I am considering putting on 19" Forged wheels on my 02' C2, what are the drawbacks or am I better off just putting on 18's. How much will the 19's effect the ride and handling?
Thanks in advance.

 

18s handle better and are lighter than 19s
19s look better, although ride gets a bit harsher (not too bad, but harsh anyway)
Best option is to keep 18s for track, and 19s for the street. That's what I did!

 

Consider the strength and reputation of the particular wheels you are considering. If your roads are not in good condition you can easily end up with bent rims. The sidewalls on the appropriate sized tires for 19's are very short and stiff. They do not offer much protection to the rim and/or cushion for the ride.

The other thing to consider is the availability of tires. Your selection of tires will be reduced and the they will be more expensive.

 

the ride will be sacrificed. As long as you have proper offset and sizing, the 19's will handle better not worse than 18's.

 

19s will handle better than 18s? 'Scuse me? Got any data to back this up?
Porsche should have asked you before they chose the wheel sizes for the GT3

 

Thanks c4c Leon......harsh how harsh is harsh? Is it comfortable enough to be a quasi daily driver thru the streets of Los Angeles (100 miles a week) Or will it beat you up pretty good or better description is it fatiguing?
Thanks

 

18's will handle better, everybody knows that!! 19's will look badass!! Take your pick!

 

I guess I must have been absent the day they went over that . The most important dimension IMHO is not the wheel diameter, but rather the tire size it enables. Consider the following 18 vs 19 shot (18" furthest away).



Going to the 19" wheels enables a 25% aspect ratio (less sidewall flex) and 315 mm width tires. You still think the 18"s corner better?

 

Many test's have already proven that bigger is not always better! Check around, the truth is out there!

 

I had 19 Champion RG-5's for a while....loved the look. Went to the same wheel in an 18.

Much happier now. They don't handle as flat the 19's but I have less fear of potholes and drive thru ATM curbs...

 

But you can get 18" tyres in 315 too?

 

BadA996:

My C4 Cab is my daily driver. I drive mostly in Glendale, Canoga Park, and on the 118 and 210 freeways (live in Glendale, work in Canoga). I put around 65miles/week day on my car. I have ROW M030 + 19" HREs. The ride is far from being unbearable, but I have gotten some complaints from passengers (wife and "older" people, never young people) and I've gotten many more complements on the looks.

 

Yeah, they missed our views when they picked GT3 wheel sizes, but they sure listened when they were choosing sizes for the Carrera GT

BTW, where can I find all those reports about 18" wheels allowing better cornering than 19"'s...

 

I have 19's on mine and the appearance is awesome. the ride is somewhat stiff. A fellow PCA club member, same car, has the 18's and the ride is not a great deal better. In my opinion, barely can notice the difference.

I live in a remote area and am always concerned about a flat, puncture, etc. Does anyone carry fix-a-flat and ever had to use it to get home or to wherever you may be going? Does it work?? 19's are extremely difficult to locate in my area and I am sure I would have to wait sometime before getting a replacement.

 

there was an article a couple of years ago in road and track (or car & driver?) about different wheel sizes and handling. i think they used bmw 3-series track cars and professional drivers for the test, and 17" wheels came out on top! i think they tested 15-19". i don't keep my back issues of the magazines or i would tell you what issue it was in. i don't think tires have progressed so far in 2 years or so that 19s are all of a sudden better. some sidewall flex is a good thing because it allows the tire to conform to the road better and grip better. a tire with no sidewall doesn't have any area to distort so it matches the road surface. i'm not saying all 17s are better than any other size, just that with the same tires on different size rims, and on the bmws, they got the best lap times in 17s.

just my two cents.