997gt3north

- was thinking of getting "all season" tires to run in fall and spring - since there is more tire choice in 18"s, will 18"s clear the now larger pccb rotors / calipers?

- this is a picture I took of the car at the dealer

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...il1969/gt3.jpg

Polar Peter

Looks like your dealer is Jack D's on RT4??

Sharptt

Sweet ride! The answer to your question may also depend on the exact wheel and offset, not just diameter. I've run into this problem on the race cars where two wheels of the same diameter and width don't both clear the calipers. But they do make all-seasons and even snows in 19" porsche sizes and given the power of the GT3 that would be my humble recommendation. Might be a bit tougher to locate this time of year but cost-wise almost the same.

Z06

Wow! nice car.

Carrera GT

Reminds me of that old commercial:

"Why is this car smiling?"

: )

Very nice. Very nice. Very nice.

As for the "wheel over brake" question, I don't know of a caliper that won't snug inside an appropriate 18, but I have heard of wheels that don't fit when other wheels of the same diameter do clear. I imagine this is something the dealer can answer (or test and prove) very quickly, just grab a Carrera wheel and see if it's okay. Personally, I'm still a bit reluctant about 19's for the track and while I am 100% happy with the 19's for the street (damn the potholes) I just don't see the traction or weight or tyre selection benefit, plus my 996 GT3 llooks just right sitting down on its 18's. As they say, you can't fix what ain't broke. : )

lawjdc

Yesterday I uncovered the Pcar and drove it to work on a clear, sunny, 20 degree day. It was nice to drive it for a change, but the Michelins do not have a whole lot of traction in the cold weather. Actually, if the truth be known, they have very little traction. If your climate is cold during the fall and spring, some all-season tires may be a good idea. But I really don't understand the advantage of 18" wheels on a car engineered for 19" wheels, particularly when all-season tires are readily available for the 19's. I noticed that Brandywine Porsche is selling new 19" GT3 wheels for $3200 per set. That is a very good price, and I doubt that you will get a quality set of wheels for a better price than that.

I am, of course, assuming that you will not be doing any track time with the all-season tires.

MJones

Considering that the Cup and RSR cars have 380mm brakes and are supplied with 18" wheels I'd say yes you can fit 18's.

This is a question to which your dealership will have no clue.

The approved winter tire solution per TSB are 19" Nokian WR tires

A quick call to Porsche Motorsport North America, (714) 546-6939 should answer your question as to fitting 18's over 380mm PCCB.

Let us know what you find out.

FixedWing

Greetings North.

Before buying those 18 inch wheels I think you need to take a loot at what's available in winter tyres. Last time I checked, if you use an 18 inch wheel then you will need to go with something like a 265/35R18 on a 10Jx18 wheel at the back. The tyre manufacturers have not made full width winter tyres in that size. But if you stick with a 19 inch wheel then you will be able to go with a full width 19 inch wheel. On my Turbo the narrower wheel is a good choice as it maintains the right tyre rolling distance for the AWD system. The balance is improved. But such a narrow wheel on the GT3 could be a problem as it has wider wheels at the front. You could find yourself with more oversteer than you want.

You're never going to get a real winter tyre on these cars so why not stick with the 19 inch wheels? Worst case, you will end up with an extra set of track wheels.

Stephen