DougM

I just picked up a stock '95 993 with the original 16" wheels in perfect shape with new tires. I like the softer ride and the quietness because this is going to be my daily driver. Unfortunately, I don't care too much for the look, especially how they sit so far inboard of the fenders. If I get new wheels, I want either 17" cups or 18" '02 5 spokes. With stock suspension, how greatly is the ride comfort affected as the size is increased?
Also, do the factory cup II's only come in the 7 & 9" or was there a wider set for Turbos?
What is the going rate on the My '02's now?
Thanks

dcdude

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if 16"s are your first problem, "stock suspension" is your second. Your shocks are 98% likely to be shot and while you're in there, you might as well do springs.

ROW sport springs and Bilstein HD shocks + 17" Cup IIs would be a great combo for DD street driving.

For MY02s, budget from $400 for road rash fire sale (wheels only) to $2,000 for clean with decent tires.

goofballdeluxe

FYI new MY02 knockoffs can be had for around $1200. New OEM's will cost about $3000.

Edward

Hey Doug,

Yes, factory Cup IIs only come in 7/9 x 17 ...and ride very nicely even with my PSS9s set fairly stiff on my daily driver. I can't comment on the 18s as I will leave that for others who have changed wheels to comment. But personally I would not get knock-offs. You can routinely find MY 02s on ebay in superb shape for under 1500 with tires; rarely even at 1k. In this economy, you may even get really lucky. Be patient and ready to pounce. Then post a pic!!

Edward

DougM

Not sure what you mean by my problems with suspension as well? I like the ride I currently have and do not want to lose the comfort being that it will be a daily driver. I simply don't like the look of the stock 16" visually because they leave too much fender left to be filled on a car with nice lines. I am curious how much more jolting the ride will become as I step up in diameter. If the ride comfort won't change too much, I will be all over it.

95_993

I went from 17" Cups on Conti2's to 18" Turbo Twists on PZeros and didn't notice really any decrease in ride. In fact, the PZeros were FAR less noisier than the Conti 2's.

dcdude

Doug- haven't you felt the car sort of wallow or "porpoise" out on the freeway? That means dead shocks. Set aside about an hour and just search for "suspension" on this 993 board. It's one of the first 3 mods that pretty much everyone does. I used to have 17" Cup IIs on my suspension then I went to MY02s. The ride was similar, but the lower profile setup seemed to transmit more "detail" and small bumps from the road. Might get annoying day after day. Plus, with 17"s you might get a bit of sidewall protection in case you try to parallel park that beautiful healthy *** on the street and misjudge the curb location. The Sumi HTRZ 3s in 265/225 on my 18"s offer zero rim protection.

Kika

I paid $800 and my Cup IIs with Sumitomos for a set of used MY02s with Michelin Pilot Sports.
The difference in ride quality was minimal, a bit stiffer, but far from harsh. My former 911SC was set up for the track, and it was much less tolerable for the street.

MrRoboto

Don't underestimate the importance of weight. The harder your suspension has to work, the harsher your ride will be. If you're upgrading to larger wheels, make sure the overall wheel/tire package is lighter than the previous setup or else you will most likely feel an increase in ride harshness.

nile13

The wheel diameter, of course, will not have any bearing on the ride. what will is the stiffness of the sidewall of the tire.

People associate stiffer ride with larger wheels simply because the larger wheels will use lower profile tire. Less rubber on the sidewall means stiffer overall ride. However... there are tires and there are tires. Some of them are _much- stiffer than others. i can pretty much bet that a 40 profile Azenis Rt-615 will be stiffer overall than a 35 or 30 profile civilian tire like Continental 1 or 2.

So... you can do what you wish with the wheels. If you chose the tires according to your required ride/handling compromise, you will not feel much of a ride quality degradation.

However, the more important thing is, indeed, your suspension. If you have original struts and anything above 40K miles on the car, all these tire/wheel discussions are pretty irrelevant - you'll have a soft ride no matter what. Then again, it's not how 993 can or should handle.

TheOtherEric

Ride quality is definitely worse with 18" wheels. Less sidewall = worse ride. If 17" wheels were available for our cars that (1) look as good and (2) came in 8" and 10" widths, I'd be riding on 17's.

Allen

My thoughts exactly....if you go to the 18"...be prepared for a dramatic increase in ride harshness. IMHO...way to harsh for a daily driver.

I have 225/40x18, 285/30x18, PSS9s set to 6 all around, 21mm & 22mm (Turbo) sways. My ride quality harsh, but the car really, really handles good...car stays planted very nicely when the elevation changes quickly in the middle of a curve.

CaptainGSR

Bah, just stick with 17s. That's really what the car was designed for in the first place. They ride very nice and are lighter too. Perfect for DD.

Go with 18s only if you upgrade your suspension. Then you will be amazed with the handling!

DougM

I figure I will just find a nice set of Cup II wheels. Thanks for the replies.

JPS

Want a chrome set with almost new Bridgestone RE050 tires? Thinking of selling mine.