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Owners' resources

986 tyres and oil.

The 986 Boxster and Boxster S, 1996 to 2004, with 2.5, 2.7 and 3.2 litre flat-six engines across the 986.1 and 986.2.

Shown: 986 Boxster S in Lapis Blue Metallic

Which 986 is yours?

Choose your car for its tyre pressures, tyre sizes and oil on one sheet.

Choose your car above. Its pressures, tyre sizes and oil appear here, on one sheet.

986 · 1996–2004

Boxster

Cold tyres · check the label in your door frame

Tyre pressures

16-inch

Front2.0bar29 psiTyre205/55 ZR16
Rear2.5bar36 psiTyre225/50 ZR16

17-inch

Front2.0bar29 psiTyre205/50 ZR17
Rear2.5bar36 psiTyre255/40 ZR17

18-inch

Front2.0bar29 psiTyre225/40 ZR18
Rear2.5bar36 psiTyre265/35 ZR18

Engine oil

Grade0W-40, 5W-40 or 5W-50

2.5, 2.7 or 3.2 litre flat-six (M96)

Porsche approval
Porsche A40Porsche's current listing for all 986 engines
Oil and filter change
8.25–8.75 litres with filterPorsche has published both
Notes and sources

16-inch

Porsche gives one cold figure for all loads, the same for summer and winter tyres. 16-inch wheels are not approved for the Boxster S.

Source: Porsche Manufacturer's Certificate 63/20, Approved Tires, Wheels and Spacers, Boxster (986) (July 2021), Tire Pressure; also Porsche 986 Technical Manual, Technical data

18-inch

Porsche gives one cold figure for all loads. Porsche approves 18-inch wheels on the 986 from the 1998 model year only.

Source: Porsche Manufacturer's Certificate 63/20, Approved Tires, Wheels and Spacers, Boxster (986) (July 2021), Tire Pressure and Sizes

Oil

Porsche has published both approx. 8.25 litres (1997 technical data, 2003 to 2004 handbook) and approx. 8.75 litres (2000 technical data) for an oil and filter change. Period handbooks asked for approved oils to ACEA A3; Porsche now lists every 986 engine under A40. Check the dipstick in the rear luggage compartment with the engine warm and off and the car level; min to max is about 1.25 litres.

Source: Porsche Manufacturer's Certificate 12/25, Allocation of Approved Engine Oils Until MY 2020 (October 2025)

986 · 1996–2004

Boxster S

Cold tyres · check the label in your door frame

Tyre pressures

17-inch

Front2.0bar29 psiTyre205/50 ZR17
Rear2.5bar36 psiTyre255/40 ZR17

18-inch

Front2.0bar29 psiTyre225/40 ZR18
Rear2.5bar36 psiTyre265/35 ZR18

Engine oil

Grade0W-40, 5W-40 or 5W-50

2.5, 2.7 or 3.2 litre flat-six (M96)

Porsche approval
Porsche A40Porsche's current listing for all 986 engines
Oil and filter change
8.25–8.75 litres with filterPorsche has published both
Notes and sources

18-inch

Porsche gives one cold figure for all loads. Porsche approves 18-inch wheels on the 986 from the 1998 model year only.

Source: Porsche Manufacturer's Certificate 63/20, Approved Tires, Wheels and Spacers, Boxster (986) (July 2021), Tire Pressure and Sizes

Oil

Porsche has published both approx. 8.25 litres (1997 technical data, 2003 to 2004 handbook) and approx. 8.75 litres (2000 technical data) for an oil and filter change. Period handbooks asked for approved oils to ACEA A3; Porsche now lists every 986 engine under A40. Check the dipstick in the rear luggage compartment with the engine warm and off and the car level; min to max is about 1.25 litres.

Source: Porsche Manufacturer's Certificate 12/25, Allocation of Approved Engine Oils Until MY 2020 (October 2025)

Questions

OilCan I use 0W-40 or 5W-50 in my Boxster?

Yes, as long as the oil carries Porsche A40 approval. Porsche's current oil allocation lists every 986 engine under A40, which covers SAE 0W-40, 5W-40 and 5W-50. For cars of this age Porsche also recommends its own Porsche Classic Motoroil 5W-50, which it developed for the 986 and 996.

Source: Porsche Manufacturer's Certificate 12/25, Allocation of Approved Engine Oils Until MY 2020 (October 2025); Porsche Classic, Motoroil.

TyresCan I still buy N-rated tyres for a 986?

Yes. Porsche Classic's recommended summer tyre list (September 2021) shows N-coded tyres in every factory 986 size on 16, 17 and 18-inch wheels. Fit the same make, type, speed index and N code across the car, as Porsche asks, and replace tyres more than six years old. Ranges change, so check current stock against the list before ordering.

Source: Porsche Classic, Recommended summer tyre makes and types, Type 986 (status 09/2021); Porsche Manufacturer's Certificate 63/20 (July 2021).

TyresWhere do I find the correct tyre pressures for my car?

On the tyre pressure label on the car itself, in the driver's door frame, and in the owner's handbook. The figures are for cold tyres, so check them before a drive rather than after one.

TyresWhy do some rows give more than one pressure?

Many of these cars have two sets of figures: part load, for up to two people and a little luggage, and full load. Where Porsche gives both, the main figures here are the full-load ones and the note under the row gives part load, and the Comfort pressure where the car has one. Use the figure that matches how the car is loaded, and check again when that changes.

OilWhy does the oil depend on which model I have?

Because the engine does. Most generations were built with more than one engine, and each has its own oil grade, Porsche approval and capacity. Two cars from the same year that look alike can need different oil, so look for your exact model in the oil section, not just the generation.

OilIs the oil grade all I need to check?

No. The viscosity grade (for example 0W-40 or 5W-40) is only half of it. The oil also needs the Porsche approval listed for your engine (A40, C40 or C40 GT, for example), which is printed on the bottle. Two oils with the same grade can carry different approvals.

OilHow often should the oil be changed?

Follow the service schedule in your handbook or service booklet. Many owners change it more often when the car is used on track, or does lots of short journeys that never let the oil get fully up to temperature.

GeneralWhere do the figures on this 986 page come from?

From Porsche's own documents, named and linked under each figure. Where Porsche's documents disagree, or no Porsche figure could be found, the page says To be confirmed rather than guess. If a figure here ever disagrees with the label on your car or your handbook, the car and the handbook are right.

Choosing tyresSizes, the Porsche N mark and what to ask for

The Boxster left the factory on staggered sizes, with narrower tyres at the front than the rear. On 16-inch wheels it ran 205/55 ZR16 front and 225/50 ZR16 rear, on 17-inch wheels 205/50 ZR17 front and 255/40 ZR17 rear, and on 18-inch wheels 225/40 ZR18 front and 265/35 ZR18 rear. The Boxster S is not approved on 16-inch wheels, and Porsche approves 18-inch wheels only from the 1998 model year. The pressures are the same on every size: 2.0 bar front and 2.5 bar rear.

Porsche tests tyres for each model and marks the ones it approves with an N code on the sidewall, next to the tyre name: N0, N1, N2 and so on. The number changes when a tyre is revised and approved again. Porsche asks for tyres of the same make, type, speed index and N code on the car, so replace them in matching sets and check the full code on the sidewall before fitting.

Many of the tyres a 986 wore when new are no longer made, so look for a current tyre that carries an N code in your exact size. Porsche Classic's recommended summer tyre list (September 2021) still shows N-coded tyres for every factory 986 size, but ranges change, so check what is in stock before you order. Porsche also advises replacing any tyre more than six years old.

Every 986, side by sideAll the pressures and oils on one page, with their notes

Tyre pressures

Cold pressures (about 20°C) as Porsche lists them for every 986 on summer and winter tyres. Check the label on your car.

Engine oil

Porsche now lists every 986 engine under its A40 oil approval and also recommends its own Porsche Classic Motoroil 5W-50. Always set the final level on the dipstick.

  • Boxster and Boxster S (986)

    2.5, 2.7 or 3.2 litre flat-six (M96)

    Grade0W-40, 5W-40 or 5W-50
    Porsche approval
    Porsche A40 (Porsche's current listing for all 986 engines)
    Capacity
    8.25–8.75 litres with filter (Porsche has published both)

    Porsche has published both approx. 8.25 litres (1997 technical data, 2003 to 2004 handbook) and approx. 8.75 litres (2000 technical data) for an oil and filter change. Period handbooks asked for approved oils to ACEA A3; Porsche now lists every 986 engine under A40. Check the dipstick in the rear luggage compartment with the engine warm and off and the car level; min to max is about 1.25 litres.

    Source: Porsche Manufacturer's Certificate 12/25, Allocation of Approved Engine Oils Until MY 2020 (October 2025)

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