996 MY02 - 17" or 18" wheels ?
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996 MY02 - 17" or 18" wheels ?
I plan to order a 2002 soon. Does anyone have a 996 with the stock 17" wheels? Do you give up much handling for any comfort and perhaps less chance of rim and wheel damage?
#2
I have the 17's for now. I decided to get a set of aftermarket rims (probably Speedline's) before I swapped my '99 for the '01. I still haven't decided which ones , however I've already had my new '01 for a month! 18's are definately the way to go. The new 18's (MY02) are coming. In the early pictures I've seen, they look very different than the current wheels. Make sure you see a picture before you commit to them. I think they're pretty nice for a "factory" wheel. Had they been out for the MY01, I might have gone for them. If you like them, get them. If they don't really appeal to you, get the 17's, and upgrade later. You'll have the luxury of having a second set of wheels (great for harsh weather states or for track time). As far as handling, the 17's are a little on the soft side. At least with the Conti's that my '01 came with. Though I must say, they are very forgiving on poor roads. If you live in an area with poor roads, you may want to get the 17's.
[ 30-05-2001: Message edited by: Ofer ]
[ 30-05-2001: Message edited by: Ofer ]
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Originally posted by Tom N:
<STRONG>I plan to order a 2002 soon. Does anyone have a 996 with the stock 17" wheels? Do you give up much handling for any comfort and perhaps less chance of rim and wheel damage?</STRONG>
<STRONG>I plan to order a 2002 soon. Does anyone have a 996 with the stock 17" wheels? Do you give up much handling for any comfort and perhaps less chance of rim and wheel damage?</STRONG>
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I agree with Viken. Take the standard 17s and use the $$ for a "unique" set of 18" upgrades with your own tire choice. Much greater availability/better price on 17" track tires as well--save the 18s for concours, etc. I bought a set of 18" OZ Racing Velas (reminiscent of a 3 piece "Fuchs") and use the standard 17s for everything but PCA concours events. FWIW. Van
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Viken,I'm sticking with my 17's, and shortly it will be time for new tires. I'm leaning heavily towards michelins.The newer pilot sport seems like a better tire than the mxx3, but has not shipped on OEM cars, yet.My goal is to improve handling over the contis, and still get a half decent tread life. Should I go with the pilot sports, or am I missing something?
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Originally posted by PerryTishgart/996:
<STRONG>Viken,I'm sticking with my 17's, and shortly it will be time for new tires. I'm leaning heavily towards michelins.The newer pilot sport seems like a better tire than the mxx3, but has not shipped on OEM cars, yet.My goal is to improve handling over the contis, and still get a half decent tread life. Should I go with the pilot sports, or am I missing something?</STRONG>
<STRONG>Viken,I'm sticking with my 17's, and shortly it will be time for new tires. I'm leaning heavily towards michelins.The newer pilot sport seems like a better tire than the mxx3, but has not shipped on OEM cars, yet.My goal is to improve handling over the contis, and still get a half decent tread life. Should I go with the pilot sports, or am I missing something?</STRONG>
Also, you might be interested to know that the Pilot Sport SX is installed on the GT3 and, as of last month, on the 996 Turbo as well. Both have the "N0" designation.
[ 01-06-2001: Message edited by: Viken Bedrossian ]
[ 01-06-2001: Message edited by: Viken Bedrossian ]
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Viken, which Pilot tyres specifically? Pilot tyres on Michelin's website are Pilot XGT Z4, Pilot MXX3 and Pilot XGT V4. From Tirerack's site, am guessing you mean Pilot Sport and NOT Pilot XGT Z4 though I couldn't figure out what Pilot Sport was called on Michelin's site. I have the Michelin Pilot MXX3s on the M3 and they are great - even better than the SO2 (they dont beat the SO2 in looks but thats okay
(Whoops. caught you editing and so will i then. here is the link -
http://www.michelin-us.com/us/eng/ti...og/highpro.htm
[ 01-06-2001: Message edited by: Ran ]
(Whoops. caught you editing and so will i then. here is the link -
http://www.michelin-us.com/us/eng/ti...og/highpro.htm
[ 01-06-2001: Message edited by: Ran ]
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Ran, Michelin's US web site is still in the dark ages. Go to www.michelin.fr for better info. However, the tire we are talking about is called Pilot Sport SX (without MXX3) and is the latest top of the line Michelin. Also, the Tire Rack web site has a pretty good lineup of the Michelin tires:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/michelin/michelin.htm
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/michelin/michelin.htm
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Originally posted by PerryTishgart/996:
<STRONG>Viken, Thanks. The 17'S at this point do not have the NO designation..should I be concerned ?</STRONG>
<STRONG>Viken, Thanks. The 17'S at this point do not have the NO designation..should I be concerned ?</STRONG>
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You might find some good discussions from this era comparing the Nokia 8250 to the Mororola StarTAC. Personally, I liked the Nokia better. If only Apple would make a phone!