Will the 18s clear the PCCBs? The 19s I ordered with the car 'look' right with the brakes,--the brakes certainly don't 'look' undersized.

 

 

Never even thought about PCCB because so few get them. I was referring to stock brakes. Somewhere on the web I saw a set of 20's and the red brakes looked like somebody made a mistake (15" rotors with 20" wheels).

Edgy's wheels and brakes with 19s certainly do look proportionally sweet - must be those huge calipers

 

I'd suggest contacting Wheel Enhancement and see what they say. I believe 18s with the proper offset will fit on an S but not a 997GT3 (so the guys on the GT3 board say) with the bigger caliper.

 

I hope 18s will fit on an S,....they're on my car right now (winter format).

I am almost positive that 18s will NOT fit around the PCCBs.....they barely fit around my 4S brakes.

 

I finally found that video I'd been looking for - it's right there on your site Coochas!

http://coochas.com/porsche/Resources...BMIchap1-2.wmv

The part where he talks about 18s vs. 19s is what I found most interesting...

 

I thought that sounded familiar.

 

I couldn't agree more. I'm an engineer and always believed that "form follows function". Ditto for Porsche, at least up to the current era. I'm always butting heads with the marketing boys at work and I'm sure the same is happening at Porsche.

I've got to admit that I chuckle every time I see a car with oversized wheels on the side of the freeway with a flat.

 

I can't put myself at his driving level, but I do have a question regarding his comment on 18 v. 19. It seems, assuming the same tire on both cars, that the small difference in sidewall height could be substantially equalized with tire pressures. I'll likely be using 18's anyway because of the tire selection and cost difference. But, if someone else were buying my tires, I'm reasonably sure that a satisfactory arrangement could be found with 19" tires. It would be interesting to know if they spent any time attempting to address his issue of the car feeling a bit squirrely with the 19's. If that was his conclusion after working with the car a few days, I would take more from it than simply hearing an initial response after a few laps with a new car. Tire pressures and alignment could have a huge impact. From everything else I have heard and read, his comments were not typical; doesn't mean he was wrong though.

 

I think it's safe to say that he spent time in the car - he knew the specifications, how much HP was in the S, etc. He knew the track. He commented that the "reporter" didn't need to waste his breath telling him the differences between the cars, he would know just by driving. He's probably the Japanese equivalent of Walter Rohl. I'm sure the cars were properly set up - this was a televised comparison of the 997 and 997S.

All I'm trying to say is that the guy clearly knows Porsches and how to drive them - he's a professional race car driver. He knew the engineering and that in general that a 25.5" diameter tire in an 18" wheel was better than 19". When he drove both cars back to back he explained the differences and that the S would be even better if it had an 18" setup. We all know the physics of the situation - that the tire diameter and contact patch is the same for 18 and 19, but that the sidewall is shorter and less forgiving on the 19.

I wonder how Michelin setup the new PSC for the GT3. I understand the compound is slightly different to provide better wet grip - but perhaps they tweaked the sidewall to make it more compliant?

 

I'm not defending the 19" wheel; earlier in this thread I came out strongly in favor of the 18". I still believe it is the better choice, and I agree with your comments. Regarding the due diligence put into testing the cars, who knows? Those things vary from very thorough, to extremely casual. I am sure of one thing, when I replace the PS2's on my 19's, I will not consider some of the stiffer tires I have used on other cars. I agree with the tester, with PASM on sport setting, and on anything but a glass-smooth surface, the car is a bit nervous. I'm going to experiment some with pressures, but I won't be using any Bridgestones on these wheels.

 

Dave,

My brother has a 997S launch car with PCCB. He put his 18" turbo twist (from his ex-996TT) with winter tires on and the car runs smoothly with no rub.

 

I love Best Motoring. I notice its comment of 18" and 19" wheel sizes on that track. It is a relatively tight track with small turns, curve surface, and lots of elevation.

I wonder if test the 18" and 19" wheel sizes on a long big track, with higher speed wider turns, smoother surface, and long straights; the comparison between the two wheel sizes will be different?

Would it be there is no better or worse between the two wheel sizes, but just different size for different condition?

With best regards,
- Alex.

 

WOW - that's good to know that they really do fit,....we've just seen it posted so may times that it doesn't work! Good 2 know.

 

Ditto. Good to know about PCCBs and 18s. But I think if I spring for a second set of rims I'll stick to 19s so that my half used road tires can be my autocross tires until they're shot.

It would be interesting to, however, try out the 18s for some time as a comparison.