2ndof2

This is just for some ammo in a debate with a buddy of mine who I'd like to see put some 19's on his 997.

Some quick background: My friend just purchased an '05 997 coupe with 2,000 miles on it that is being shipped as I write this. He lives in La Jolla, CA so inclement weather is a non-issue and he doesn't track his cars. The car is (sadly) going to be just another "date night" only "garage queen." The 997 has the 18 inch standard wheels installed and he simply doesn't care if this thing has 17's! I think its more of a prestige thing for him or just to impress his dates. I like to give him a hard time just for fun since both of my cars have 18's and I really like the look of larger wheels regardless of performance. His 996 that he just sold had 17's and I teased him saying the car looked like a Boxster (he thinks Boxsters are for women only).

He thought I'd leave him alone knowing his new 997 would have 18's but now I'm on his case saying they look small on the larger 997 and don't (appear to) fill out the wheel wells (I realize the diameter from center cap to the tread may be the same as 19's). I've always been partial towards larger wheels from an asthetics perspective so this is just me busting his b*lls for fun even though the only thing that really matters is what HE thinks about his car.

And now the question:
Just curious, whats the 997 community's feeling on 18's vs. 19's overall?

p.s. 997 is my next P-car when I'm ready (and yes, it'll have 19's!)

Crazy Canuck

I have 19s on my car and the rims do fill out the wheel wells better but they are heavy.

My buddy has a 968. When it was in for servicing we talked to a well respected experienced Porsche Master Tech about setting it up for track days. He said stick with the 16s because you can play with tire pressures more and achieve changes in the handling of the car. 17s are just for show (but do look better).

On the track you can't do much with the 19s because there isn't much sidewall to play with. Personally I would have been happy with 18s because, to me, the 19s almost overpower the car and appear too large - like in a caricature sort of way. JMO though.

I am seriously considering picking up a set of Champion RG5 19s though because they do look good and the smaller spokes are a little less overpowering. My $0.02.

2ndof2

Maybe this was just a lame post on my part so I guess nobody else has an opinion about why they like 19's vs 18's or vice versa for asthetic reasons?

Good point regarding tire pressure/track. BTW Chris, Sens vs. Leafs game is just about to begin....darn Center Ice Package...makes me a prisoner in my own home when games are on!

Coochas

19" Carrera Classics with Michi Pilots vs 18" Winter Contis now.
The firmness seems about the same on both 18 and 19 rims,...there's obviously no comparison in handling between the winter and regular rubber.
They're both low enough profile that I think the pothole factor is probably about the same for each.

Crazy Canuck

Sens win 7-0. I was at the game. The Leaf Nation were pretty much silent after the Sens scored 39 seconds in.

On a 997 the 19s look better because they fill the wheel wells better. 19s were a last minute marketing decision which necessitated requiring engineering to revise the suspension.

MMD

If my girlfriend noticed the 18s and was bothered by the lack of 19s I'd have to do a thourough emergency doublecheck of her private area ASAP.

Get the 19s and tell everybody that "poser" or "fashion monkey" are words that "don't effect me, effect me, effect me... ."

I got "stuck" with 19s on my S because I'm too lazy to do what I gotta do, and spend what I gotta spend to change them.

fast1

Aesthetically 19s" are better. There was a comparison done by R&T many years ago on 17", 18", and 19" wheels. The vehicle used was an M3 and they timed the car on a road track. The best performance was with the 18" wheels. So I would imagine that the same would apply to a 997.

MMD

FWIW, the M3 with 18s has the same sidewall height on the tires as the 997S with 19s. The reason is the M3 has 26 inch diameter tire, 997S has 27 inch diameter tire. So the logic would be that the M3 with 18s would perform like the 997S with 19s. But the comp is getting too weird maybe.

Would be great if someone would test 997 with 18s and 997 with 19s.

Coochas

That would make a fun Top Gear epidose as long as The Stig is doing the timed runs. Or of course, Fifth Gear as long as it's Tiff driving a 911 and being made unaware of which rims are on (i.e. a "blind" test).

MJones

If the truth be told 19" wheels on the 997 are more a bling factor that is more marketing than a performance enhancement.
It is very possible that the '06 997 cars at PDE will be equiped with the 18" wheel tire combo from what I was told last year, and I look forward to some seat time with the 18" so I can feel what differance that there may be.

Just a note that the GrandAm rules limit the 997 GT class cars to 18" and the 997 Cup cars to 17"

MMD

Yeah, that's the sad/happy truth depending which side you're on.

Would be very interesting to hear your impressions. Would be very cool to have the whole car-mag track test done.

Would be nice to know exactly what the performance differences might be. Maybe we'd be surprised...? ... Nahhhhhhh (like old John Beluschi), I doubt it.

cgng30

when you order a 20 mm sport suspension in europe the website forces you to add 19 inch rims/tires, huh why??

Edgy01

I happen to like the 19 inch tires and wheels for the 997s. As I read in Leffington's book on the 911, Porsche redesigned the the car around 19 inch wheels and was forced to seriously beef up the suspension as the 996 suspension components were taking a beating during testing. (Porsche is driven by the mighy Euro in everything they do today and were hoping to carry the 996 suspensions onward with the 997 cars). I have little time on the 18 in wheels and tires to properly comment on them, but the 19s work for me. Perhaps it's because I'm only in a cabriolet, which is reportedly 40% less stiff than the coupe set up. The compromise works for me, if it is one. The ride is great; the handling is phenomenal.

RonCT

There's no comparison -- the 18s are superior in all ways to the 19s (I have both). 19s give a rougher ride, are more expensive for everything (wheels and tires), don't have enough sidewall flex to absorb irregularities in pavement (think traction), etc. I just don't understand this trend of people saying 19s (or 20s) look "better" on a Porsche (or any other car for that matter) -- a wheel and tire is a functional thing -- who the heck is focusing on the ratio of metal to rubber?

Consider this concept... A Porsche is a high-performance car that has a rich heritage of racing. Look at every race car out there Porsche or otherwise -- what's the ratio of rubber to wheel? Do you see lots of chrome, silver, or whatever wheel and then almost no tire? Where did this concept of bling come from?

When you read the articles and listen to the racers that have reviewed the 997 product with both 18 and 19" wheels, they all say the same thing -- 19s don't belong on the car. They were put there to satisfy marketing because marketing told them that people want bling and will pay more money even though performance is lower and cost is higher. It's that simple. I could have bought the argument that 19s were needed to make room for bigger brakes -- but that's not the case at least on my 997S. My 18" Fikse wheels fit the car perfectly, have plenty of room for the brakes, etc.

The world is all about getting what you want -- so if you want 20" wheels, then go for it. If you put aside the "aesthetic" (bling) argument and want performance and efficiency, then get or keep the 18s.

Dr_KarlB

Ron,
I was thinking the same about the 18"s.
The OEM wheels have much smaller tire width for the 18 vs the 19's
What width tires are you running on 18".?
Also the easily available 18 sizes will be slightly less overall diameter... Did you go to the 996 overall diameters 265-30-18, or the 997 265-35-18.
I would love to get a set of BBS RE 18's once i find the right 997 to upgrade from my 996.
Thx