So I ordered a set of HRE C21 wheels, brushed aluminum finish for my 997 C2S. The sizes will be 19x8.5" front and 19x11" rear. Is this the size everyone is going with for 19s or would you go with 11.5" rear? I will be dropping the car on Bilstein PSS damptronic coils which are on their way now. Also, any need for spacers at all or will the offset of the wheels compensate for that? I want the wheels to be as close to the fender as possible without rubbing. I am planning on lowering the car so that the tires will be around 2 finger widths from the fender. Please advise as I think I can still make changes if needed!

 

hi jay,
we are able to place the wheels wherever you want on the car to get the look that you are going for. if you want an "aggressive" fitment that will put the rim right at the fender, i would suggest going with an 11.5" wide wheel, so that the 305/30-19" tire that you use will stretch slightly. this will give you the clearance that you need, especially since you are lowering the car.

feel free to call me directly if you have any other questions.

thanks,

Chad

 

While I would certainly defer to Chad and his experience at HRE, I would also submit that you check with your chosen tire maker to see what rim size they recommend for your particulat tire size.

Chad did mention to go with 11.5" rims to "stretch" the tire. However, you need to make sure your tire will fit that rim and that it will "stretch".

I am going with 325/30-19 Michelin Pilot Sport Cups. Michelin says it will fit an 11"-12" rim and that it's 13.05" wide on an 11.5" rim and 13.25" on a 12" rim.

Just make sure your tire choice will properly fit your proposed rims.

And, yes, I am going with 9X19 and 12X19 890R HRE's for my 360! Being ordered tomorrow.

 

So here is a quick question. I will be going with 11.5" wide rears and the tires I currently have are 12.4" wide, and the ones I am thinking of going with next are 12.3" wide. I am thinking these should fit the 11.5" wide wheels nicely, but do you think they would be too narrow? Thanks for the help!

 

I am not tire/wheel expert but I'd say an 11.5" rim may be ok for a 12.3" tire, but I think I'd run that by Chad or a tire person.

Don't guess and also check your tire sizes with this:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

I have 20's for my HRE's, but their widths are 9 in the front and 11 in the back. I have 295's for the rear tires, and I'm pretty happy with the look and fit. The car feels better than it did when it was stock also probably due to the new Bilstein PSS Damptronics.

You can probably copy the offsets for the Porsche Carrera Sport rear wheels since they are 11.5" and come with 305 width tires.