Wheel center question

Does Porsche make wheel centers with the crest on them? I've seen some for the Cayenne, but not for the 996. The wheels on our 01 C4 look too bulky and I think Porsche centers would help, but I don't know if they are available from Porsche or in the aftermarket.

This is what they look like on the car:

Yes. Porsche makes wheel centers with the crest -- both color and black, the color crest being more expensive. Checkout www.boothedesign.com . They have several models to choose from including ones that don't turn (a la "spinners") and ones that are pilfer proof (you have to remove the wheel to remove the center).

I am guessing you haven't called the dealer since they stock them in large quantities. Crested centers is a factory option (about $195) and they have the gold crest like the one on your hood. You can get them all over eBay for about $100 a set. If you prefer the silver crest then go with Boothe centers. I have them and LOVE them.

You would be guessing correctly. Sorry about that -- I probably should have checked with them first, but now I have an understanding of what's available in the market. Normally I prefer subtle (non-colored) centers, but these semi-bulky wheels look like a "sea of silver" in the middle, so I think the colored centers will help break it up a bit. I also wanted a factory part, so this is great news. I will check out eBay and may purchase there if it is the same as the OEM wheel centers because it's difficult for me to find time to get to a dealer. Thanks very much for the help.

Ralph Boothe all the way! Ralph makes his centers using hood badges. They are beautiful and solid! Expensive but worth it especially compared to that plastic crap the factory turns out.....

You're very welcome. Good luck on your search

Peterp - I took these pics for a different reason but they do show the colored crest, but not real clearly. FYI

Thanks for the photo, that helps visualiize it. Some of the ones on eBay are pretty bad (this one has the background around the horse in yellow (ala Ferrari)): http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...sPageName=WDVW These look like the correct factory ones (I assume): http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...sPageName=WDVW I searched the archives, and it doesn't sound like the factory ones are very durable -- are these going to break in a few months? I'd rather get factory parts over aftermarket, but I don't want to replace them every year.

The second link looks like factory ones (so does the first one but those are hand painted). However, $179 is not a good price for those. If the ones in the second link are the ones you want then you should be able to find a set for about $100 on eBay.

Agreed. For $179, I'd rather pay a little more and go to a dealer. If they can be had for $100 on eBay, then that's great news -- I didn't see them at that price, but I'll look a little more (I'm not a frequent eBayer,but I guess I should use it more often).

$125 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=43961

Thanks very much for your help Dell!! I just "bought them now". I was searching for Porsche wheel center and even Porsche wheels but missed that listing.

No problem. Glad you scored! You know the drill..........pics of before and after when you get them in

Yeah, pics, pics, we love pics..... we NEED pics!!! We are pic-aholics!

I really want the Boothe Designs spinners; but at $600 for the set I would rather have a guided fishing trip. gota 911 you are an asset to the board. You are always quick to reply with help and pics. I for one am glad yougota911. Not to say that others are not an asset; as with Chads sigs I will get around with the praise as time permits.

I will definitely post pics -- though it may be a couple weeks before I can get them on because I will be traveling. Thanks again for the help.

John - Thanks for the kind words! I really appreciate it! I have learned a lot about P-cars in the last 4 months, most of it from this forum. I "leaned into" the knowledge base of a lot of other guys on this board early on, so if I think I can give back to someone else on the forum, I try to do so. Kind'a like "pay it forward." BTW - I just replied to your 911 logo question with some info. Also - how is the bikini line? Any progress? Tim

Automotion.com has the plain Porsche Crest wheel caps for $17.98, part no. 993.361.303.05 Plastic-Dished W/ Black Crest. They also carry painted crests, and other options. A bargain! Scott MacDonald

The bikini line is slowly fading as I am "sunning" the car during the day.

Not ever close to a bargain (more like a rip-off) when you consider they sell the very crests he just bought for $125 are being sold by Automtion (aka Performance Products) for $59.95 each wheel! PP sells Genuine stuff for more than you can get it at most dealers. For example, Park Place in Dallas has them on their website for $175 for a set of 4 and Suncoast has them on their site for $160. Besides, you can't even give away the plastic grey and black ones.

Support our Rennlist Sponsors! Good ol' Gert at Carnewal has them for Euro 90 or about $107. http://www.carnewal-europe.com/cpx_p97002.htm#

Would have liked to support the sponsors -- I'm too new to the forum to know who they are. I'm happy with my purchase though -- the price is reasonable and I wanted the factory part. They should be here tomorrow or Friday, though I won't be able to put them in for a couple weeks.

Well, it may be a couple more weeks before I have a photo. I tried to change them today and discovered my toolkit doesn't have the adaptor for the security lug -- I find this disappointing after having puruchased a Certified Pre-Owned car. My car has the jack and one tool set with the lug wrench, headlight wrench, ... When I look at the owners manual, it looks like the C4 should also have a compressor for the space saver tire and also another tool pouch -- not sure what's in it but is looks like it has an extra one from the OM picture. Does anybody know what tools should be in the front trunk for a C4 and where the security lug adaptor should be? Also, should there be a strap that holds all the tools down -- they seem to flop around the trunk at present. Maybe I should open another thread for this question, but I'll ask here first. On the bright side, I was in France last week and saw my exact wheels with the crest centers installed and it looks much, much better. Currently, the wheels look bulky, but the crests make a big difference (to my eyes anyway).

You don't need to take off the rims to change the centercaps, just take the "j" end of a coat hanger and it's easy. I've had several colored crests stolen off the car, and replacing them at $50 a pop thru the dealer sucks. I give up. So I just bought a set of plain black crest centers, only $60 from Porsche, can't beat that. If any Rennlisters are interested I have 3 colored centercaps I'll sell for $75.

The crest centers can be removed without taking the wheel off, but the current "Carrera 4" centers don't have the removal holes so I think I need to remove the tire to take off the old ones. I wish the crest centers were also solid -- I don't know they aren't since other Porsche centers are solid. I may try to seal the holes based upon your feedback, though I'm not sure it will be much of a deterent. Thanks for the feedback.

My bad, I didn't realize the C4 centers were solid. Good luck with the colored centers, I tried to super glue the crests in place and they still stole them. My local dealer told me they sell about 50 colored crests per week .

Ralph Boothe centers. Pricey at nearly $90 each but well worth it. They are anti-theft (bolt in on the inside) as well as jewelry for the car!

Unfortunately, I found the OEM ones to be pretty dang cheap. The aluminum crests faded in about a year. Also, some people have reported the crests have fallen out. The newer 997 ones posted above from the Carnewal website might be better, but I think they are too new for anyone to determine long-term durability. I was seriously considering the Boothe wheel centers until I figured out they won't fit my aftermarket wheels.

Boothe is probably the way to go for most, but I was bent on having OEM centers so I put in some effort to try to resolve the issues. From the feedback here, the problem with the factory centers seems to be: 1. They are frequently stolen because they are so easy to remove 2. The crests fall off 3. The holes in the crests detract from the look I machined down some standard bolts to fill the hole and used a nut on the back to fasten it. This improves the look significantly, makes it impossible for the crest to fall off, and (hopefully) prevents theft because the wheel needs to be remove to take them out. The after and before pictures are below along with a photo of the back:

This is what it looks like installed (sorry the photo isn't larger):

Here is a close-up:

It only takes about 10 minutes per wheel if you have the bolts, a drill, a file and paint. The drill makes a "poor man's lathe". The sequence is: 1. Get the bolts and nuts of the size shown in the picture (#4-40 x 1/4", Home Depot stocks them) 2. While using the drill to turn the bolt, use a coarse file to reduce the bolt head diameter and then flatten the slotted head 3. Smooth the surface with fine file followed with sandpaper 4. Paint with black paint and follow with clear-coat for durability and to match the gloss of the surrounding black on the crest 5. Bolt the crest to the center cap

Finally, the before and after of the car with the crests -- although subtle, they make a pretty big difference in making the wheels look less clunky:

Nice job. I sincerely hope it works for you.

A guy up here had the boothe centers, scumbags tried to steal them and couldn't get them off, but really f'd up his wheels trying.fwiw

Thanks -- I hope so as well. Actually you were correct in your earlier post that the old Carrera 4 caps can be remove without taking off the wheels -- they do have the access holes, but it is completely hidden in the black "Carrera 4" script -- I couldn't see them until after the cap was removed.

I though about that a little when making the decision to close the holes -- hope it doesn't come back to bite me. Thanks for the food for thought.