cash-man

I own a 2009C2S that I purchased over the winter. It is riding on 235/40R18 & 265/40R18 Carrera III's on Continental winter rubber. The car came with a set of Continental Extreme Contact DWS in the same size. No 19" wheels.

I am now considering buying a new set of rims and rubber for the summer. Is the ride quality going to change substantially from the 18's listed, to a set of 235/35R19 295/30R19? Feel? Firmness? Performance?

Thanks.

ADias

On PASM 19" is fine. Get either Bridgestone RE050A N1 (N1 is important) or better yet, Michelin Pilot Super Sport (PSS).

Spokane5150

Stock 19's on my rig and they feel great. 20's look to big in my opinion and not much rubber left between the road and the rim with 20's. I notice that guys that track their cars a lot use 18's for some reason I don't understand. Perhaps it has something to do with heat.

alexb76

Definitely NOTICABLE difference in ride, whenever I move to Winter 18" tires, it amazes me how much better they ride, and when going back to 19s, definitely ride is harsher, specially with stiffer sidewalls of summer tires.

IF HOWEVER, you think the ride is pretty good, and you don't like to impact it much, stick to 18s. Performance is more impacted by tire type/brand than size of wheels... so a PS2 18 is gonna perform much better than your winter or DWS.

deijmaster

+1

spourreza

I have no issues with 19s. Ride quality is fine.

Menmojo

You may notice a slight ride difference with 19's. Not a big deal in my opinion.
Tire type and tire pressure will make the biggest difference.
The reason a lot of guys use 18's at the track is that there are more tire compound choices in 18's plus 18's cost less.
If you're active at the track you get addicted to fresh rubber....
More tires = More $'s....

DT997DUX

Only had 19's on my '05 C2 (PASM), but last year switched from P-Zeros to Pilot Super Sports, and the difference is unbelievable. Michelin's are quiet, smooth, no flat spots after a few weeks in the garage, and better on the track. I can't yet say how they're wearing, but the drive is remarkably better.

cash-man

It seems like there is no general consensus, but the masses seem to be leaning towards the change in ride being not that big a deal. I think that I am going to ride out the 18" DWS this season, and make the jump next year. Already spent the piggy bank on the car, so it will give me time to save for the new setup.

Thanks all!

SARGEPUG

My 997.2 C2S has the "SPASM" setup w/ the 19" config. The spasm has the lower firmer springs, different shocks and struts and different roll bars. I believe in norm mode, it is equal to PASM shocks / struts, naturally the springs / bars are a constant. I find that the ride is fine in norm and I only put on sport on the smoothest of roads, because I find it too firm. You should be fine w/ a normal PASM.

alexb76

Wise decision... the 19" ride is NOT bad with PASM, but definitely 18" rides better. How much harshness is too harsh, is personal, and unless you ride in one, you won't really know if it's good enough for you or not.

ADias

A reader of this thread readily understands why PAG changed the 911 into the 991.

P.S. - and note the 991 20" rims do not add harshness.

GuyIncognito

my 997 had 19's (lobster forks) with PS2s when I bought it.

I went to 18's with Super Sports for a few reasons-looks, more sidewall (i.e. fewer bent rims on potholes), and I wanted smaller rear tire width...295s on the back of a C2 is overkill to me. 265s out back helps the handling balance IMO.

there was a slight increase in ride quality but not substantial enough to justify the switch by itself, IMO.

pissedpuppy

many more tire choices at 18" - reason for the track guys

I moved to 20" from 19" - felt no difference at all

bdoviack

I think one thing people are not mentioning is that you may get a drop in performance in going to larger wheel sizes. Don't forget, larger wheel = larger unsprung weight (metal weighs more than rubber). How big the difference is, is open to debate.

Plus if you look at any racing series around the world, I have yet to see a race car with a large wheel and small sidewall. Seems almost the inverse is true where the smaller the wheel, the greater the performance (Formula 1, Indy Car, etc.. Large wheels are primarily for cosmetics (or so it seems).