amre

Hello all, my 991.2 is my daily and I want to start DE events so I've purchased a set of track tires and now I have a bit of a dilemma.

I purchased a set to OZ Leggera HLT in 19x8.5 ET53 and 19x12 ET51. I have not yet bought any track tires and so I'm using PSS for now till I figure out what track tires to buy. The issue is the rear wheel is 12" wide and the 305 tire is stretched despite the specs showing a wheel width range from 10-12.

I can still return the wheel or the tire and I'm trying to decide on one of the two options below.

I'd appreciate some feedback from you track guys.

Option 1) Exchange the rear 19x12 for a 19x11 ET50 and use the 305 tire. My worry here is that the 991.2 now has 11.5 rear and I'm not sure I should downsize the width.

Option 2) Keep the 19x12 wheel and exchange the 305 tire for the same PSS in a 345/30 which would be the same O/D or a 325/30 which would be slightly smaller O/D.

Thanks for reading.

Hella-Buggin'

Well, tire choice is really dependent on experience. You said you want to start doing DE events.
If that's true, I'd just stick with your street tires for quite some time. Sticky tires mask mistakes and are less forgiving so when they do let go, they do it with less warning.

I'm pretty conservative in my DE driving so others may have made faster progress but this is my fourth year and I'm still on street tires. Granted, sticky street tires but sometimes I think about going back.

linzman

Street tires for sure to start. Swapping wheels/tires, if not done correctly, can mess with ABS, PASM, etc etc. When you are starting out, you want all that stuff. Just show up to the DE as is, and have fun. If you get hooked, somewhere far down the road (i.e. after you've been promoted a few groups), you can start thinking about different "track" tires, suspension upgrades, a dedicated track car, trailer,.....
If anything, keep a close eye on your brake pads and tire pressures.

amre

Thank you! I've read that it's best to use the widest wheel for any given tire's wheel width range when it comes to track use. For the 305, the recommended range is 10-12 so technically the 305 works on this wheel. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Jferrante

Street tires to start but if/when you get hooked you will be on the prowl for some tires that can be used for dual duty (Nitto NT-01 or Toyo R888 are popular).
I would recommend getting 18" wheels which makes tire choice easier.
For a 12" wheel I ran a 315 NT-01 and it fit perfect (a 325 slick is actually narrower than the NT-01) so be cautious of different brands actual specs.

dan212

Two key points: New car (991.2) and "want to start"

What you have is already pretty good. Get some seat time in, do some events before trying to tweak your car.

Your biggest priority is gaining skills and that takes seat time.

The slippery slope of spending money on go-faster parts will come soon enough.

Be faster than your equipment.

Frank 993 C4S

In line with the advice above, I would not recommend starting with wheels and tires. Rather buy a good tire pressure gauge, a torque wrench and replace your brake fluid with higher temperature SRF type fluid and just have fun. There will be ample opportunities to spend more money on this hobby in the future.

amre

I'm sorry but I didn't mention one KEY piece of information. One of my OEM rear wheels was badly damaged in a "minor" accident a few weeks ago and rather than paying $2800 for a single wheel, I paid the same for four lightweight 19" wheels (i.e. the OZ Leggera HLT). That's why I have those wheels.

I bought them in 8.5/12 x 19 and I purchased new PSS 245/305 for them. After mounting them, I noticed the 305 is a bit stretched (although within the manufacturer's range). Thus my question of whether to keep the 305 on this 12" wide rim, swap the 12" rim for an 11", or swap the 305 for a 345.

Sorry if my original post was not clear. And thank you for your feedback.

Bill Verburg

Who cares about the looks, ie stretch. You'll get the best track performance from using the widest wheel for which a tire is spec'd. You didn't include all the tire info but I assume you have 305//35 x19 which are spec'd for 10 to 12" wheels.

Another consideration is front to rear tire OD, you ABS wants the ODs to be w/i ~5%, equal would be best. So if you use 245/40 x19 @ 26.7" OD in front 325/30 x19 @26.7" OD rear would be the best match

also consider the affect on gearing, the taller the drive tires the more adverse affect on gearing

lastly make sure it all fits the car.

stownsen914

To the OP ... your car's limits are very high, and almost surely higher than any novice driver can come anywhere near pushing at a first DE events. If you go with even wider or stickier tires, you will probably not go any faster, and will probably stunt your learning of the craft of performance driving. It may not sound like as attractive an option as new wheels, but maybe find a single replacement wheel and keep stock at least for now?

amre

Thank you so much. I knew the OD of the 325/30 would be the same as the 245/40 but I wondered why Porsche didn't spec it that way. I figured the ABS and traction control are programmed for the taller OEM OD (which is about a half inch taller).

3Series

My two cents. You'll probably want to change the pads before you swap tires. If you want to save your street tires and swap wheels, just put good street tires on your second set. Super Sports or whatever replaced them, S04, even the Sport Cup 2's. By the time those are chewed up, you may or may not be ready for track only tires. Then you'll need to figure out how to get your car to the track because what if it rains really bad on your way home or to the track. Then with higher gripping tires, your a** will be sliding around and you'll need a harness. Then you'll need a roll bar because you have a harness....then you'll need a semi truck with a lift inside so your crew can work on your car while you review all your lap data on the computer....LOL

CDinSing

You didn't say, but I assume you are new to DE, so I agree with what has been said about starting with a stock car which is already very fast and balanced. Since you have the wheels to replace the damaged OEM wheel, the 305 should be fine on a 12" rim. Porsche mounts 305 on a 12" rim in 20" diameter (so tire has a shorter sidewall) on my GT3 and it seems to work. Start with a comparable to OEM street tire (N spec) and the 19" rims will give you the ability to go stickier as your skill increases.

amre

Bill Verburg

If I'm not mistaken the stock 997 Carrera S fitment was
235/35 x19 & 305/30 x19 ODs for these are 26" & 26.3" respectively