Bigger wheels = Bigger Performance? Ha!! Weigh in here....
03-30-2019, 02:25 PM
#31
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I'm more of an old-school kind of guy, but I have to say that I don't mind the 20" wheels on my 991. My wife's Audi has 21" wheels.
In my opinion, buying a large diameter wheel for your Porsche isn't really about performance as much as it is about aesthetics. In most cases, a driver won't be able to tell the difference in performance when comparing a 19" wheel to a 20" wheel.
My only issue with the larger wheels is that they often look odd when they are mounted on a car that was designed for smaller wheels. That's not always the case, but it's frequently the case. I've seen a 996 with 20" wheels before, and it looked positively goofy. That car was designed for 17" or 18" wheels. On the other side of that coin, I think a 991 would look goofy with 17" or 18" wheels.
In my opinion, buying a large diameter wheel for your Porsche isn't really about performance as much as it is about aesthetics. In most cases, a driver won't be able to tell the difference in performance when comparing a 19" wheel to a 20" wheel.
My only issue with the larger wheels is that they often look odd when they are mounted on a car that was designed for smaller wheels. That's not always the case, but it's frequently the case. I've seen a 996 with 20" wheels before, and it looked positively goofy. That car was designed for 17" or 18" wheels. On the other side of that coin, I think a 991 would look goofy with 17" or 18" wheels.
03-30-2019, 10:14 PM
#32
Burning Brakes
I don't know if bigger wheels necessarily have the performance degradation they used to have, considering the materials used are much lighter now. But, I drive in a world where streets are poor and the bigger the wheel, the more likely they are to suffer damage and impart too much impact to suspension components.
03-31-2019, 01:42 AM
#33
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All these posts and no mention of tire patch? In general, the taller the wheel, the wider the tire. The wider the tire, the wider the tire patch. This gives shorter straight line braking it also gives less cornering grip. Be carful on your grocery runs ��
03-31-2019, 09:10 AM
#34
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We tested 225 x 17 R7’s vs 245 x 17 R7’s on a few tracks on my race car, working with a pro coach/data specialist. Took into account tire temps, slip angle measurements (post in racing group about this), and acceleration times. We didn’t do these tests in different times of the season however, but did make assumptions about the hot summer. Bottom line is we were just at the peak of the 225’s and the 245s were the ideal setup. Anything bigger would have been overkill.