Wheel size - is it worth getting larger wheels?
 

Buying 2013 Cayenne S, which comes with 18" wheels standard. Will choose summer tires and buy separate winter wheels (18") and tires. In my other cars I have larger (20") wheels. I like the Cayenne because of its car-like ride - but is the wheel situation different? I was thinking of ordering optional 19" or 20" wheels instead of standard 18" ones, but maybe that's not a good idea.
Any feedback?

I have 19's that came with my truck and like them. Have separate 19" set with snow tires. I believe the ride is softer with the deeper sidewalls and they are more pot hole resistant. But, it is up to you. I had 18 inch snows on my previous trucks but they don't fit my newer one (09). Would have used them if they would have fit. Also, I look for a rim that is relatively easy to clean.

my $.02 !

My 11'CT came with 20"Spyders
A few months ago I decided to experiment with 22s,for a more car like look
My first pcars were 997s,so the ride will never be too harsh for me in a Cayenne...however that being stated:I love my Champion 22s
The ride is a tad firmer,but they drive with more stability and precision..and I can confirm they are rock solid and steady all the way to 175:D
Just my 2c

Kocsis,
Stick with the 18's especially in the winter. I work in Newton and live in Franklin and the roads here suck, as you know. I had 19's on in the summer time and, believe me, you'll REALLY feel every pothole.
Good luck

Been on 20s (all seasons) for the past 6 years. Perfect size.

Agreed,20s felt just right
22s are fun,but pushing it a bit
Ps:Pops..cool avatar,met Vincent wayyy back in the day
He used to live at the top of Montmartre,in his dad's townhouse..right next to the Sacre-Coeur..groovy guy,if a tad kooky
Loved driving my bike up and down that hill:D

A friend of mine, who was born & grew up in Paris, met him many times "in the hood" as well and always talks about how down to earth he is. Good to know.

Down to earth and up in the air..as he was fond of showing off the skills he had acquired during the "Ecole du Cirque"
His father Jean-Pierre was quite the class act and so accessible for such a movie star
I was friends with his little bro Mathias..
Wow Pops,thanks for the wittle walk down memory lane :)

we bought with 18' & fitted 20" aftermarkets, so we are about $10,000 up....20" ride almost the same, though we did very few miles on the 18", changed same day.
I would like to fit winter tyres on the 18s, but don't know if i could stand the look vs the 20" rims!
see pics of 'your cayenne' to see rims, turbo II 20".

Same as blazing928!

I like small winter rim/tire settup, and something nicer for summer.

Factory 20" on the car in my market are over $4000, and they don't give you the 18"s you traded up for!

I strongly negotiated to try and get the car delivered with the 18"'s and winter, instead of the A/S / Summer choice ... and absolutely no cigar. Dealer stated that they would have to swap at the dealer, and even though the tires my car would be delivered with are practically new, legally they are "used" with no warranty if removed from my car, and dealer can't do much with them.

So delivered with the 18"s (I checked the free "summer HP" upgrade box, since they are more expensive). Car got delivered with the Micheline Latitude Sports (which are ridiculously expensive in my market), pulled them off after a week and sold them on-line as "take-off's" for almost the same price to buy my new 18" Pirelli Scorpion Winter tires.

Then got a nice replica 20" settup for summer with Pirelli N-spec tires, and aftermarket TPMS for $2400 or so.

Porsche route would have been $4000 (20") + $3500 (winter tire 18" package) = $7500!

Difference, my 20" rims's are not "German" ... never had an issue before. Also slightly more hassle than asking them to place the other set of wheels/tires in the trunk when picking up the new car.

18" a bit softer, less crisp handling, not as attractive. 20" bit harsher, crisper handling, much nicer looking and visually better suite this class of vehicle!

More $.02:

18's or 19's are best for winter with a relatively narrow 255 tire. 20's are a nice size with 275 rubber if your winter driving is limited (e.g. New Mexico) or for most parts of the country for summer. 22's look awesome, but are IMHO stretching it unless your roads are like glass with no imperfections.

BTW, roads suck everywhere these days. We had to have a referendum here in AZ to raise money just to fix the roads that have been neglected during the ailing economy!

I agree completely.

I recently purchased a 2012 Cayenne S that came with the 18" Cayenne S III wheel with all season tires. I did not like them but the dealer would not replace them with 19" wheels even for extra cash (they said they did not have any in stock). I found a new set of Cayenne Design II 19" wheels with Pirelli tires that someone had traded in when they bought aftermarket wheels at my tire shop. So I bought them for $2000, which is less than the dealer could have charged me if they had them in stock. I like the 19" better, the car looks better and seems to corner better.

My wife's Cayenne Turbo came with 22" wheels and P Zero tires. Her vehicle certainly performs better than mine, but mine has a more comfortable ride.

I opted for the 20" RS Spyder Design wheel (with PCCB), I'm very happy with them. I've had the car 6 months now and the wheels still look clean/new thanks to the ceramic vs metallic. When I took the off road track at Leipzig, they said not to try that track on 20" wheels. For off road, big rocks, etc, you need more rubber, ie 18-19" wheels, otherwise 20" is good all around, comfort vs pure road handling IMO.

I use 20" wheels for my summer tires and 18" wheels for my winter tires. I believe that the ride is better on the 18s, but the 20s look better. I think the 20" wheel is the perfect size, as Pops mentioned above.