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Ours is a 2012 base with the 19”wheels and Michelin Pilot Sports. It probably would be a little softer ride with th 18s. Mostly for us is the road noise more than the ride. We’ve had several different sports cars over the years and ride quality most always suffers at the expense of great handling and fun factor. It comes with the territory. We take the X5 when we want a cushy ride. We take the P car when we’re on fun drives.
My Boxster S came with 18's (which now wear the winter tires) and I found a set of factory 19's with Michelin summer tires. I must say, I prefer the 19's on the car. I've since worn out that set of tires and they have the newer Michelin PS4S on them... even better. That tire rides better, is quieter, and seems to be better in just about every way.
Car is daily driver, used year round by myself, spouse, occasionally our daughter. We never hesitate to grocery shop or drive cross country in it. Your taste may vary, but to me.. the 19''s actually feel better.
If you can find a PCA'r in the area that has your car with 19's, that might be a nice way to try it out for yourself. Might be worth the effort to have a little trial before making a decision.
One other thing... my experience is with factory wheels, so they are not unnecessarily heavy. I'm of the opinion that ride quality can suffer with significantly heavier wheels.
Great looking car Dave. Love the blue top. I guess I’ll have to drive the heck out of the P2s I have on the car now so I can try out the PS4S to see the difference. Lol
Great looking car Dave. Love the blue top. I guess I’ll have to drive the heck out of the P2s I have on the car now so I can try out the PS4S to see the difference. Lol
Thanks. I love the blue top / interior with this silver. No regrets so far. ;-)
I met with the Michelin wizards at Porsche Parade in Vermont before the PS4S came out. "Really... tire is better in every way?"... they were adamant that it was. So far, it rings true for me. The P2's set a high bar, as I really liked them.
Back on the wheel size. In my opinion, the weight of the wheel / tire assembly plays a big role in "comfort" and "feel", in these cars in particular. Put on big boat-anchor heavy wheels and the suspension tuning is no longer as Dr. Porsche intended. Thus, the combination of wheel / tire characteristics is a bit more complex than "this size is harsher or less harsh". I ran three different sets of wheels / tires on the 968 and you could feel the difference very easily. These ranged from factory 17's with grooved (heavier) tires, to 17" Fikse's with Hoosiers (lightest), to 18" CCW's with Hoosiers (not quite as light). Heavy wheels are a bunch of unsprung weight rattling around. Light wheels settle and introduce less interference into the suspension. I suppose the opposite could be true and one could go too light for a particular suspension set-up, but I've not experienced any discontent with really light wheels / tires. Just my 2 cents.
2006 Cayman S w/ 19" wheels and factory PASM suspension = supple and comfortable for the street, then with the press of a button firms up more than enough for track days.
We’ve only had the car for about 3 months and haven’t driven it in the rain on a “drive “ yet. Do you have a good sense on how the P2’s do on rainy roads. Since we’re in the northwest we will be driving on rainy roads. We have some really great back roads to try between the different coastal communities up here.
01-03-2019, 04:41 AM
