Like for the 996, Porsche offered several wheel styles for the 997 Carrera models.

997.1

The standard wheel for the Carrera was the Carrera III wheel in 18″. This is somewhat similar to the 996’s Carrera wheel, being a five-spoke design. The standard wheel for the Carrera S was the – wait for it – Carrera S wheel in 19″. These wheels are more commonly known as “Lobster” wheels.

The 19″ Carrera S wheel was available as option for the base Carrera. Four other optional wheels were offered for both models, all of them in 19″. The five-spoke Carrera Classic wheel, the multi-spoke SportDesign wheel, the ten-spoke Carrera Sport wheel, and the Turbo wheel. The latter is a diamond-cut (polished) wheel.

997.2

After the facelift, the standard wheel for the Carrera was the Carrera IV wheel in 18″, for the Carrera S it was the Carrera S II wheel in 19″.

Other optional wheels were the Carrera Classic wheel, the SportDesign wheel, the Turbo wheel, and the Turbo II wheel, all of them in 19″. The first three are carry-overs from the 997.1.

Opinions

The Lobsters are in my opinion the most iconic of the 997 wheels, but they polarize people, too. Some dislike them because they are a lot of wheel to look at and a bit busy with their cut-outs. But I think there visual presence looks good on darker cars as it provides nice contrast. The Lobster wheels are also, despite their somewhat massive look, the lightest 997 wheel.

I generally like slender five-spoke wheels, so the Carrera III and Carrera Classic wheel look good to me. The others are less to my liking. A more traditional Y-spoke design is notably absent.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Carrera 4 models are wider in the rear and hence use rear wheels with a different offset. This means that rear wheels are not interchangeable between the 2WD and 4WD versions of the Carrera.