Atheist

I have a 991.2 GTS with centerlock wheels. I'm wondering if anybody knows of a tire shop in Ventura or Santa Barbara County CA capable of dealing with tires on center lock wheels. Is purchasing the tires from a Porsche dealer the only option? Any tips

WP0

Best tip: remove the wheels yourself, and take only the wheels to a tire shop for replacement. Verify that they have a touchless tire changer, otherwise you'll get marks on the inside of your wheels. .. otherwise, Porsche dealership.

ram_g

Just purchased a 991.2 TTS myself and plan to R&R the wheels myself as and when needed. Besides tire replacement, it's always good to be able to do this in the event of flat tires or similar. Lots of material online on how to R&R the centerlocks. There is a group buy currently live for a torque-multiplying tool that would greatly reduce the effort - see https://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3-...lications.html. (Need to act quickly if interested as the group buy is nearing max. capacity.)

Atheist

Even with the torque multiplying tool, I would have no ability to mount and balance tires, or check the alignment. I appreciate all the help but unless I can find a reputable place to do it I would be stuck with the Porsche dealer. I just felt it might be difficult to get a good price on tires when I need them replaced if I can't shop them. I love the centerlock wheels and figured I might be a PITA when the time comes. Someone at the region 8 PCA cars and coffee told me in his opinion the few hundred he might save avoiding the Porsche dealer wouldn't be worth the risk of trying a tire shop regardless of any claim they make about ability to handle it.

Porsche_nuts

I would not trust anyone with the centerlocks, only high end shops that have experience with centerlocks. Regarding tires, dealership shops are pretty competatve regarding pricing. I got my Michelins cheaper with the dealer than at Tire Rack.

awittig

+1 on this.

thesaintusa

Ditto.

My dealership can beat Tire Rack, and seems to have inventory.

ram_g

This doesn't terribly surprise me, and it's fine as long as the tire replacement is something you've planned for in advance. It just goes against my grain however to have a car that I cannot remove the wheels/tires in case I get a flat on a Saturday at noon and/or if I'm driving the car hundred+ miles away from the nearest Porsche dealer. So keeping the necessary tools on hand is, to me, a must. YMMV.

Martin S.

Check them out.

Wheel Concepts
1170 Avenida Acaso
Camarillo CA 93012
Manager: Tyler
https://wheelconcepts.com/

I had Wheel Concepts refinish wheels for a former 2015 Cayman GTS for me, outstanding work....they do anything and all things related to wheels, and they are also a tire dealer, and sell wheels as well. They DO work on Center Locks. I just confirmed this talking to their Manager, Tyler today. As a side note, they do wheel repair for all of the local high end car dealerships, from Ventura and Santa Barbara County, Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche, you name it.

I am going to take my car in, a 991.2 GTS, and see about changing that stock black finish to metallic, similar to what I had, and liked, on my former 991.1 S. It's a 300 mile round trip, but these guys are pros, and worth the drive. Tell them Martin from Solana Beach, CA referred you. And BTW, the shop is immaculate.

Atheist

Thank you Martin! I have an office in Oxnard and use Rusnak Westlake for all dealer warranty repairs. I had heard there was something in Camarillo. PCA/ Santa Barbara has a coffee & cars 1st Saturday or the month in Camarillo I went to and someone mentioned they thought there was something but I couldn’t locate without a name. In any case I really appreciate the tip. The dealer is an option but an alternative kelps me from being hostage if they are not competitive. I’ll check em out.

Martin S.

....provide the name of the shop, Wheel Concepts, Camarillo, CA. In the next several weeks, I am going to take the 3 Hr. drive to the shop to discuss refinishing my black center locks to a metallic finish. Prior to my recent talk with Tyler at Wheel Concepts, I was seriously thinking of swapping my center locks out for a 5 lug set up......conceptually it can be done...but the swap is a huge pain in the fanny. and in the end, assuming I can sell the center locks for decent money, I'd be out about $3,000, probably more. If I am going to "invest" this money, I'd prefer a set of headers. Ket us know your impression of the shop and how your talk with Tyler goes.

Yelp Reviews? 5.0. See: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wheel-conce...ident=Mercedes

Instagram:

Atheist

Thanks Martin, My tires are new now, but at some point when I am in Camarillo I will check them out. If they do Saturdays I may do it next week and hit up the first Saturday cars and coffee in Camarillo. I did ponder the center locks but they are the top of the line set up on all the new GT's , GTS's , and Turbo S. The more I thought about the hassle, since there is no spare tire anyway, any tire issue I have ( other than replacement ) basically means a flatbed ride anyway. I always have AAA plus for at least 100 miles of free towing. i'm not sure if Porsche roadside assistance is included in my Certified warranty. Have to verify that.

GSIRM3

My Porsche dealer will match and sometimes beat Tirerack prices. I don't trust anyone else with my centerlocks.

Martin S.

The consoling thing about a Porsche Dealer mounting tires on center locks, you know they have the correct tools and expertise. I don't have Tire Rack take my center locks off my car: I take them off myself (I have all the tools), and take the wheels to Tire Rack. This has worked out for me..and my contact at Tire Rack, Poway, CA, Gerry Cruz, has provided incredible service and very competitive prices to me in the past. I have referred Porsche pals to him; they have all been very pleased.

Penn4S

Same experience here. Called the dealer told them I needed 4 MPS4S. Asked what they could do to get the business. They beat Tire Rack pricing which I had already checked and charged $50 per tire to install, balance and align. Worth asking.