I need new tires on my 2009 C2S.... Background: I love Michelins but have an open mind (beer did that to me).

Question 1: Michelin Pilot PS2 (N Rated) vs Super Sports?

The SSs are cheaper (about $500 less total for four 19" ) and get way more mileage (300 vs 220 rating). The web research I did reveals the SSs are a better tire in all categories including grip street and track... therefore a no brainer for me as I am not committed to the big "N". Any experience or opinions about this? I am a bit skeptical as there is no free lunch although technology can advance (for the rears: tread depth for the SSs is 10/32 PS2 8.5/32 so may explain the mileage difference.... odd the front tire size had different depths).

Question 2: Wheels sizes?

I am considering moving from 19" rims to 18"s. 19" are standard on the "S" while 18" standard on the "base". My manual denotes either are fine and web research denotes that those tracking my model use 18" to save money. I am considering moving to 18" to both save some money on tires, but I feel the ride is just stupid on certain bump types and I believe this move to rubber bands over rims is just poser lipstick. Any comments or opinions regarding my desire to move to smaller rims? Regarding aesthetics, it appears that the tire dimensions compensate for wheel well fill. 18 compare 19 Front: 235/40 vs 235/35 Rear: 265/40 vs 295/30. Opinions?

Question 3: Offsets and spacers?

Tough to find folks who really understand this one. The front wheel widths and offsets are the same 18" and 19". But the rears are different. The rear 19" rim is .5" wider and the offset is 7mm more than the 18" wheels. If I get this correctly, the rears stick out 20mm wider with the 19" and therefore 18" will look less aggressive... a differentiator between the S and base models. So.... do use spacers? I know Porsche sells 5mm spacers for this car but I got to go 20mm for the same look and this makes me very uncomfortable. Am I getting this correctly? Opinions?

Bonus Question 4: Custom wheels?

Another issue with Q3 above... just kicking this around.... comments appreciated if you have experience... I was thinking if I move to 18" wheels, get some gun metal aftermarket wheels that are built with all of this offset stuff already considered. I contacted... I think it was HRE (popular with Porsche folks)... a while ago and they implied they build wheels to order and make anything "work" although they didn't clarify. I didn't want to push as I was not ready to buy at that time. So... bonus points if you have some experience with this one.

A cool resource for wheel and spacer stuff: [www.willtheyfit.com]

Peace
Bruce in Philly

 

I think I got my math wrong... here is the real data.



Peace
Bruce in Philly

 

I snipped this from http://www.willtheyfit.com/ where I entered 19" and 18" data. Interesting. It looks like an observer will not be able to tell the difference between 18" and 19" versions by looking at how the wheels look on the car. They can tell of course by how "thick" the tire is, but when it comes to filling the wheel well..... well it should look the same with most of the difference being between the wheel and the strut.



Peace
Bruce in Philly

 

Supersports. Tires keep improving. 20 years from now, do you think that the N rated PS2s from 2009 would be superior to whatever the top tire is in 2033?

19's look great, 18's drive great. Tires are also cheaper and more readily available at 18". 18's make up the appearance deficiency if you lower your car.

It looks like you found a calculator.

Lots of manufacturers, including HRE, can do custom wheels. Many others already have perfectly fitting wheels. In addition to HRE, some names include CCW, Champion, BBS, Volk, Kinesis, Fikse, OZ.

 

Since you're also talking about after market wheels you can throw all those offset numbers and spacer numbers out. Lots of variations out there on after market offsets so just buy what you want, mount the wheels on the car and then measure how much you need to backfill. For example, the stock rear wheels on my car required 15mm to bring them flush with the fenders. Next was a set of Champion wheels that only needed 7mm and the HRE's I run now are good with just 5mm.

 

PM sent to OP with info.

 

A friend of mine calculated that the 19" will "stick out" about 7mm more than the 18"s while WillTheyFit denotes the "Poke" difference is less than 1mm.

This is due to the increased offset and 1/2 if the increased tire width (the other half is inside).

Any comments on this? This is important because if true, then I need a spacer to keep the same aggressive look of the S.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

 

I have carrera 3 (18's) and lobster fork (19's) wheels and the 18's are sunked in too much for my taste. I was able to flush it close to the fenders with 15mm spacers and the appearance is significantly better, similar to having 19" wheels with no spacers.

IMHO, the 19" lobster forks with 15 mm spacers are definitely a better look. I'll sell the carrera 3 wheels eventually.