Baltor

Cross posted in Wheels & Tires section, trying to get some feedback.
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New member, just purchased a 2014 Cayman S, PDK, Sport Chrono with the 20" Carrera S wheel option. The car is great and I plan to drive it mainly on the street (MAYBE autoX or DE later). Located in NW FL where there is no snow but lots of rain.

I suspect ride comfort will be improved by moving to 19" wheels with fresh tires. (This 1" down size theory worked for me on my 993 back in the day.) Questions:

1) Is this assumption true in the 981? If so, will the difference be noticeable? Trying to reduce the jarring from concrete seams, etc.

2) For a noob trying out AutoX or DE will the downgrade to 19" matter much?

3) Really like the look of the current wheels, is there a 19" OEM version that will fit?

4) In a no snow, rainy locale what is my best choice for an all year round performance tire?

TIA, scoured the forums and can't make sense of it yet......

Schroedinger

Which suspension do you have and what tires are you running?

Assuming you have the base suspension- I don't think it's a safe assumption that doing down in wheel size will get you better ride quality. Different tires and correct air pressure can make all the difference though.

I don't know much about autocross, but for DE tires like Michelin PS4S, Conti ECS, or even the stock Goodyear Eagle F1 tires should be fine. I'm pretty experienced on the track and I was shocked how fast I was going on 4 year old stock F1's.

If you want way more options for high performance tires, going down to an 18" wheel is a good idea. 987 Boxster/Cayman wheels are a popular choice.

txbdan

My car rides worlds better on 18" wheels w/ Sottozeros than 20" wheels w/ Eagle F1s. Yes, the tires are different, but the majority of the improvement is in the amount of sidewall available to deflect. The roads around here (Boston) are pretty terrible so i'll probably just store the stock 20"s and run 18"s all the time.

bernb6

1) I downsized from 20 to 19 exactly to soften the ride and am happy I did in my 2016 981.
2) I track quite a bit and have a track set of 18" wheels. If you're a noob, this won't matter much for you but as you get better and look for more grip, Nitto NT-01s are great tires but are not available in 19" sizes for the Cayman.
3) I don't know what's currently out there but I bought my 19's from a guy with a 718.
4) Many people are happy with the Michelin PS4's
Bern

rickyboycz

1) Is this assumption true in the 981? If so, will the difference be noticeable? Trying to reduce the jarring from concrete seams, etc.
A bigger sidewall promotes a more comfy ride based on what I read.

2) For a noob trying out AutoX or DE will the downgrade to 19" matter much?
You're a noob...it won't matter. At some point you won't be and will want to go faster. That's when you should likely explore getting wheels with a track tire on it so you can switch out. NT01's are a good choice like previously mentioned.

3) Really like the look of the current wheels, is there a 19" OEM version that will fit?
Not sure about this. I will say this...there are a lot of really cool wheel options. Check what's out there and explore on your own. You will probably find something you like better.

4) In a no snow, rainy locale what is my best choice for an all year round performance tire?
I prefer the Michelin PS4S as well. They're the gold standard when it comes to combination of ride comfort and dry/wet performance in my opinion. Check out the Tire Rack review of summer performance tires. I think it's very thorough and accurate.

dlbehrns

When I was researching to buy a used 14/Cayman I insisted on 18"s. 19" are much more attractive IMHO but..........

Tom R.

All you will get on this and just about any forum is opinions from people with little objective driving time, and like me a lot of reading. If you want objective data on different tires go to tire rack's site, or call them up. Then narrow your choices, and come here. Maybe if you are lucky someone will have tried the two or three choices you narrowed it down to.

As for an autox, the first half dozen or so will be spent trying to figure out where you are supposed to go, the car will be irrelevant. As for DE, better tires and brakes will probably hamper your progress as a driver, but improve your ego if you go faster. Start with whatever is on the car, learn how to use the butt dyno that didnt come with the car, then after a few seasons when you start to drive a bit faster decide what you want to do with the car, and if the $$ car you have been using is the car you want to risk it all with.