help me diagnose what looks weird with my (new to me) car

Hi all, I just bought this very nice c4s (drivers car, mostly stock except the wheels.) Something about the looks of it is bugging me, and I've seen lots of c4s' that I think look great but I can't put my finger on what it is or if it's a combination of things. I would like it to be a little lower to fill the wheel wells- and I think perhaps 19"s would fill the front/back wheel well gap but I kind of like having some sidewall living where I do. I know some folks use spacers to get the wheels more flush, which I think might help. I normally like black wheels but I think maybe with a black car (and because I don't use/hate rubber blackening) these wheels just don't work that great. I wish it had the stock wheels but it doesn't. I also wonder if the dark tint on the windows is too much and makes the car look a little weird. I don't know, what do you all think?

I think it's the wheels.

90% of what you think looks odd is your wheel/tire combo. Lowering it a hair would help too, but only if you get rid of those wheels. If you want to venture into the 19" world I have a set of nice Work wheels for sale that I'll give you the Avants special on. https://rennlist.com/forums/market/1282882 Also, the front spoiler from a Turbo is a popular update for the C4S and it's inexpensive. https://www.ebay.com/itm/112203880503

Your wheels are not my absolute favorite, but I don't think they are ugly or even a problem. To answer your question specifically... lower it add spacers add Porsche crest wheel caps apply tire shine

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I shall copy that yes no. never.

i agree that the wheels just don't work. There's a set in the classifieds that i have my eye on but can't figure out how to PM the seller. Is that reserved for supporters?

You got a great car. Congrats. Looks like you have a set of carrera 2s. All you gotta do is find a local wheel guy to strip the paint off and repaint them silver. Get yourself a set of 15 mm spacers and it will automatically look better. Both these items are very cheap to do and give you some breathing room on lowering the car with a new suspension until you are ready. Funny thing is all of us are our own worst critics of our cars. Enjoy it and take your time. Heck, I have owned mine for 20 years and still haven't settled on what aero upgrades to do.

This would amazing on your car I just had them done powder coated in Argento I bought a set of 996 gt3 rims right after I did these so these are going $1800 in nyc

Also use back to black on the rockers it will have less contrast

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I agree there seems to be more gap than typical. I don't think going to 19's or even 20's would help because, typically, the rolling diameter stays the same when you go up or down wheel size (the profile/width of the tire changes to compensate) . If you don't keep the rolling diameter the same, the speedometer would be way off. Is it possible your (presumed) 18" wheels have lower profile and/or narrow tires than it should have? Check the factory tires for the 18" option tire spec and see how yours compares. Also, check how accurate the speedometer is using Waze on the highway. The only other possibility is that the car has been raised slightly, but that seems unlikely. Do it yesterday, if not sooner . I'm an originality freak, but finally broke down and added 15mm spacers front and rear (it's reversible anyway) and I should have done it a long time ago. I really think it was a significant flaw, aesthetically, that the factory has the wheels so far inset. Use 303 Aerospace Protectant. It will make them black without being shiny. Like you, I hate that shiny tire gel goop, but can't imagine not using 303. It's impossible to make untreated rubber look good.

Good question above: what are the tire sizes? Maybe someone put on rubber bands.

OP - Nice acquisition. Drive it in good health. One option is sell those Carrera II as-is and get some Apex wheels in Gt3 sizes. Or I also think the hollow spoke turbo twists look sweet on the wide body.

Silver wheels I think would be a step in the right direction. Possibly change out the orange side markers for clear ones.

Maybe I'm going crazy, but those look like Cup 4s to me and not Carrera 2s. I also don't think Carrera 2s were ever made for a wide body car. Also, in case you don't know, be careful when shopping for rims and make sure you buy rims designed for a wide body (turbo or C4S), since they have a different offset than narrow body(C2/C4/GT3) rims. I have never liked black rims on a black car and I think you'd be amazed at how different the car will look when you put a different set of rims on. I also think it doesn't help any that those rims seem to be a darker black than the car itself. As others have said spacers and new marker lights would also help with the look while remaining cheap, quick, and easy. Then stance can come later and you can get it looking perfectly how you'd like. Nice car and congrats! Just in time to enjoy some nice WA weather!

@something clever Nice c4s- I agree with those above in regard to the wheels. If for some reason you don�t choose to add spacers, and decide to shop for a different set of wheels- pull the factory turbo twist offsets (I�m sure they are floating around somewhere.) If you try and find a wheel combo close to those offsets, you�ll be at a better starting place. Pretty sure I saw a set of GT3 wheels, (wide body offsets) floating around for sale on here. That would get my vote. Also the OZ wheels are affordable and light, love mine. Absolutely look into coilovers or at least lowering springs- my vote is for the coilovers, transforms the ride. The Turbos, C4s and C4 cars, definitely look much better with some ride height adjustment! Congrats on your purchase.

Be very very careful if u go 19's. U have a c4 and size matters on thise cars..... a lot. U will have all kinds of drivability issues if u r too far off in diameter between the front and back.

Here is what the turbo lip looks like on the 4s:

Yes the my02 aren’t for a wide body but a set a of spacers and the better color will transform his look yes rims are subjective and my current 6 sets only 2 didn’t require some type of spacers to please the look I wanted I’m about to get my 7th set and the shift the look of my car to this except as a 996.1

Silver or gun metal/graphite on the wheels .. you share the ssme suspension as the T so add some HR lowering springs and you're g2g

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Please listen to this, it is a big deal.

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Not to mention the ride quality decreases. I ran 19s for several years and just couldnt take it anymore and got some BBS RS-GT 18 wheels and life is so much better. As far as the looks go, I agree, that wheel/tire combo looks weird. Heres 18 on a similar car (mine) that is black.

It�s the faded black trim and dried out tires making it look weird. That is easy and cheap to fix. This is what I recommend

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Yeah I actually really want GT3 widebody wheels. I reached out to the seller here but he's trying to sell locally and if he decides to ship he's got like 10 people in front of me...

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Yep looks great

Thanks all. I'm going to do it all. New silver wheels with proper offsets, the right size tires and coilovers. Just got a small life insurance check from my recently passed dad who always joked it was a toss up whether he'd bring mom or a 356 home when he was stationed in Germany so it seems fitting to honor his memory by making this car cooler. I really would love GT3 widebody wheels. If anyone comes across a set that don't suck (ebay) or aren't already spoken for (the classifieds here) LMk.

In case you are interested in stock sizes for C4S they are 18x8 et50 on the front and 18x11 et45 on the rear. GT2 stock size is 18x8.5 et40 fronts and 18x12 et45 rear. Good luck finding the OEM "GT3" style wheels in GT2 sizes, they are quite rare. I just bought a set of Apex forged wheels from the now-closed group buy which are 18x9 et46 front and 18x12 et46 rear. Don't have them yet. If you still have the AWD setup the stock tire sizes are 225/40-18 front and 295/30-18 rear. AWD compatible upsize would be 245/40-18 front and 315/30-18 rear. I have run both the 225/40-18 + 295/30-18 and the 245/40-18 + 315/30-18 with good results. The 245 fronts may rub the fender liners.

....and if you want to run winter tires you will need a set of 18x10 et47 rear rims, good luck finding them too.

I just took a closer look at the picture and the wheels look like the 17 inch winter wheels that Worktruck put on his C4S for the winter. If so, they may be the same width front and back. Sorry I glanced at them originally on my cell and thought they were carerra 2 of which they aren't. If they are 17 inch and 9 inch width give or take, will go a long way in explaining why they catch your eye the wrong way. Good for winter, but not good for the eye. Plenty of new wheel or even used wheel options on Rennlist marketplace. Including the GT3 wheels referenced earlier. My choice would Apex wheels for the looks and reasonable price. Good luck.

I just took a closer look at the picture and the wheels look like the 17 inch winter wheels that Worktruck put on his C4S for the winter. If so, they may be the same width front and back. Sorry I glanced at them originally on my cell and thought they were carerra 2 of which they aren't. If they are 17 inch and 9 inch width give or take, this will go a long way in explaining why they catch your eye the wrong way. Good for winter, but not good for the eye. Plenty of new wheel or even used wheel options on Rennlist marketplace. Including the GT3 wheels referenced earlier. My choice would Apex wheels for the looks and reasonable price new. Good luck.

Are the fenders rolled too? Hard to tell in photos.

I could run the narrow body gt3 wheels with 17mm spacers on the rear though, eh? fronts are the same 8x18 ET 50. I've always tried to avoid spacers but maybe I just need to suck it up;

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They're some sort of aftermarket yes, but they're 18s. Not sure the widths but the current tires are 225/40 in the front and 295/30 in the rear

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I am 99% sure they are aftermarket Cup 4s. They are quite common. https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...Silver+Painted

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yep. that's what the center cap says.

in general 911 don't look good with tints, especially very dark tints. first thing I did when I got mine was take the limo tints off. that and some Porsche center caps would surprise you I bet.

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Was going to say something similar, when you have all black and then have faded plastics and dried out tires its going to look off with the contrast. I would actually recommend something a little more restorative with an older car. Solution Finish for the plastics, it will hold up for a year or two depending on the usage. If you don't like tire shine something like PERL or Opti Coat Tire Coating will work well, you can apply them so they aren't greasy. The tire coating is great because if you put it on lightly it looks very subtle and lasts for a long time. I would also suggest you restore your fender liners. It will make a big difference.

I haven't used NB GT3 wheels, my notes show 15mm spacers in front and 22mm spacers in the rear are required. I believe the GT3 wheels are 18x8.5 et40 and 18x11 et63.

Like RngTrtl said,. trust me, use 18's with a 30 rear and a 35 or 40 front sidewall. You will enjoy it much more. Lower the car, skip the spacers, and if ordering an aftermarket wheel, do the research for the right wheel and backspacing/offset. Those wheels, that height, and the color are not helping you. That is my .02. Haha. Nice rig otherwise man. You will enjoy it.

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What are the sizes of your current tires front & rear? It's always good to know exactly what is "off" before you make changes just to make sure you "fix what's broke" , assuming something is broke. The quoted post below seems to contain the info you would compare your sizes against.

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interesting. That would poke them out a bit compared to stock if my understanding is correct: Stock C4S = F 18x8 50 R 18x11 45 NB GT3 = F 18x8 50 R 11x8 63- so those spacers you referenced would poke the front 15mm and Rear 5 mm, no?

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Good point. I don't know about skipping the spacers forever (will depend on what wheels/offset he ends up with), but definitely agree it's important to do the spacers last, after all wheel/tire/ride height changes have made. Only then will the OP be able to look at it and determine whether spacers are needed and what width should be used. Of course, spacer presence/width does dictate what length wheel bolts are needed, so if the OP is changing wheel bolts for the new wheels (I would think not), then spacers decisions would come in to play earlier to avoid buying bolts twice.

Also, the front spoiler from a Turbo is a popular update for the C4S and it's inexpensive. https://www.ebay.com/itm/112203880503 [/QUOTE] Stay away from this spoiler, it fits like, and looks like ****. Buy the OEM version, it's about $200. My old car shown here is on springs, but these wheels didn't need spacers, my OEM Turbo twist did need spacers to sit flush. Throw some H&R springs on it, spacers if needed and your good to go. Also a HUGE help is to clean the tires with Bleach White and treat with a NON shiny tire dressing (I use some stuff from Griot's). Don't let the tires look dry like yours do.

I think your tint is too dark. The 996 has an amazingly airy greenhouse, and too dark a tint squashes that optically.

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For the win!

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I agree

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I have no idea, that's what I was told when researching fitments. I haven't had those wheels in hand to try.

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Cant have ashy looking tires, brother!

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I know. I need to do something about them. Just can't deal with the shiny stuff. I will try some of the other products recommended in this thread.

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Well, I didn�t literally mean the shiny stuff. I meant the product or method of your choice to take away the dry look. Many tire shines are not shiny.

I've owned several black cars including a 996 and totally understand what the OP may be thinking with his new car. (Ref attached photo) With a black 996 C4S, you lose a lot of the unique design features (e.g. front vents, lower side skirt, rear faux vent, etc) because they're in flat black. This causes the silver headlights enclosures to stick out more from the rest of the car. The same effect happens with silver cars. (notice C4S in picture) The headlights and wheels blend in more while the front vents, side skirts, and rear faux vents stand out. Notice the red 996 C4S, the iconic rear center reflector tends to blend in and not pop like on other colors. But with black cars, everything tends to blend in especially if you have blacked out wheels and tinted windows. The key to fixing this problem is find way to add or improve accented features. Some suggestions: 1. Change out black wheels with silver or anthracite gray alternatives. The OEM turbo wheels made for the wide body look the best IMHO. 2. Repaint the calipers bright RED. 3. Paint the "S" on the rear deck lid RED. 4. Add a PORSCHE or Carrera C4S decal on the sides in the similar color to the wheels. 5. Adding the Porsche Emblem center wheel caps to the wheels is another way to bring color on the side of the car. Last, you may want to consider have the car's paint corrected with ceramic treatment. Black cars are the hardest to keep clean looking.

19" or 20" wheels will not last long after a pothole or two on the street if you keep the same tire circumference. If you don't keep the same tire circumference, your speedometer and odometer will be off and the car may handle poorly. Generally, I like the aftermarket wheels, but while lighter than factory stock, they tend to bend or fracture easier than factory wheels, which is why it is important to consider what your streets are like.

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Red calipers is a great idea. The easiest way to do that is with the G2 paint kit and a good artist brush. Just clean the calipers really, really good. I pulled my brake pads and rotors off, which makes the job easier. You can buy white PORSCHE decals on eBay.

here's my 2004 C4S. H&R springs with doubled up lower spring perches in the back and 15mm spacers all around. 35% tint all around Clear oem side markers up front The rear lenses and heckblende are tinted ever so slightly (they match my GTS oem rears). Red S on the back I added the rear wiper Misha GT2 rear wing oem roof rack I think that if you worked on your trim and got the grey back to black, that would help.

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This is a pretty good option Amazon Amazon

You have the garbo tirerack �sport cup� wheels. Just get nice factory wheels or high end aftermarket. Don�t get 19s, it will never ride right.

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most factory wheels are cast and are more likely to bend than forged aftermarket wheels.

Full disclosure.... I read about one post in this thread. Lucky for you, I can fix your problem. Slam it on its nuts - will look dope.

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🤮🤮

I saw a black C4S with black wheels at the Miami 996 meetup event a few weeks ago. It was lowered and looked dope. A lot of admirers. You can change the wheels and wheel color if you want, but it's not the problem. The problem is your stance. @TheChunkNorris saw that black C4S, too. I think he would agree was one of the nicer cars there.

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quite possible. I've looked at lots of 996 wheel pics lately and have seen some black on black options that look cool. But I'm definitely wanting silver wheels. I'm also taking all the other steps, have started cleaning up the plastic trim pieces, tried some tire goop, taking it to the tint place today.. Coilovers are in the pipeline too. just dealing with supply chain and shops that are super busy around here.

19's look OK but I think are too big for the car; the problem is the tire wall hight and the overall hight of the car. I agree, car just does not look right; Lower it on 18s, new tire with more "meat" Was a little aggressive on mine but work great. Im running with Ohlins R&T update with Elephant plates on the front and Tarrett Drop links. Front: 18x8.5� ET42 with 245/40-18 Rear: 18x11� ET36 with 295/35-18

Thx for all the advice y'all. Those who recommended back to black and the like for bringing back the trim- spot on. amazing how much of a difference it makes. I fixed the ashy tires, pulled off the tint, put back on 45% tint which I'm still not sure about (heh) and have ordered ohlins R/T coilovers. Think I've narrowed down wheel choices (forged with custom offsets so I don't need spacers to get them flush)... The journey continues

I was going to wait until I get the coilovers installed but they're stuck on a boat from sweden and who knows when I'm actually going to get them. These wheels are pretty badass. I gotta thank @APEX Race Parts for putting in the work to develop these. The fact that they do this for older enthusiast cars is so cool This is their aggressive fitment. 235s up front and 315s in the rear before

Somethingckever the new wheels look amazing can you post the wheel specs thanks

new wheels look great!

Nice. I also would have liked to have seen how the old wheels looked with a proper stance.

Awesome transformation! It's amazing how wheels and tires in addition to some other small tweaks like removing dark tint can really change how you feel about your car (and how it performs of course). The contrast and fitment looks great. Very OEM+. Can't wait to see it with the new Ohlins installed - Ryan

The new wheels look great! Hopefully, the coilovers make it over the pond soon. Definitely update us when you get them on. In the meantime enjoy Seattle's driving season! There are some great roads and weather this time of year.

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real quick diagnosis: garbage tirerack wheels

Lol late to the party. Nice upgrade.

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https://www.apexraceparts.com/shop-b...che-wheel.html https://www.apexraceparts.com/shop-b...che-wheel.html

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I will toss them on when the car has the ohlins on and is lowered. For science!