Question about ride quality
 

As I posted in another thread yesterday, I thought I had found my Panamera out of state. My SA advised me last evening that it was not available any longer, unfortunately. I confirmed with out of state dealer this morning. I have decided to do a special order since I’m not in a rush. With a free day today I decided to hit a local dealer with a lot of inventory to try the different variety of Panamera trim levels once again. I actually drove three different models consecutively over the same route and noticed a significant difference in ride quality. All handled well for my needs. All were driven in “normal” mode or in the case of the hybrid “hybrid mode”. The base model with RWD had 20 inch Michelin Pilot Sport tires and ride was clearly the smoothest. The 4S with 21’s (Pirelli summer tires) and the hybrid with 20’s (Pirelli Cinturato P7’s I believe) had a much harsher ride on some rough pavement. I can understand the 21 inch summer tires on the 4S being a little more harsh but the hybrid’s ride was disappointing. Do the tires make a significant difference? What about the added weight of the hybrid- does that factor in ride quality? What about RWD vs AWD? Was all set to order the ehybrid with 21’s but am reluctant to opt even for 20’s after today’s experience. Thoughts????

Thanks,

John

Living in the Bay Area I believe you need, let's be kind here, the most compliant rubber for the quality of streets it will encounter. That's why I've stayed with 19" as much as I like some of the 20" wheels.

Go with the smaller wheels and you kill multiple birds with one stone; smoother ride, reduced braking distances, increased acceleration, better road conformity increasing traction, reduction in damage from road hazards, etc. Don't let the hype fool you, bigger wheels reduce performance in every measurable metric. Ride comfort on the other hand is subjective in many respects. I would first seek out a model with the air suspension and see where you are with it. I went 20's with air, works fine for me but that's me. There are quite a few dealers in your area you should be able to find cars with the air and with any luck one or more of the wheels sizes, it's unfortunate the dealers seem to like to load on the 5k 21's.

The main advantage of the larger wheels for me is better steering response. The front end of these cars is heavy so if your travels includes a lot of curves, like mine, I wouldn’t go with less than 20 inch. I found 19s to be a bit sloppy on winding roads.

Tire pressure. That's very important, too.

This^^^^^^^^^^^

Agreed with above. Air pressures are key. I have three sets of wheels, all 20 inch for my PTTS (winters with stock size Mich AS/3, summer with Mich PS4 and track with Mich PS4 N0) choosing to run the tires in comfort mode (32 PSI) will make the car drive a lot more plush versus running them at 44 PSI. And, I would also throw out that I do not use run flat versions since those tend to be so harsh on the ride.

I live in the South Bay area. I have the 2018 E-Hybrid (custom ordered) with 21" wheels and the Pirelli Cinturato P7 tires. I have my tire pressures set to 40 fronts and 45 rears (cold). I find the ride quality to be excellent. Last week drove on a Porsche Tour with Loma Prieta Region through the Santa Cruz mountains and on and off of Highway 1 through some very bumpy and windy roads. I did hit one pothole very hard but fortunately no visible damage. The main reason I went with the 21" wheels is because I really like the look much better than the 20" and especially the 19" wheels. I have 7000 miles on the car and have never regretted the 21" wheels. Further, as I've written on other posts before, when I picked up my car in LA, I also attended the Porsche Driver Experience in Torrance. The e-Hybrid I drove there was identical to my car and also had the P7 Pirelli tires on the 21" wheels. Handling was outstanding.

One other point regarding tire pressures. If you choose to run low tire pressures (around 32 as mentioned above by dwwalkwer) you will get a much softer ride but you will burn through tires (especially PZero or Michelin PS4's) much quicker as the outer treads will disappear rapidly.

Has anyone chalked their tires?