I have a stock 996 C4S with 18" and 295 rear. The book says I need 265 for snow tires on the rear. Does that mean I need new rims?

I have ZR rated tires on snow, how would they be in the snow? Scary? Thanks guys.

 

do you have 11 or 10" rear width rims?
you can get snows in whatever width best matches your rims.
if you're having trouble finding winter 295/30s, try searching for winter 295/35 which also will fit.
any summer tire will be scary in the snow. they're not designed for it.

ideally, the thinner the tire, the better to cut through snow.
ideally, a separate set of rims for winters is better to avoid remounting tires every season.

 

There are no manufacturers that make a snow tire the same size as the C4S rear tires. As a result, you really should drop to the Porsche recommended 265 width tires and get some 10x18 wheels for winter.

I faced this same decision a few years ago, and I decided to go with a set of dedicated wheels for my winter tires. I'm very happy I made the decision, and I'd recommend it to anybody considering this decision. I run 265s on my 10x18 winter rims.

You'll read different things about running in snow/slush/ice on your performance summer tires. Is it possible to do this? Absolutely. Is it safe? Absolutely not. Dedicated winter tires make a HUGE difference. I know from personal experience. I got caught out in the snow once with my Pirelli P-Zeros still on the car. It was very, very difficult to drive. Once I put true winter tires on, the difference was night and day. I actually look forward to driving my C4S in the snow now.

 

Ditto Dinnis C, I got 10" rims for my 265's, turbo twist silver from my dealer in 03 and have just about worn out my snow rears just from winter use, but well worth it and it is the car I drive when the snow and ice blow. Will

 

There are a lot of people running 265's on the 11" rears on this site. I wouldn't recommend it, but it can be done.

And on the second part of your post, ZR rated tires are WAY beyond scary in the snow. Don't even attempt to drive them on anything other than dry or wet pavement. I've tried 2 AWD cars in the snow on Z-rated tires and wow it's frightening.

 

265's do not easily fit onto 11" rims. i just spent $150 trying to do it.

one thing i found out, bald tires really dont work.

i will be looking for 10' rims over the summer.

jb

 

No need for new Rims i have been running 265/35/18 Winter Tire on my Factory 11X18 Wide Wheel for the past 5 years no Issues, i log over 10k per Winter... 225/40/18 Fronts

Take it to a Pro Tire Shop that knows how to put a Tire on




If you are getting Tires 225/40/18 & 265/35/18 (much Cheaper, more Tires) or you can go 235/40/18 & 295/35/18 (Expensive, less tires)

Dont worry about the Speed Rating on the Snow Tires, you wont be going that fast, and most of them a Rated for 240kmph+

 

I have an 04 C4S. For 265-35-18 winter tires, Porsche recommends 10x18 wheels with offset of 47mm for rear.
How about OEM 5 spoke wheels for winter but these wheels at 10x18 have an offset of 65mm.
Is this offset correctable with spacers? If not, is it ok to use these wheels without the offset correction?
Also, are there any OEM 10x18 wheels that have a 47mm offset?

 

The wheels with a 65 offset are for a narrow body. However with a spacer you can you can make them work for a wide body. Spacer make the offset lower so a 65 offset itch a 17mm spacer would be a 48. You can't go the other way, i.e. make a set of 48's into 65's with spacers. The lower the offset the farther out the edge of the wheel is from the center of the car.

 

OEM 10x18 wheels are available in the proper offset for wide-body cars in the Turbo-look II wheel and the Sport Techno wheel.

 

Thanks. If I can't get either of the suggested OEM 10x18 wheels with 47mm offsets, are you saying I can use the 10x18 wheels with 65mm offsets and a 18mm spacer to reduce the offset to 47mm as recommended?

 

Dennis,
Do you use spacers with your 10x18 winter rims? C4S manual says winter rears should be 10x18 and 47mm offset. Only 10x18 wheels I could find are 65mm offset and P-dealer said that's ok for C4S with 265s. Is he correct? What offset are you using on your 10x18 wheels?
thanks,
Jay

 

You won't find snow tires to fit your wheels. You'll need to (and want to) install all-season high-performance tires like the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. Great tire and excellent for year-round use.

 

I'm not running spacers on mine. My winter rear wheels are 10x18 with a 47mm offset. The two oem options for rear wheels in this size and offset configuration are:

Turbo Look II: 996 362 140 01 (not for C4S from 2004 or 2005)
Turbo Look II: 996 362 140 02

Sport Techno: 996 362 140 51 (not for C4S from 2004 or 2005)
Sport Techno: 996 362 140 52

All four of those model numbers are for wheels that are 10J x 18 H2 wheels, 47.0mm offset.