: 305/35-18
  • A minimum of -2º of front & rear camber is recommended
  • Rear fenders may need to be rolled
  • Extreme Performance Summer: No options currently available
  • R-Compound: Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Toyo R888R (100 TW)
  • Semi-Slick: No options currently available
• Alternative 2:
• • Front Tire Size: 255/35-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 315/30-18
  • A minimum of -2.5º of front & -2º rear camber is recommended
  • Rear fenders may need to be rolled
  • 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 3:
• • Front Tire Size: 245/645-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 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 Tire Size: 245/645-18
  • Rear Tire Size: 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

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 FRONT 6 piston 355mm PCCB
• Brembo 1M1.9005A1 FRONT 6 piston
• Brembo 1M1.9006A1 FRONT 6 piston 380mm
• StopTech 83.780.4700.61 FRONT 4 piston 355mm
• StopTech 83.781.6900.XX FRONT 6 piston 380mm

Still have questions?

Fill out our Fitment Recommendation form Call us: 925-245-0773 Email us: support@apexraceparts.com