golfman

I recently purchased a 2006 Carrera S. The dealer did a change off of the tires and wheels he took the stock 19inch wheels and tires, and he put on 18inch stock "classic wheel" porsche wheels and tires probably from a regular carrera. He took over $2000 off the price of the car for the different wheels. I was happy to have the lower price but after thinking about it I am wondering if I gave up anything in performance not having the 19inch wheels and tires. I am not sure if the extra inch in width on the rear wheels would help that much with traction. I also don't know if the 19inch height of the wheels will help it to handle any better. I do know the 18inch wheels are lighter so it is possible it is quicker.

Any thoughts on this would help? Thanks

Dr 997

I'm not an expert by far, but one thought is whether it will affect your speedometer/odometer if the tires are also the wrong size.

Jimmy

mishref

If anything .. the 18's make for a more comfortable ride. Also the drop in unsprung weight helps in the handling dept.

Vancouver83LTD

Why do you think 9ff uses 18" wheels?

David A

I see 997 S with 996 Turbo wheels on the track a lot.
18's are better,less rolling mass.

dstrimbu

Walter Rohrl says that 18" rims are the choice for the "sensitive shoe". I don't think that you'll be disappointed with your choice, Golfman.

Congrats on the new ride! Pictures are coming...?

-don

rcg412

I would want 18s as well - less chance of pothole damage (i am in NYC)

H20NOO

I have a 997S that came with 19" wheels and am fitting 18" wheels due to their lighter weight, better ride quality, broader and less costly choice of tires. The only thing you may want to do is purchase some wheel spacers if the tires sit too far inboard. The 18" wheels I'm mounting are 18x8.5 and 18x11 with correct offsets so I don't think they will need spacers They are also more than 30lbs lighter than the stock set which will make a very noticable difference in driving dynamics, especially when combined with the >30lbs less weight the PCCB's offer.

19" wheels are aesthetically pleasing but do nothing to improve performance.

MC

lawjdc

The Porsche Driving Experience uses regular 997 Carreras with 18" wheels and tires. They are easy to drive and very forgiving to drive on the track. PDE also has you do a session in 997S's with the PCCB brakes and the 19" wheels and tires. There is a definite difference. Some drivers like the 18's better, some like the 19's better. Its a matter of personal preference.

H20NOO

Before I get flamed for my previous comments I should clarify. 19" wheels do have a potential performance advantage in that they provide less sidewall flex which allows them to have excellent grip with less negative camber required than a similar width 18" tire. They would also offer more precision in quick cornering transitions. But, the advantages are negligible, especially relative to the greater wheel mass, pushed further out from the hub. Ultimately, the advantages in acceleration and deceleration of an 18" wheel on a properly aligned car should more than make up for the potential handling advantage of a 19" wheel/tire combo.

MC

gpjli2

18" wheels would be the drivers wheels of choice were it not for the pressures to conform aesthetically I applaud your decision on all levels

cgomez

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that the 18" 997 wheels are narrower as well as the tires 10" and 265 for the 18"s vs. 11" and 295 for the 19"s.

There's definetively a performance disadvanatge on your swap. You have less grip on the rear!

Assuming one gets a set with the same wheel and tire width, I would say the 18"s have the better performance (less weight and lower rotational inertia)

That's what I use as track wheels. LTW wider 18"s:

golfman

cgomez I posted that in my original message that is part of the question I asked. I appreciate all the info I have gotten on this. As far as traction I also have an 05 c6 with 19X10 inch wheels in the rear now stock but I used to have a 03 c5 z06 that had 405 hp and 18X9.5 inch rear wheels. If chevy can get the power to the ground on 18X9.5 inch wheels I think the porsche at 355hp can on 18X10. Not to mention the 60 % weight that is on the rear wheels with the engine being in the back. Only 46% percent of the weight in the rear on a corvette.

By the way I love this car. I liked all the corvettes I have owned but not like this.

lawjdc

cgomez: Great photo!

ELUSIVE

The 996's and 997's in SPEED World Challenge run on 18" wheels. In fact ALL of the cars in GT run on 18" wheels.