All right....I am driving myself crazy trying to pick between 18" and 19" wheels.

I feel like I know the pro's and con's of each. Here is what I believe:

18" : More tire choices, better handling and performance, can use larger tires up front. However, it will not look as asthetically nice as the 19" wheels.

19": Look better (fill out wheel wells); forged option by Kinesis and HRE are lighter than 18" wheel options, but they have less tire choices, and the sidewalls are scimpy which means crappy traction and handling.

I am surprised that a couple of the major wheel companies that are offering forged lightweight wheels (ie Kinesis) are only offering them in 19" diameters. It doesn't make sense. I would think the person looking for the lightest wheels are very concerned about performance which puts them (ie me) in a quandry because 19" wheels perform worse than 18" wheels
on a Porsche because of the limited sidewall you will be forced to use.

Anyway....I hope you see my predicament. One thing I don't know for sure is exactly how much handling and traction you give up if you go with a 19" wheel......

My thought process is as follows: If I am going to spend more than a few thousand dollars on wheels and then another $!500 on tires, the last thing I want to do is make a performance sportscar actually perform worse as a result.

Thanks! I need your input and feedback.

 

Go with 19's for the street and keep your OEM twists for track wheels... Best of both worlds..

Many here run 19's on the street and your not pushing the car to the limits of the tires on the street...

Well not most of us anyway..

 

stick with 18 all around with extra wheels for track. Even though the "look" of 19 is thought to be better, that marginal improvement does not make up for less street performance and a bent wheel from a high speed pothole. There have been plenty of times that I have intensively watched for interstate potholes that come up very quickly and if you don't pay attention or they come in a grouping, you hit them. I'm certain that if I had 19's they would have been bent by now. Plus, if the car is lowered, the fill of 18's is just fine. Personally, when I see 19's I think look how thin that sidewall is and it creates a mental tension rather than an appreciation of the beauty of the wheel or the fill of the well. It also says to me this driver is about looks and not performance. I kind of feel the same way about the PCCB, fluff over substance. But then again, I'm a big track guy and I guess whatever floats your boat. Fee: $0.02

 

Stick with the 18s. As James said, lowering the car will fiill out the wheel wells with 18s. In addition, the 19s may look hotter, but not many people can tell 18s and 19s...

 

19s are much more photogenic than 18s mainly due to the thinner sidewalls of the tires and less so the design of the wheels.

In person, 19s aren't much_more better looking than 18s, but they are better looking.

I'd personally do 19s on the street. Fikse FM-10s or Kinesis K-28s double-edge style.