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19" Wheels - Performance or Bling??

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Old 02-10-2006, 06:15 PM
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Ray S
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Default 19" Wheels - Performance or Bling??

I'm purchasing a new set of wheels for my 996 and have a dilema.

The wheels I am looking at come in both 18" and 19" sizes (Champion forged).

I believe there is a performance advantage to running 18" wheels over 17" wheels ( you can run shorter sidewalls which improve feel and response, and many of the wider tires aren't available in 17's). However, is there a peformance benefit to 19's or is it just a "bling" benefit?

It looks like the tire sizes I would use (18" or 19") would have similar sidewall ratio's and the 19's will obviously be heavier. Am I missing something??

I think the 19's will look cool, but I'm not getting them if it's only about "bling".
Old 02-11-2006, 01:57 PM
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jb26jb
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19s on a 996 = Bling
18s are a good mix for looks and performance.
Autox and track you may be better off on 17s
Old 02-11-2006, 03:12 PM
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karlooz
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for the street, i think my 19's are on par with 18's, performance wise. i don't push it on the streets anyway so it's all about da bling

if they are going to be multipurpose, street-track wheels then stick with the 18's. MUCH better r-compound tire selection.

Originally Posted by Ray S
I'm purchasing a new set of wheels for my 996 and have a dilema.

The wheels I am looking at come in both 18" and 19" sizes (Champion forged).

I believe there is a performance advantage to running 18" wheels over 17" wheels ( you can run shorter sidewalls which improve feel and response, and many of the wider tires aren't available in 17's). However, is there a peformance benefit to 19's or is it just a "bling" benefit?

It looks like the tire sizes I would use (18" or 19") would have similar sidewall ratio's and the 19's will obviously be heavier. Am I missing something??

I think the 19's will look cool, but I'm not getting them if it's only about "bling".
Old 02-11-2006, 03:48 PM
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bet
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IMO, on Chicago streets I would stick with 18s. 19's are a bling thing and depending on the wheel makes the brakes look really small, IMO.
Old 02-11-2006, 04:26 PM
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LuisGT3
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Here are a few pics of my buddies 996 with 19" Hre 549R's. They look even better in person. For the track though, 18"s is the way to go.
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Old 02-11-2006, 05:43 PM
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arenared
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There's a bigger selection of sticky tires in 18" and they're cheaper...
Old 02-11-2006, 07:19 PM
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dpblessing
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19 = bling, and I like them on 996's
Old 02-11-2006, 07:42 PM
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LuisGT3
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Originally Posted by dpblessing
19 = bling, and I like them on 996's
Are you causing trouble over here too?
Old 02-11-2006, 09:31 PM
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ElTorrente
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Originally Posted by LUISJR993
Here are a few pics of my buddies 996 with 19" Hre 549R's. They look even better in person. For the track though, 18"s is the way to go.

WOW.... holy crap that car looks MEAN!!! The picture actually frightens me..

Awesome!
Old 02-11-2006, 09:38 PM
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trozenhorse
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i have 19's coming....looks wise the way to go and seeing as my current 18's lt weight 5 spoke OEM are not worth that much money, i will keep them in the event i want to track the car as i may want to this summer...best of both worlds is the way to go....
Old 02-11-2006, 09:47 PM
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deons
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BLING! But really looks good.
Old 02-11-2006, 10:15 PM
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dpblessing
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Originally Posted by LUISJR993
Are you causing trouble over here too?
ssssshhhh
Old 02-11-2006, 10:19 PM
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deons
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??? We concur but should not tell him?
Old 02-11-2006, 11:13 PM
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Nutbeem
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19=bling...
Old 02-12-2006, 10:28 AM
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evo_333
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19's are bling, but dont look at it as a bad thing...

For street use, I would go with 19s.... Like Karlooz said, there is not much of a difference in performance and it's amazing how one inch makes it look that much more aggressive imho. I have two sets of rims now, one set of 18's and 19's and honestly, I cannot tell the difference while driving around the street (however, my 19s are lightweights).

If you track the car alot, 18's are the way to go. But if not, 19s for sure!!!!


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