jamie645

I know that the majority of people have the 18" rims on their 996s (myself included)but did Porsche use the 18" or the 17" when they designed the car back in the mid 90's?
I ask this because I just bought and put a set of oem 17"s on this morning and I think they comliment the suspension of my car even better than the 18"s.

(for reference, the 18"s are turbo twists with Pzero Rossos N4 and the 17"s are 10 spoke with Pilot Sport Rib N2.)

hwk72

That's a good question jamie645!

I did also have initially 17'' wheels on my car and changed to 18'' turbo twists. Following Porsche video shows both wheel sizes: Porsche tape given to 996 owners. The turbo twists were offered as a factory option, so I'm sure they did sufficient testing with the 18'' wheels.

Keep in mind that it's for sure that Porsche did not design the car to have the US stock suspension as the car has to ride higher in the US due to bumper-height law regulations.

I personally like the 18'' wheels better and lowered my car with H&R springs (I've now a much harder ride than stock) as I think it complements the spirit of Porsche as a sports car better than the stock set-up. I do also recognize that the turbo twists are very heavy + all other than Michelin tires (I believe Porsche delivered early 996 on Michelin) seam to add additional weight to the wheels. This does also influence handling.

newport996

It was designed with 17's....but anything up to 19's work well depending on the suspension.....

Riad

I don't like how my C4S handles with 17's so I put the 18" snow tires on.

I love it with the 18" summer tires.

silverstutt

I have 19" with H&R coilover... but watch out for potholes... I've suffered enough, just put a small dent on the outside ring... but it's noy leaking... yet

Porsche_Smile

what ever comes with the car when new is what it is design for.......but there's room for negotiation.....