bwdave55

I'm not wild about the polished turbo twists that came on my 04 C4S and am looking for something else . Most wheels I have seen that are appealing to me seem to come in 19" . But, I have read several times from other owners what a PITA it is to have 19" wheels on a 911 . Why is that ? Is it just the cost of replacement tires ? I am aware of the debate over the all wheel drive issue with 19" vs the 18" they came with - am I missing something ?

82_930

I have 19's on my C4... you have to make sure that you get the proper tires sizes or you will damage your AWD... that is also true of 18's 17's etc...

You will notice that the ride quality will suffer, but I live in NY where the roads suck. On smooth roads, it won't be much of an issue.

Randyg308

car was designed for 18 inch wheels it works the best with that size! handling,road noise, wear and tear,your all wheel drive system etc........will all benefit from the right size wheel and tire combo....good luck and enjoy.

Dennis C

19" wheels are typically (not always) heavier than 18" wheels. The tires are heavier too. The additional weight is further from the axis of rotation on the larger wheel, which causes greater gyroscopic stabilization force to be applied to your suspension and brakes. This increased force is transmitted exponentially to your suspension and brake components. This may be a problem, and it may not. We don't know this because Porsche didn't test the 996 with 19" wheels. Obviously using 19" wheels on the track increases the risk. The 997 Suspension components were modified to allow it to use 19" wheels.

19" wheels look great and many people run them without issues. You probably wouldn't have issues if you picked a size that didn't rub and the ride harshness didn't bother you.

What it all comes down to is whether or not you are comfortable running a larger wheel that hasn't been tested and approved by Porsche. If you decide to do it, your best bet is to go for a light weight wheel.

Good luck.

nick49

+1

all of the above plus what you will notice immediately if the rolling circumferential sizing is off much at all from front to rear, the handling will go to hell. There is more than one reason for this. First is the power transmission going to the front axle and the sensitivity of PSM. If the sizing mismatch is too great, PSM can activate in a turn and abruptly brake one wheel. This can be quite upsetting and alarming. Secondly the chassis is extremely sensitive to front and rear axle heights being matched within certain parameters. If the front or rear is raised only a few millimeters with respect to the other, the car may handle very poorly and unsafely. Finally, 19" tires in matched revolution per mile sizes are few and costly.

I have experienced the above. If you are like me, you'll need to find out for yourself.

morganabowen

At first I was reluctant to put 19s on my Carrera 4, but I made the move to 19s and could not be happier. I do not feel any difference in performance, but I look at the 18s and then at my car and the 19s seem to fill the wheel well much better That is just one mans opinion

p.vanderlinden

19's will look much better and the ride will be fine. I run BBS CH-R Titanium
8.5" front and 11" rear.

The important thing is to is to have the F&R tire diameters within 1/2". This is actually pretty important. Especially with AWD.

My tires are Michelin Pilot Sports 245/35ZR19 and 295/30ZR19.

They fill out the wheel wells nicely.

About $4500 from Tirerack mounted and balanced. though the wheels were not listed on there site, I had to talk to a tech on the phone.

If you track the car, you would probably want the 18's for the slightly better acceleration.

Cheers,
Paul

navarrojiii

I have 19" wheels on my C4S and it seems to be just fine... granted I've only had it one month but I really like how it looks and rides. Just go to tirerack.com and put in your specs. With the RS-GTs though you need spacers in the rear.

Tim Wasmer

I have had 19in wheels on all my C4S's. Had SSR GT3's and Techart Formulas. Loved the look and had no issues with anything else. I even had 315's in the rear

I found that a subtle drop on the suspension completed the look and feel as well.

Dennis C

19s do look awesome... no doubt about that...

Capt. Obvious

I much prefer the look of 19s on these cars. Unless you're a hardcore track guy, you'll never notice the handling difference unless you buy cheap, heavy wheels. The ride might be a little harsher than with 18s, but that generally has more to do with tire size/brand/air pressure than the fact they're 19s.

SacTownGuy

They look awesome tho!

bwdave55

thanks for the feedback fellas, much appreciated . So, on a Seal Gray 996, in your opinion, which looks better - this ?

http://www.forgestar.com/blog/pics/c...forgestar1.jpg

not so sure of this monochromatic look but with the red calipers, bright drilled rotors, and some chrome lugs - would it set it off enough ?

or this :

http://www.forgestar.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=181

82_930

Either, both of them are nice....