Great forum.

I considering the purchase of a '95 993 coupe over the coming weeks. Seems like a good buy - 30k miles, pampered, well under $40k. However, the original owner, whom I would be purchasing this from, has 16" wheels on the car. Was this a standard feature, or what might have been the reasoning behind this?

Seems like the 17" wheels were standard and most forum posters have either gone to, or are considering, 18". Thoughts?

Wiring harness issues are being addressed currently with a dealer and the car has been well serviced.

I'll be using this as a daily driver, not tracking it at all. It's also my first 993 purchase...finally moving up from the old 944 class.

 

Welcome...

16" were standard.
17" were optional
18" look best

 

16" was the standard wheel on the Carrera. The C4 had 17s standard. Personally, I disagree with Bins that the 18s look better than the 17s. Also, the 18s are heavier (unless they're genuine Turbo hollow-spokes) which is never good, and the wider front tire makes for (slightly) less steering feel.

 

18" can make for a bumpy ride, 17" are a safe bet for looks and comfort IMO..

I dont think I have ever seen 16" on a 993, though I've heard before that these were standard.

 

My 1995 993 Coupe came with 16 inch wheels (see photo), which I subsequently upgraded to 17 inch. I heartily advise you to lower your suspension at the same opportunity, and thereby rid yourself of the unsightly gap between tire and body, not to mention improving the ride and feel of your car considerably.

 

Okay 17" also looks good with lower springs, and gives a softer ride.

 

I have all three sizes:
- 16" Cups for winter tires
- 17" Cups for track tires
- 18" Turbo Look for street tires

I find no decrease in steering feel w/the 18s. To the contrary, the stiffer, lower sidewall makes for a perceptibly quicker response, although at the expense of some decrease in ride comfort. IMO the 18s fill the wheel wells best.
The high profile 16s have a far more resilient ride w/a noticable decrease in performance. The 16s also have relatively low resale value.

 

Dan,

I agree that the shorter and stiffer sidewall of the lower-profile 18s should result in quicker response, but what about how much information/feedback comes through the steering wheel about exactly what the front tires are doing? Slip angles, approaching the grip limit, etc. I would think that the 205 section 17s would tell you more than the 225 section 18s, although they would also likely generate less grip. My car has 17s, so I'm curious about your opinion.

BTW, why do you run 17s on the track and 18s on the street?

 

Todd
I've only street comparisons, since I've not run the 18s on the track. The 17s are Mich MXX3 & the 18s P-Zero so they're both excellent, 'tho obviously different, tires. Grip aside, for my street driving (i.e., perhaps to 8/10ths tops) I've found the lower profile 18s to have crisper turn in, faster response & a more precise feel. They are a bit less comfortable (& likely not as forgiving of potholes), but certainly not objectionable. That said, I bought the 18s for looks & not for any expected performance increase. The 17s came w/the car. I then picked up the 16s as relatively inexpensive winter wheels.

I added the 18s & decided to keep the 17s for track use. I track the 17s instead of the 18s: to use up the MXX3s (to then be replaced by R compound), 17" tires are less expensive, and I don't think there is any real advantage to the 18s for DEs at my level of [in]competence. My wife wants to know why I have 3 stacks of tires in the garage (another car also has extra wheels w/winter tires) - I'm not sure what to tell her.

 

I want to thank everyone for the input provided on this topic. Excellent discussion and insights on a topic I'm much more informed about. Thanks!

 

Some of the early cars had the 16" rims. I saw some when I was looking and they looked too small for the car! My 17s have the classic look are are quite comfortable over the bumps.

Cheers,

David
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