I'm in the market for wheels and really like the black ultraleggaras. As far as I know they are only available in 20". My question is how much of the ride do you lose, and do you lose any in handling? Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Franky

 

After a 150 mile of driving, I forgot what the 19's felt like. The 20s have a great feel although not as smooth. I have little if amy change in handling

 

FRANKY,

are you planning on lowering the car if so springs or coilovers?
i want 20s as well but worried about quality of driving etc.

 

My car is lowered on Bilstein coilovers to GT3 height, and I have 20 inch HRE's. There is a slight loss of performance by going bigger. The rides stiffer and skips across some surfaces due to the increased rim size and decreased tire size (less rubber for smaller series tires).

I would race my cousin's M3, and before I'd dust him significantly. Last time we raced each other (on a closed road of course), I still beat him, but it took a little longer to pass him and it wasn't as signficant. He mentioned that my car didn't grip and take off as fast as it usually did before on the stock wheels.

If you plan on using your wheels for double duty (track, road/show), then get 19's. I haven't seen OZ's in 20's yet, but I remember someone having 19's with black centers and they looked small. That was the issue I had with my HRE's which is why I went bigger, and I'm much happier with the look.

 

20's for show and some go
19's for go and some show.
18's for track

I personally love my 20's but as spyder said in tight corners the 20's can be a little skippy. I have checked my alignment and know my tires are heated up and it still causes this sensation. I have Bilsteins PSS Damptronics and hardly has a pinky's worth of wheel gap. When I put on the 19's for test it was smoother and more confident in tight corners but the ride quality wasn't that much better.

So if you hit long sweepers and not overly tight curves the 20's will tackle that job but in tight corners and switchbacks you will have to settle your nerves and tackle it.

 

The car feels "heavier" to me having the 20's on my car. However last wk i borrowed my buddy's Passport G timer and did some runs of 0-60s. My best time was 4.41s. Pretty gd IMO for having 20's and i have tip on my car.

 

Have had 20's on my car with Cargraphic lowering springs and really noticed very little difference in ride quality. The 997 was just made for 20's IMAO, fills the wheel well nicely from a visual aspect. This summer i may even try them at a track day to see if i can tell a real difference between those and the 19's.

 

Thank you for all the responses! I'm leaning towards 19"s. I had only considered the 20"s because the OZ Ultraleggara's aren't available in 19"s. I enjoy driving the S when I have it out, and the stock 19" set-up has alawys felt well planted and I don't want to lose it. I've decided to go w/ HRE's but can't decide if I want the c20's or the P40's, also can't decide if I want black or brushed finish.

LiL Raja,
I dont plan on lowering for a couple reasons, 1) I just make it in the garage now without rubbing the front, and 2) the only way into my neighborhood is by 3 hills, and if I don't crawl going up or down, I'll rub there too!

Alpine and spyder,
Your cars look stunning! I was looking at your pics, and it was one of the reasons I was leaning towards the 20's.

 

Thanks for the compliment and glad to hear that we could help you make an informed decision. You really can't go wrong with 19's, as they are the tried and tested size for the car!

HRE's are definitely the way to go. Pick your wheel finish based on your car color and what makes the best combination. As for the rim choice, those are both very good choices for the car. I prefer the 3 piece look, but the new P40's look amazing in 19 inch size (for that wheel, I would've stayed at 19 and not moved up to a 20").

Good luck and let us know what you come up with.

 

I have the black 20 inch OZ Ultraleggara's and like other have mentioned the ride is slightly stiffer then with 19s. Over uneven pavement you'll noticed the harsher ride, didn't noticed much slower then with 19s. If you are going with 20s, made sure you lower the car too, otherwise you'll have a huge gap between the tire and wheel well.

 

u guys need to keep in mind that the ultraleggs are a one piece no-lip wheel so the 19s will look bigger than your typical 3-piece dished wheels.

so there's no way i'd do 20" ultraleggs as it'll look too wagon wheel.

it's a tough call, but 20s clearly look best on the 997. it's like going with 19s on the 996 and 18s on the 993.

 

I think 20s look like **** personally.

 

****? A lil' harsh, no? And I'm sure YOU are not running 19" aftermarket wheels, right?

Straight up honesty, this car makes your 19" LMs look rather pedestrian and you know I love LMs, but again, on the 997, dubs look best.

Evidence:

 

The absence of a stepped lip makes them look good, not the size. I'm thinking of selling my LMs and going back to stock anyway.

Edit: Perhaps I am being a bit harsh. I prefer the look of 19s to 20s. That's a very nice looking car.

 

Also, silver is a rather pedestrian color which is fine with me.