RJay

Hello Experts! I have a 2000 996 C2 non-psm that I've just started to autocross. I wanted to go to R compound tires, but my car came with 19" wheels (245/35 & 275/30 Goodyear F1s) when I bought it. I've yet to do any suspension work. Additionally, I'd say that my goals are to be modestly competitive, I'm not trying to win, just feel like I'm not the worst guy out there. Am I correct that no one is making competition tires in 19"? I've drawn a blank on finding any. This seems to be forcing me to buy a second set of wheels. Given a limited budget and little desire to change wheels before each event, I'm wondering about the tradeoffs between going to 18" vs. 17". Would it make more sense to go to the 18" '02 five spoke wheels or drop down to 17" to afford a set of forged wheels, say Fikses? I would appear if I drop to 17"s I'll also loose quite a bit of width as there doesnt appear to be an 17" equivalent for 225/285 combo and 205/255 appears to be the widest setup available which makes me believe I'd be giving up too much. Opinions?

Drew_K

For autocrossing, 17 inch rims are fine from a performance standpoint. Plus, they weigh less than a comparable 18 inch rim which means less unsprung weight. I use 16 inch track rims on my 92 C2, and they are LIGHT. Plus, I put a smaller diameter tire on them, which gives me slightly better acceleration.

I'm not sure I understand your question about losing width by dropping to 17's. You can easily fit a 225 up front on a 7 inch wide rim (I put 225's on a 6 inch rim), and 275's will fit on a 9 inch wide rim. Check tirerack.com's web site for tech specs on R compound tires. The Kuhmo's seem to be pretty good.

I definitely would not use 205's up front or the car will push like crazy. I went from 205's to 225's up front, and the difference in handling was very noticeable.