Very interesting conclusions about +1, +2 wheels. Thanks.

 

Those are the same wheels I have. I love mine, but you should get what you like. New wheels are way down my list of things to mod.

 

Purchased my TT with 19's and H&R's. The ride is not as smooth as other cars that I have driven and the braking does feel different. I am concerned about large potholes, etc with the low profiles. It is a matter of choice not doubt, I would just as much research as I could before making that large of a purchase.

 

That was an interesting read... thanks.

 

THAT has ALWAYS been my strongest point

 

...with a few exceptions...

 

WHO? ME!

 

Either my literacy skills suck, or that was the dumbest article I have ever read. Can someone please tell me what tire they tested on the stock 18" wheels? I didn't see a single reference to brand or model, simply that they were "N3" tires.

Unless the comparison was 18" PS2's to 19" PS2's, the author wasted everyone's time, and made many people dumber for having read this.

-Jon

 

Barn, for the longest time Ed thought that research was "rear-search." Every time someone told him to do his research, he would grab his *** with both hands, say "OK it's still there" and then buy the item on ebay.

That is the REAL reason why Ed bought parts that didn't fit!

 

they were likely the pirelli or the bridgestone if N3, that generation pilot sport rib was n1 on the turbos iirc

PS2 to PS2 would not have eliminated enough variables for an apples to apples comparison, sidewall height and deflection and section width and contact patch would have had sufficient variation even in the same model line, and old tires to new tires wouldn't have been fair either.

I run 19s (I've had two sets now), and I think they're fine on the street, but my car is , to my own poorly calibrated seat of the pants, more twitchy at the limit than it was on 17s or 18s. I do not get sideways the way I used to, it spins more easily and is less fun at 8/10ths+, but it feels much better at 7/10ths or less than, say the stock 17s.

I do agree that the article lacks scientific rigor, however it does echo the recommendations of the factory. I doubt the magazine had the resources to further explore the issues, and it's very possible that some shaved rubber and a little suspension tuning would have dialed out the problems they experienced, but nobody knows.

If I did it all over again (and the smaller 7tt replicas were available, which they were not at the time I went to 19s) I would stick to 18s and throw the difference in price at suspension. Not many people can tell the difference between a 19 and an 18 from 10 feet away visually , but everyone can tell the difference sitting in the driver's seat. 18s will generally ride better, you will bend fewer wheels (and this goes for the 997s as well believe me), and they may handle better in extreme situations.

19s are fine, however tires are twice the cost of 18s, regardless of the other pros/cons this greatly increases the price of vanity! 20s however are a bit crazy on these cars. You'd basically be stuck with a larger rolling diameter, a huge tire bill, and you'd be guaranteed to lose a wheel a year to a pothole. But its up to everyone individually how they like to spend their money!

 

Keep in mind that the 996 was designed specifically around the 17 and 18 inch wheels. When the 997 was developed they designed to bump them up to 19s. They attempted to use the 996 suspension pieces (for economic reasons) but found that the 19s exerted so much added force to the suspension that they were literally shaking the 996 suspension parts to pieces. They were forced to seriously upgrade by beefing up the suspension pieces to handle the added stress. Techarts are one of the heaviest wheels out there today.

 

Hi Tim,

Just wondering if you knew what brand rims these are? I have a set of these that came as spares on my 996. I am looking to list them and could not for the life of me discover what brand alloys these are.

Cheers.

Zach.

 

Came from BBS 18s, now at 19s and ride is just abot equal except the ht spared me better from speed bumps.