SPR

oh, I have never heard of any other oem porsche rim referred to as the 02 lightweights-

karlooz

i did regret getting 18's so ended up getting 19's. you DO get added bumpsteer AND mechanical grip. the bumpsteer, IMO, is not a big deal on the streets but i live in CA with mainly smooth roads so YMMV. if you do go with 19s then you have to LOWER the suspension. otherwise it looks weird with big wheels and a big fender well gap.

the 19s look so dang sweet though! i admit i am vain when it domes to the looks of the car. it's one of the main reasons i got it! i had conti SC2s on the 18's and they rode like a rock (even at lower pressures), were loud and not very grippy. on the other hand the bridgestone so3 19's are much more comfortable... really. just make sure the pressures are at least 36f, 44r and that should protect the wheel. i also think that the added weight of the wheel has smoothed the ride out. don't laugh guys, just a theory. i think it works like a double mass flywheel compared to a single mass flywheel. the dual mass smoothes out the vibrations.

i did, however, hang on to the champion monolite 18s as i am planning on using them for the track. there are more choices for R compound tires.

gonz911

I suppose if you don't want to flip for the cost of the 19" wheels and tires that's okay, but not "lightweight"? What would you consider Sportec and IForged to be? Heavy? I don't think so. If you go cheap you can do the same with 18" wheels. With regard to handling, while I haven't had them on my '99 Carrera yet, I do run them on my '02 A4 3.0 Sport and I don't mind them at all, although I don't race it and I don't intend to race my Carrera either.

But I do have another question for you -- what do you mean about "impressing others"? I do what I do because I like the look and if others think it looks good, well then what the heck. Maybe it's really a money thing after all? No offense mind you, but your argument doesn't hold up. Ciao.

Tbred911

I hear the Champion Monoliths 19" rims are exactly 20 lbs ; lighter than the 18" lightweight 5 spokes by 1 lbs in front an 1.5 lb in the rear respectively. I wonder if you'd lose any speed and performance with these "lightweight" 19's...

Benjamin Choi

[QUOTE=karlooz]i did regret getting 18's so ended up getting 19's. you DO get added bumpsteer AND mechanical grip. the bumpsteer, IMO, is not a big deal on the streets but i live in CA with mainly smooth roads so YMMV. if you do go with 19s then you have to LOWER the suspension. otherwise it looks weird with big wheels and a big fender well gap.

the 19s look so dang sweet though! i admit i am vain when it domes to the looks of the car. QUOTE]

If you got your Porsche to drive on public roads, then you gotta go 19s and yes, lowered nicely. You guys are really splitting hairs with the 18s argument. The 19s look significantly better. way better than any supposed performance gains you'd get from the 18s.

and don't tell me you spent $50K+ on a 911 cuz it's not an ego booster. you could go a lot faster in a much cheaper, lighter no name car.

and just cuz you run 18s doesn't mean you're goign to be outrunning the guy on the 19s. public roads simply don't allow you to explore those limits. your skillz limit you severely. 18s are not a good look on this car.

karlooz

good point. without the added weight, would a 19 wheel create any added bump steer (assuming stock offsets and not spacers)? the kinesis f110s 19" are supposedly 18~19lbs. they look hot but are BANK.

tire selection still isn't as good as 18s but i'm sure manufacturers will add more to their lineup, esp since the 997 comes with 19s

stiles_s

Yes, I think Sportecs are heavy
I agree, you can go cheap and heavy with 18s, just as easily as 19s. My point was that for a given wheel, you're going to gain weight by going up in rim size.
It's really really tough to find a lighter wheel than the Carrera Lightweights; especially in 19". as someone else noted below, it sounds like the Champion forged rims are a bit lighter; that's great.

To my other point, I should have simply said that 19s are about looks, not performance. If you're willing to spend the $$ for looks, then why not. I agree they look cool. Just don't kid yourselves and others that you went 19 for the performance benefit

Oh, and Karlooz, your comment re: the 997 driving tire availability doesn't hold water. The 997 has a taller wheel/tire package than the 996. In other words, you don't want to run the 997's tires size on the 996.

riotgear

Be careful with those Bridgestone S03s. They are known to come apart. Check the National Highway and Traffic Safety web site. There are hundreds of complaints.

SPR

The other issue that I forgot is that while the 19's can be ligher than 18's they actually must be lighter because the tires themselves will weigh more I would think-

karlooz

YIKES! thanks for the heads up.

adsc4s

Get the 19's and keep your stock 18's for track or inclement weather.

SPR

In general the s03's just suck. They are great in the wet however I seem to remember that the treadblocks like to separate from the tire!!! The other version of the s02's, so2a I think people seem to like. The other thing about the s03's are that they are heavier than almost any tire I have ever used!!!

karlooz

regarding performance benefits...

9ff and manthey racing chose do go with 18s instead of 19s stating that, although mechanical grip has increased, some driving feel is lost and there is added bumpsteer. (check Excellence)

well isn't added mechanical grip a performance gain?
FWIW, not sure why mechanical grip is gained but they said it.

BTW, my sportecs (made by BBS) are heavier than my champion monolites but are NOT heavy. the kinesis f110 19" are 3~4 lighter than the 18" carrera lightweights so there's a performance gain there, yes?

re:997 tire sizes. there is still trickle down effect don't ya think? just like what happened with 18" tires. more and more car makers/wheel manufacturers are making 19" wheels and the tire manufacturers are catching up.

karlooz

hey spr,

did you get this info by word of mouth or is there somewhere i can check? couldn't find anything on nhtsa.org. they seem to get really good review on tirerack FWIW.

why do they suck? they corner a lot better then the conti sc2 and are much quieter and more comfortable too. what your tire choice?

karlooz

stiles,

have a look at this. the conti tire sizing is for a 997 carreraS 19" and the bridgestones are what i have. not much of a difference is there? well within the diameter tolerance. so this is why there will be more 19" tire sizes.