dustinr

I'm not into the poser "big wheels look cool" group. I'd rather run 18" wheels anyday. But unfortunately the wheels I like only come in 19" size. I read once that the 996 TT actually does better with 18"s because that's how the Porsche engineers designed it. So I'm curious to know if anyone is running 19" wheels and has noticed a degredation in performance or stability. I don't wont to risk screwing up the handling just for the sake of a wheel that I like. And if it is okay to run 19's what overall diameter do I need to adhere to when searching for tires for 19" wheels....25"? here's the article

http://www.europeancarweb.com/featur...est/index.html

GreggT

As with anything that has anything to do with handling......all variables compromise something else....just a matter of whether that affect is enough to be of concern (to you and your type of use).
Anyway, this can be a very long answer (but not from me ) so I'd suggest you search the archieves for many discussions....but here's a couple points.

*nobody (that I know) uses 19s on the track...yes it's a'performance thing
*I use 19s for bling, 18s for track, and 17s for 'off-season'
*are your roads pretty good there? is the wheel pretty strong that you are considering....3 piece repair easier....stepped rims may be stonger
*going home tonight I probably will not be aware of what I am compromising to look good in my 19s
*considering in advance what rubber you will buy for your 19s (or any wheel you buy) should have a fair amount to do with your thought process before you detail your wheel order
*there are many different combinations....but one that some people use is 8.5J and 11J with 235/35 and 315/25......& approx 42 and 30mm offsets.....this will get you a few options for rubber....and generally works....yes there are others.

Good luck.

wross996tt

great answer gregg! I agree with it all...I run the same size 19s he recommends on yoko rubber...seriously would not perceive any handling differences IMO. I do have 18s for track ...LOL

dustinr

I don't do track days too often, but I do go for some fairly spirited drives on some of the awesome mountain roads we have around here quite often. I just don't want to switch over to 19" and have the car trying to kill me when I hammer down through some twisties. Will 19 x 12's fit the rear of the 996TT? I would like to go to the wider rear tire I'm just afraid that the 19x11 may not be enough wheel to properly support it. I over think everything.

GreggT

Yep....315 is kinda narrow.

12s.......assume you have a particular tire in mind @ a good price ?
Sure people here do it......they're on this board.
Know your offset....and where they'll sit per the fender line (since it sound like 'looking good' is what you're after).

boss351

I run 19x12 rears (Volk TE-37 - great track wheel) on the street for the looks, 315's, no issues on my car and it is lowered. Track OEM 18's (if I could splash for them I'd get the 18" TE-37's for the track).

I think 18's over 19's for the track has a lot to do with the choice and price of track rubber too.

dustinr

315 is the "Wide" tire I want, I was just under the impression that a 11" wide wheel wasn't the optimum wheel width to support that size tire.

wross996tt

well I run the 19X11 and the 315s....they are far from narrow and they are plenty of tire for the car. No rubbing...just perfect..also lowered on PSS9s FWIW

GreggT

To each his own....and you can make most anything 'work'.
Check the charts on the tire sites for recomended corresponding rim size.......or check Tire-Rack site for recomended rubber for various rims........if I recall, TireRack usually recomends 305s for 11J 19s (so in that context, 315s are even 'stretched for 11s).....but whatever.

wross996tt

well got my rims and rubber from tire rack...that is what they put on them fwiw

dustinr

Okay... will these fit?

Front Wheels
18x8.5
Offset: +53mm
Backspacing: 6.85"
Bolt Pattern: 5-130
Rec. Tire Size: 225/35-19

Rear Wheels
19x12
Offset: +51mm
Backspacing: 8.58"
Bolt Pattern: 5-130
Rec. Tire Size:325/30-19

Can get the front in another offset but Tire Rack's website doesn't show what it is. When you select the wheel you want for a 2004 996TT the first thing it pulls up for the front is this:

19x8.5
Bolt Pattern: 5-130
Rec. Tire Size:225/35-19

doesn't say what the offset or backspacing is. But when you click on the front fitment down arrown in the box it pulls up the wheel listed above with the 53mm offset.

GreggT

what tires did you decide on?
of course.......wheels are a one-time decision......tires every 6-9K (rears) and....it's a path you are comitted to every 6-9

Besides Pirelli Corsas at $1300 a pair....what else appeals to you that's made in 325?
Side note......some would also say they'd rather be more agressive than 53mm on 8.5J fronts.....but assume you've seen pics and know the look you are after.

dustinr

Actually I don't know the difference in look. I just want something that's going to fit. I'm looking at the OZ Ultraleggera HLT which only comes in 19. I've seen the 19x12 and I like the concave look to it but I haven't seen the front to know if there is a difference in look with the different offsets. I dont care if I run 325's, 315's or even 305's, I just want wider than 295. And with the 11" wheel you can fit wider tires but that wheel width isn't optimal hence why I want the 12's. The fronts I want wider too, 225 seems to narrow. So I've basically been looking at 997 tire fitments because they run the same size wheels I'm looking at. I thought I had found a tire to try and then realized that the speed rating was only "W". The Bridgestone RE-11 have been getty rave reviews and some say they're better than PS'2 and they have the correct fitment, then I saw the "W." Which to some people seems like no big deal, 168MPH rated tires should be fine...well living in NV has the advantage of lots of wide open roads with nobody around and I've explored the upper-limits of my Speedometer on more than one occaison, so I'd like a "Y" rated tire for sure.

So tire fitment is def. a concern. I'm not sure how much of a difference in overall diameter the AWD, PSM, and ABS systems can handle. Looks to me that the recommended tires for the 996TT all hover around 25" diameter. The max I've seen is 25.3" front and 26.1" rear on N rated tires. But I just don't know what I can get away with.

TTJunkie

Dustinr:
The rear tire/wheel package you've proposed will rub on the inside.
The front tire/wheel package you've proposed is for the 997.
The 996 wide body will fit the following 18" and 19" maximums:
18" (Suggest Porsche GT2 wheels) 8.5x18ET40 front 12x18ET45 rear.
The maximum tires for these wheels are Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 245/40 front, 335/30 rear.
You will need to cut both front and rear wheel wells to fit these tires.
19" (Suggest Champion RG5) 9x19ET53 front 11.5x19ET44 rear.
The maximum tires for these wheels are Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 255/30 front, 315/25 rear.
I have run both of these suggestions (18" track, 19" street)
You can also get Toyo Proxies (R-888) in the 18" tire sizes for serious track days.

Good luck,
Ric Vieler :-)

GreggT

'Fitments' generally refers to the wheels.........and dustinr, the general rule of thumb (per "AWD, PSM, ABS) is that the front is within 3% of the back. Some call it 'running diameter' but it's circumference.

Most any tire spec will include it.
And....understand it's not the front or the back.....but the relationship between the two (remember I said I run 17s, 18s, and 19s).......check any OE set-up from Porsche and they're always in the 3% range.
I'd suggest you use a size that's been done (people have been fitting aftermarket wheels to 996TTs for eight years).....and the big upside is, there are 3-4 times as many to pick from today than there were back when we first started doing this.

Good luck bud.