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Very timely postings to this thread. I bent a rim (20") beyond repair recently and the replacement barrel and lip (the center was OK) won't be here until January, so I sourced a set of 19's on a little undersized rear tire from what I would have run on the 19's. Since putting them on, I had been thinking that the car rode better on the 19's and wanted to post a question to see if anyone else felt the same.
The 20"s (which were on the car when I acquired it) look really good, but they are pretty harsh. The 20" sidewalls are shorter (30's in the front and 25's in the rear) and just that small difference translates into a much difference feel.
I have no plans for any track time (I would like to do a DE event sometime) and even if I did it would be pretty limited, but my feeling is that the 19's would do better on the track.
So looks are one thing, ride is another.
Ed
My personal experience is that 20s are noticeably worse riding than 19s with same tire. They are much more likely to transmit small surface irregularities that are absorbed by the taller sidewalls of a 19....or that matter a set of 18s. It feels like a tire/whhel that is slightly out of balance creating a constant vibration.
Usually an identical 19" tire/wheel combo also weighs and costs more than 20s.
Other than looks, I dont know what they add to the car and personally I don't like the look of 20s on a 997tt. If I recall correctly I don't think Porsche recommends larger than a 19" on these cars.
Just a word or two for pause here. If the car is going to be used for street, with occasional spirited driving...then 20 inch rims will work. But if the driving is going to include spirited cornering, stay with the 19 inch rims, and if tracking, consider a dedicated set of 18 inch rims. The width of the stance is nice to look aggressive and fill the wheel wells, but the sidewall size is a really overlooked issue in terms of the traction patch....which is the surface area your tires make contact with the road. Ever notice why F1 car tires have longer sidewalls and are not running 20s? It is because under the Gforce of turning, if the sidewall can flex a bit, it gives the driver more subtle input leading up to the correct % of slip angle, before the tire breaks loose. A 20 inch rim, has such a small sidewall, it it nearly impossible to "feel" this, before it breaks traction. It goes from grip, to slip, in an instant. Also, the size of the contact patch of a 20 is smaller than a 19, which is smaller than an 18, etc...it sits differently on the road, even with the same air pressure in the tire. So, when thinking about making a tire change, look at it in terms of how you want to drive the car and then consider the part that touches the road. Lastly, be sure to research the performance differences of cast wheels, flow form wheels, and forged wheels. There is new tech in the flow formed category that delivers wheels lighter and stronger than cast and way less expensive than forged. Pic of my car with 19 inch Stance custom offset 46 flow formed wheels with Michelin PS04 tires. The wheels are nearly 5 lbs lighter than the OE cast wheels, which reduces unsprung weight.
This is great feedback and something that is overlooked often.
I put a big brake kit on an 05 997 that I built into a street legal race car. Went to buy a dedicated set of track tires. Had to special order a set of forged 18" HREs. That was the smallest that would fit around the Brembo big brake calipers I had installed. Put Hooser r8 on them, and just used for track. Then ran 19 inch champion rims with PS2s for street. My point is use a reasonable goldilocks approach....not too big, not too small, just right for your specific vehicle, application, and use. These are definitely first World problems. We are all blessed to even have these options. Have a great holiday season everyone.
Anyone go from 19" to 18" on the street? I need new tires on my '08TT and the stock 19s are pretty harsh on the roads around here, so I'm looking around for a set of lightweight 18s. I'm thinking the ride should improve with the extra sidewall, and the handling should get more lively over the stock 19s.
Anyone go from 19" to 18" on the street? I need new tires on my '08TT and the stock 19s are pretty harsh on the roads around here, so I'm looking around for a set of lightweight 18s. I'm thinking the ride should improve with the extra sidewall, and the handling should get more lively over the stock 19s.
When I added a set of forged HRE 18" wheels to my 05 997...we just had to make sure they cleared the brake calipers, had the right offset, etc. But I used these with both track and street tires. The ride and handling were better. You may want to call wheel enhancement in California and visit with them about 18" wheel size options for your Porsche. They have a great deal of experience fitting wheels to our cars. Also, ask about flow formed wheels, which is a relatively new technology compared to cast and forged. Often, flow formed are lighter and stronger than cast wheels, and less expensive than forged. In particular, a great option for street use. In addition to my OE cast turbo wheels, I added a set of flow formed Stance wheels. I stayed with 19", but really noticed the reduction in unsprung weight. They may be 4 to 5 lbs lighter per wheel...which is very noticeable. I think your move to explore 18s is a good one. Let us know what you find and where you land!
When I added a set of forged HRE 18" wheels to my 05 997...we just had to make sure they cleared the brake calipers, had the right offset, etc. But I used these with both track and street tires. The ride and handling were better. You may want to call wheel enhancement in California and visit with them about 18" wheel size options for your Porsche. They have a great deal of experience fitting wheels to our cars. Also, ask about flow formed wheels, which is a relatively new technology compared to cast and forged. Often, flow formed are lighter and stronger than cast wheels, and less expensive than forged. In particular, a great option for street use. In addition to my OE cast turbo wheels, I added a set of flow formed Stance wheels. I stayed with 19", but really noticed the reduction in unsprung weight. They may be 4 to 5 lbs lighter per wheel...which is very noticeable. I think your move to explore 18s is a good one. Let us know what you find and where you land!
hey question I thought the 997 came out from 07 till 09 didn’t know the 05 was 997
If your primary goal is flush vs removing gap, the I've found a 7mm -10mm front, a 15mm rear spacers on stock rims using ps4 tires does a great job of giving a flush look. You can still lower the car should you choose to do so.
New turbo owner here, with wheels being at the very top of my list. I have extensive experience with custom wheel fits on previous cars, so I should be able to dial in my width and offset within a a few mm of what I want for a perfect fitment. However, the one thing I am not seeing is specs on which wheel disk config is needed to clear the brakes, and that can't be accounted for without having the wheel (or at least the wheel disk piece) in-hand. My '09 doesn't have PCCBs.
The wheels I am configuring for the car (Work Meister S1R) have at least three (possibly seven) disk configurations available. Anyone have experience or details on caliper clearance measurements? Getting it wrong isn't an option because I won't be able to add a spacer if the disk doesn't clear the calipers - I am maxing out the offset that will fit on the widest wheel possible on each axle.
New turbo owner here, with wheels being at the very top of my list. I have extensive experience with custom wheel fits on previous cars, so I should be able to dial in my width and offset within a a few mm of what I want for a perfect fitment. However, the one thing I am not seeing is specs on which wheel disk config is needed to clear the brakes, and that can't be accounted for without having the wheel (or at least the wheel disk piece) in-hand. My '09 doesn't have PCCBs.
The wheels I am configuring for the car (Work Meister S1R) have at least three (possibly seven) disk configurations available. Anyone have experience or details on caliper clearance measurements? Getting it wrong isn't an option because I won't be able to add a spacer if the disk doesn't clear the calipers - I am maxing out the offset that will fit on the widest wheel possible on each axle.
Hey man,
Normally when I do custom wheels for customers (CCW, ADV1, Forgestar) we usually do 12" rear +45 or 12.5" rear +48
Not sure but does work allow you to offer these offsets with the available disc options?
Normally when I do custom wheels for customers (CCW, ADV1, Forgestar) we usually do 12" rear +45 or 12.5" rear +48
Not sure but does work allow you to offer these offsets with the available disc options?
Work allows any and all offsets, in 1mm increments. This I why I am switching from Rays/Volk (which is what I have on my 350z) to Work for the 911. So I will be doing some fitment tests using washers once the car is delivered to me to identify what my offsets can be but I am eyeballing something more aggressive than you noted. 19x12.5 +34 should fit so that will be the first fitment I am washer-testing. Most aggressive front I have seen on another 997 is a 9" +43 so I will start with that for test fitting the front. If you (or anyone else) has seen more aggressive fitments than these two let me know.
So if I can work these two above fitments in with no clearance issues on suspension or fender that is great, but if I have caliper clearance issues I won't be able to solve them with a spacer. Work uses 7 different disk face depths, and at least 3 of them are available on the Meister S1R (O disk, R disk and A disk I believe)
Work allows any and all offsets, in 1mm increments. This I why I am switching from Rays/Volk (which is what I have on my 350z) to Work for the 911. So I will be doing more prep/research with washers once the car is delivered to me to identify what my offsets can be but I am eyeballing something more aggressive than you noted. 19x12.5 +34 should fit so that will be the first fitment I am washer-testing. Most aggressive front I have seen on another 997 is a 9" +43 so I will start with that for test fitting the front.
So if I can work these two above fitments in with no clearance issues on suspension or fender that is great, but if I have caliper clearance issues I won't be able to solve them with a spacer.
I currently run a 20x12.5 +35 CCW 505a with 4.5" lip on my 997.1TT - but only way to pull that wheel off was with a 315/25/20 which is stretched. I tried 345/25/20 and 325/25/20 and they rubbed with that wheel spec, the 325/25/20 might have worked if rear fenders were rolled but I did not want to get into doing that.
For the front, 9" +43 is a great fitment, provided the wheel style clears the calipers
I currently run a 20x12.5 +35 CCW 505a with 4.5" lip on my 997.1TT - but only way to pull that wheel off was with a 315/25/20 which is stretched. I tried 345/25/20 and 325/25/20 and they rubbed with that wheel spec, the 325/25/20 might have worked if rear fenders were rolled but I did not want to get into doing that.
For the front, 9" +43 is a great fitment, provided the wheel style clears the calipers
Small world stuff here man, I just sent a message through to the website of an instagram user whom I had saved some previous posts of theirs that used aggressive wheel fitments. Turns out it was you!
I am good with a "narrower" tire, I have 245s on my 10.5" rear on the Nissan. A 315 stretched on a 12.5" rear is still more tire than the car has on the stock wheels so that's good.
Hello! I saw an ad for a flawless set of BBS LM-Rs with the following specs:
Front: 19x8.5 et53
Rear: 19x11 et60
They come off a 997 carrera S. Current tires are 235/35/19 and 295/30/19.
Are these wheel specs compatible with my 997.1TT (with 305 rear tires obviously)?
I am interested in a flush look but nothing extreme. Currently running stock springs, so I just need to minimize the gap in the rear wheel arches/fenders. Thinking of getting the GMG springs as well. Not interested in spacers etc. Any brake clearance issues? (Steel brakes at the moment but due to be changed with PCCBs)
12-08-2019, 01:52 PM
