Hamman7,
I had read somewhere that the 997 will have factory 19's. Does this mean Porsche is changing their thinking regarding the wheel sizes? I realize the 997 is not a racecar though. They changed their thinking before going from 15's to 16's to 17's to 18's. Is this just natural progression?

 

I second Hamman7 on the 19's. Not to dog this thread or anything..as PES wheels look great!

I had HRE 19"s...I'm back on 18s and the overall ride and handling is much better. Plus, a lot more tire selection! Pilot Cup, Corsas...

 

KPV,

The answer to your question is that it all depends on how the chassis is engineered for a given tire size and rolling diameter.

The reason why the 19's are terrible on the 996 is because you lose sidewall height, which causes the terrrible ride and handling. The chassis was designed around 18's.

The 997 may be able to use 19's just fine, probably because the overall rolling diameter of the tire/wheel combo may be larger. In other words, I suspect Porsche will use 35 sidewalls on 19's, and its chassis will be designed around that. Just like the Carrera GT uses 20" wheels.

The 19" wheel market is really designed for the U.S. You don't see a whole lot of autobahn storming Europeans putting on larger than 18, as they are much more performance, rather than bling bling, oriented.

 

Ron,
I apologize for the off topic here. The wheels look awesome as I have stated in the original post when they were first made available. Very RUF-like in design in that the isn't a dish and the spokes are at the outside. I also love the seven spokes.

Hamman7,
I get it. So, basically, when the 997 comes out with 19's and an associated larger overall tire diameter (compared to the 996), the sidewall will be taller giving a little more compliance. Inevitably though, guys will then put 20's on that car and be in the same predicament that the current 19 users face.
Question.....I was always under the impression that (with the whole plus 1, plus 2, etc) wheel upgrade scenarios the shorter the sidewall the better. A shorter sidewall will result in less lateral flex and therefore reduce additional side to side movement of the car under hard cornering. The ride compliance issues are obvious (less sidewall=harder ride) but from a cornering performance standpoint why wouldn't the shorter sidewalls of 19's on a 996 be a better route to follow? I realize they are typically heavier, so I am more concerned with other reasons.

 

Ken,
Do you feel that your 19's ride and handle bad?

Hamman7,
I could see the 18's being a better choice if the roads are bad where you live, however 19's do not "handle" worse than 18's. As long as the overall diameter is within the stock OAD spec, gearing is not effected. Also the 19's will give a slightly crisper turn in due to the lower sidewall. Most people also go a liitle wider with the 19's which gives more contact patch and better grip.

 

Tony, if that is true, why isn't there a single Porsche 911-based race car running 19"?

Of course it is easy to say that simply going to wider tires will give more contact patch and better grip, but this does not make for a better handling car.

Previously, my car had 19" wheels with 315's in the rear. I've got news for you... The car handles worse, especially over road imperfections. Not many roads, even race tracks, have perfectly smooth surfaces.

By the way, sometimes you want a little sidewall flex, as it makes the car more predictable as you are drifting or throttle steering the car at the limit instead of sudden oversteer.

Don't you think Porsche would have offered a 19" option on the Turbo if it was so great, after all, it's only plus 1 sizing right?

Try comparing the two on the track or in the canyons and you'll see the difference.

Hope that answers your question too, Ken.

 

One of the reasons I'm back on 18's again...But with Tire Rack selling the 315 Conti's...that should help us out a bit.

Still no R-compound 19's...

 

Who said it is because of just handling? Why didn't they put 17's? Several reasons.

1. Wheel costs within a budget and meet market demand.
2. Handling depends on a combination of tire/wheel/suspension/weight distribution
3. The nexgen will have 19's (an IMPROVEMENT for successing years)
4. Acceleration. lower the diameter, the quicker the car. The taller the diameter, the higher top speed.
5. Fuel Efficiency
6. Braking characteristics

I am sure 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are taken into consideration when Porsche decided on 18's.

 

VARY NICE AND SMOOTH

 

What width rears do you have for the Gt2? I am assuming 12" ?

 

Tony,
I am very happy with my 19's and I haven't noticed any handling or ride issues.

Conversely, I notice the plus 2 sizing increase on my MINI quite a bit. It actually feels like there are rubber bands on the wheels without any cushion. I did mention that it is like a go-kart!!
I guess boils down to a matter of taste and usage.

BTW, LOVE THEM WHEELS!!!

Will they be on the Stage 5 car that your bringing to our meet?

 

Hi Shank,
The rears are 11" for GT2. 11" is wide enough to fit the 295's or 315's. No sense making a 12".