Looks aside - what is the best tire/wheel size for cayenne's
 

I honestly think big wheels look really nice on a cayenne. However the bigger the oem wheel the heavier it is and there is less rubber for dampening rough surfaces. It seems difficult to optimize for looks and on/off road performance all at the same time.

I am curious what tire / wheel size is ideal for balancing performance and utility at the limits on the road and off. Seems like you can't have your cake and eat it too. I wonder about really light 20" wheels with slightly larger than stock diameter tires..

I really like spirited driving on road and being able to tackle forest service roads without spinal injury. Right now my 18" tires are nice offroad and pretty decent on road too.. perhaps a touch soft but i dont want to give up offroad prowess..

The conventional logic is lower profile tires for onroad and big sidewalls for off road. haha, what to do?

What tire/wheel combo is being used on the transyberia? May give insight.
Ed

It's hard to have it both ways!

I run 20" wheels with my summer tires, and I really like them. When I put my winter tires on, I want more rubber and less metal, so I drop down to 18" wheels.

Maybe you should split the difference and go wtih 19" wheels...

For dual purpose 19" are pretty good, they had fine on road and have enough sidewall to let me safely drop pressures to 15 psi in the desert. Still its a compromise.

I've had both 18's and 20's. I like the 20's with 275 width rubber which are also fine for light off-roading, but would not want to rock climb or ford any rivers with them.

I think the suspension height has quite a bit to do with the look too. If your Cayenne is sitting low, then 20" wheels look pretty big, as you can see below. This photo was taken with the suspension set to the "loading" position. I usually drive it one notch higher in the "low" position when the summer tires are in place.

Yeah I stay in low/sport 95% of the time.. until i go on dirt roads. Well thanks for chiming in guys you pretty much confirmed that there is no middle ground haha.

Still I am running about 3% larger diameter tires on my ML and really like the extra rubber. I know this is a contentious issue for some people because it throws off the computer but it hasnt been an issue at all with the ML. Which brings me back to sourcing light weight 20's and running extra rubber.. seems like there is plenty of room in there for bigger tires.

Anyone on the forums running bigger than stock diameter tires?

I am: 18s with 60s.

I am using 22# wheels and i can tell you for shure...... Maybe the look is better but the comfort from driving a SUV is gone.

19's on the stock Tits rims run great.

I ran 255\55-18 Pirelli ATRs on my GTS and was amazed at their performance on the road (PDCC really helps). Actually had better grip than my current RRS S\C with 275-40-20 summer performance tires. There was also a 20+ pound difference per corner going from 21" to 18" wheels, which helped the steering, acceleration and gas mileage (9 vs. 13mpg - manual).

If I were to do it again, I would go with 265\60-18 (30.5") Yoko AT-S, as this is still my favorite tire for on-road\off-road performance, are HR rated, are relatively light for an AT, are as composed (noise, ride) as all seasons, and have great dry/wet grip and aqua-planning resistance. I really like the Pirelli ATR too.

Very funny.. I am running 30.5" yokohama AT-s on my ML.. I have noticed a little more noise now that they are at 25k but have been great tires. I believe the stock diameter on the ML and cayenne is really close.. around 29". I chose the Yoko AT-S's because of the good balance of attributes... they havent fared well on tirerack ratings since I purchased them but I don't know why. Its amazing how much more grip I have with the cayenne hooning it on a dirt road with my stock 18's. The nimbleness and handling on dirt/gravel amazes me. The other day I felt like a rally-cross driver. Had the wife gripping those handles, white knuckles and everyone laughing. Still with the oversized tires on the ML I can drive over anything without thinking and the handling didnt get worse with the bigger size - just more comfy. Gosh maybe I should just leave well enough alone and just go up a tire size on the next replacement.

I'm running stock sized ATs on stock sport technos on my CT-S. Good onroad and very good offroad compared to my 19" winters.
I actually forded rivers and climbed rocks - and this combinaton really works. I posted a pic somewhere, look it up.

Cool - what is the stock size on your CT-S.. 20? Are sport technos a porsche oem wheel style? Sorry, new to this porshah game.

Two sets. 20's + for asphalt driving, 18's for off road. IMO the cayenne needs 20's to look visually balanced.