Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea of how susceptible the 21's on the Cayenne would be to pothole damage?

I am about to pull the trigger on a CTTS and I just had a bad experience with another car of mine. I am wondering if I am making a big mistake going with these wheels and driving around on roads that are never great.

I would be buying winter wheels, but I would not want to keep them on very long otherwise it kind of kills the whole performance edge of the Turbo.

Should I just get a regular Cayenne?

Thanks in advance for any helpful comments.

Mario

 

A 21" will be more susceptible to rim/wheel/tire damage due to a pothole than a 20, 19 or 18.
Simple physics (sidewall deflection, aspect ratio, loading, etc.....)

Of course it's impossible to say which pothole will allow a 21 and which won't (depending mainly on speed).

Of course, since 21's should only be applied to the vehicle once all the potholes are repaired, what's the problem?

 

Yeah. Don't buy a Cayenne because of the wheels that are on it. <what is the emoticon for 'Jesus H. Christ'?>

After all, the wheels are welded to the car and you'll be stuck if you make the wrong decision.

And of course, your car will explode unless you are in one of those pothole-free cities that Kentucky Fried Chicken has offered to patch.

 

I have 20" wheels, and I have yet to sustain pothole damage after multiple Indiana winters. My advice: don't hit them.

 

to HD2pct: well it does seem a waste to get the mac daddy turbo s and put monster truck tires on it!

I'm staring at a $2500 for one wheel on my Ferrari Superamerica, and I'm sure the Cayenne wheel will not be far off.

I guess I was just looking to see if there was any sort of bad track record for that size 35 series tire and wheel combo.

Not all potholes are avoidable

M

 

True... they aren't all avoidable, but if you're careful you can avoid almost all. I really haven't had an issue, and we get plenty around here.

I think I'd get the 21-inchers and take my chances.

 

Sorry man. I never said anything about avoiding anything.

I guess I'm saying that no way would my choice of vehicle be affected by the possibility of a "pothole". If I have to have pimp wheels on whatever I drive, I will just be ready to shell out whatever money is needed if I destroy one of them. Given the miniscule probability of such an occurrance, I certainly wouldn't downgrade because there are "potholes" in the world. Just go for it and stop worrying! If it's not a pothole, it might be a dead beaver that is frozen solid in January.

Just get the damn thing and drive it and be happy. Like Dennis, I have 20-inchers and after this winter, the Chicago roads look like IEDs have been planted and set off by the heavy cologne crowd. I haven't once wished for a Buick Enclave (an example of what nobody would want to drive)

 

Did you order it with the "Pothole Avoidance" option? It comes with the "Uninsured Driver Option", with it you'll never have anything to worry about. In mine when I switch it on it just zigs and zags around the potholes and has never run into an uninsured driver. These Germans really have some amazing technology available in these cars.

 

FWIW, the wheels are cheaper than $2500 each.
Contact Jeff at Sunset Imports for current pricing...Sunset is usually the best price around.

No, nothing out of the ordinary has been reported.

Agreed.

 

Could you please explain this statement? I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you meant.

 

Not PA "unofficial pothole capital of the world"

 

You haven't heard of that KFC "promotion" where they have offered to fill potholes in five U.S cities? Supposedly cities are competing based on an essay about their potholes or some such craziness.

This has gotten quite a bit of play here locally because all Chicago roads are beat to hell based on the January weather.

They started doing this in Louisville and they were even "branding" the filled pothole by stenciling the KFC logo.

 

Thanks guys.

I am going to go for it. Here was the pothole damage

I'll post pics of the Cayenne when I pick it up!

M

 

Well, I have a 20" (Sport Techno) that was declared "not perfect, but balanced" after a pothole. The 21" is 5 points less aspect ratio. I guess that's a 30 series? I have the GTS wheels on my Turbo now. Ride quality is noticeably less comfy, handling is unimproved, but surely the extra rubber on the road does mean higher limits, but not within the range of any driving I'd do on the street. These factors in mind, I wouldn't take off the 21's because of pothole fears (the 20's are susceptible to damage, so it's only degrees of risk) and I wouldn't put on the 21's for performance, plus they make stock S and Turbo brakes look a little small. I have the "Power Kit" brakes like the Turbo S, so they look great. : )

FWIW, I think the pothole damage was due to having the suspension set on Sport, having four people in the car, having the luggage loaded to the roof in the back and traveling at relatively high speed (about 80) and hitting a road repair gap perpendicular to, and the whole width of the lane -- thanks to the craftsman working for Caltrans.

As for potholes, just keep the air up in them and drive defensively so you can see the road ahead -- don't let a pothole come out from under the car in front unexpectedly because you're following too close to give yourself some reaction time. I really like the GTS wheels, though I no great fan of 21's over 20's (and even contemplated aftermarket lookalikes from wheelenhancement in 20's.)

 

YIKES!

But what are you going to do, not be stylish?

I liken this to people putting those ugly bras on their cars. There are a few situations where that might make sense at times (like in the Colorado Rockies in the springtime) but on the whole, what's the point of bringing your experience down a notch just to be "safe?" Let's face it - if you can afford to tool around in a Ferrari, you can afford a new wheel if you happen to blow one up on a pothole. And this math even works with the lowly Cayenne.