soontobered84

I destroyed a front 19" Lobster claw/fork on the way to Pittsburgh last week. Anybody got an extra they could live without?
If color is an option, I would prefer white to match, but really, I can have the color changed to match after I acquire one.
Thanks in advance

husker boxster

There are lots of Lobster claws out there. What is the width and offset you're looking for?

soontobered84

I had to leave my whole set in Louisville and change wheels to complete the drive to Pittsburgh and home. My Louisville connection will measure and get back to me this evening because I have CRS and can't remember on my own.

FredR

John,

What is a lobster claw in this context? Sounds as though is something pertaining to wheels and their offset but...?

hernanca

Fred,


or

FredR

Mr H,

OK it is a popular name for the 997 wheel set presumably named that way because the spoke to rim connector looks iike a lobster claw. Is that a colloquial terminology or a Porsche name? Presumably the offsets are incorrect up front not that that seems to worry most losing a built in safety feature of significant value.

I really liked the look of them on my friend's 997.1 but on a more personal point of view I just happen to think that even though they look great on the 997, 19 inch wheels somehow do not "float my boat" on a 928 irrespective of how they do or do not perform. There again I very much iike the performance of my 18 inch 3 piece forged wheels but they do not appeal to everyone cosmetically speaking - probably far from it. That is the beauty of choice. If tyres were not so expensive and lasted a decent amount of time [max of 4 years over here both structurally and legally due to heat degradation].

linderpat

As you can see by the photo of the wheel, they are "lobster forks" not lobster claws.

hernanca

Fred,

I do not know where the term came from, but my understanding is it is more a reference to a lobster FORK than a lobster claw. Which makes sense from the examples I found (I don't eat lobster).

Always in agreement with your informative comments about wheel offsets.

Wheel sizes tend to be more a personal preference thing, except, m-a-y-b-e for ride harshness that I have heard complaints about for 18+ sizes. But that may be relative and part of personal preference as well. Your 18's are beautiful wheels, IMO. I will probably never go above 17's, personally, though I have seen many 18's that look fantastic on a 928, but again, that is IMO.

FredR

Ed,

Was being guided by the thread title but yes, lobster forks are a two pronged fork- not that I have used one in the last 40 years sad to say [i have had lobsters occasionally but not nearly enough].

FredR

Mr H,

There is no doubt about the harshness if one keeps to the "plus 1" sizing concept and maintains the correct rolling radius. However one must also consider a number of factors. When I ran Michelin Cup Sport rubber with ginormously stiff sidewalls I found I had to run lower pressures than expected when competing in our Porsche Club autocross events and waxed all but one semi race prepared GT3 on our slow twisty track. Same at the Dubai Autodrome.

What a lot of folks do not understand when fitting wider rubber is that the design load factor is such that one can reduce the tyre pressure significantly. My rubber typically has a design load factor of 600kg per cover at rated pressure of 36 psig, the weight load is circa 400kg per corner and with the rated pressure at full load of 36 psig the arithmetic suggests 24 psig thus I typically run with 30 psig to allow a bit for fugitive emissions, added load etc and if and when it drops to 24 psig I top it up again.

The other factor is local conditions. I have lived in Oman for the last 32 years. 50 years ago when Sultan Qaboos became the leader there was about 10km of metalled roads. When sadly he departed this world 18 months ago Oman by then had a brilliant road system with state of the art highways and roads with very smooth road surfaces. Potholes are virtually non existenthere and are filled in/repaired within days of emerging. The only "problem" with these roads is the asphalt has to be blown at higher temperatures to withstand the solar heat so the grip is less than in Europe. Of course when Europe gets hit with heatwaves like the one in the UK a couple of weeks ago the asphalt melted in some locations- never happens here. So with our smooth modern road system the relatively harsher ride is not a factor. Even in the UK I reckon the 18 inch sizing would not be an issue for me at least but then I have always been one for stiffer suspension setups true petrol head style on both my cars and bikes in years gone by.

GregBBRD

John:

Just be glad you simply asked for a wheel, not any opinions on fitment or appearance......
Get the part number off of the back of the damaged wheel.
It will make you search much easier.

Petza914

As Greg says, get the part number or... the width and offset are actually embossed by the valve stem and is really all that matters for your search.

Try eBay or Wheel Enhancement as you can probably find singles in either of those places. Might also check the Porsche Wheel Trader group on Facebook if you're a member there. A used replacement shouldn't be more than a couple hundred dollars as full sets sell for $800-$1,200 and you'll have to refinish it to make it white anyway, so doesn't have to be undamaged, just mostly straight as the refinisher can fix curb rash and straighten a slightly bent wheel (at least mine can).

soontobered84

This response from Greg actually made me laugh out loud. My next thread will be about oil choice.......JK
I will get the part number for the correct front "Lobster fork"

auzivision

John, I think you should simply keep the ones you are rolling on now.

LOL, Sean won't mind.

husker boxster

To add to the confusion, there's actually a 987.2 Boxster 5 spoke wheel that's referred to as a lobster fork. It fits the defn quite well.