I actually want to run a little taller wheel/tire setup to help my speedometer accuracy.

 

295/30-19 and 245/35-19 is a better tire size for the front.


Construction.


High Light Technology (HLT)
The High Light Technology (HLT) process used in the manufacturing of O.Z. Racing's Alleggerita HLT and Botticelli HLT wheels, for example, uses rollers to compress and elongate the material along the barrel of a low-pressure cast aluminum wheel to obtain the desired profile. This process, which is directly derived from O.Z.'s experience in F1, produces wheels that are extremely light and strong.
The flow forming process and the HLT technologies combine to create mechanical characteristics similar to those of a forged wheel. This permits a dramatic reduction in wheel weight while enhancing structural rigidity vs. a standard cast wheel.

 

19" FS - Totally tranformed my car. Better ride, better look, looks way more modern.

 

avante garde are great and have very good customer service, i have them on my audi and couldnt be happier

 

like i say, ( and many are happy with 19's ) however!

one should not try to re-invent the wheel ( sizes ) here drop the car with 18's and re-align it, that';ll look badass and handle as well as is possible for the car in mostly stock config.. and no 19' will ever be able to perform as well. ( go ahead, flame me lol )

seriously. think 996gt2! there's gotta be a reason! lol. but again, do what suits ya. cheers.

 

Thanks for the advice. I like the idea of GT2 sizes or going to 19" (for looks not performance). I am really starting to like the OZ idea as well as they are made in Italy and appear to be a good alternative to forged. I could always get them in black and latter on have them powder-coated to another color if I wanted to change up the look. Looks like Tirerack has pretty good selection as well.

-C

 

Always an interesting conversation.

If 18's are better then 19's (which they are for performance), then why aren't people running 17's?

Because, as we all know wheels serve a function as well as being jewelry for the car. It's all about compromise.

A nice forged wheel and light weight tire will weigh the same or less than the stock 18" wheels/tires, so you're not hurting performance.

The GT2 is not really a good example, because we all know Porsche will build the car in the configuration that will sell. As an example, the 991 GT3 has 20" wheels.

Later, Steve

 

that isn't something i could answer steve, but porsche probably could.


au contraire, i think it's a perfect example of why 18's work *best* for the car. i would imagine that if 19's were a better overall wheel size on the 96gt2? then porsche would've chosen those as oem fitment. especially since so many ( seem to ) think they *look* better. but they didn't, ( as you know ) so i'm going with porsche's expertise in the absence of any other info suggesting otherwise.

18's are the best sized wheel for this platform. ask weissach/stuttgart lol it's an old ( non ) debate

 

if i were you? i'd order them from track as you would like them, and plan of fitting your car to suit the wider wheels/stance. 19's isn't the only way to get the look you desire, without sacrificing handling/ harshness of ride ( 19's..)

i'm just sayin there's a way to achieve both ( looks and performance ) while using the optimal wheel sizes for the car! that said, 19's ain't gonna kill ya. go with what you prefer. just don't think that 18's won't look/perform as good or better than ANY 19 setup. they will.

 

I think we have to keep in perspective the year our cars were produced. 19 and 20 were hitting the market then but reputable tire mfgs were not willing to produce sizes that were not popular like in our cars and needs. Even to this day the wright tire size and load handling for AWD vehicle makes our selection limited.
Maybe things have changed and tire compounds and side wall compliance are better to allow a 19" wheel tire combo to be as ride compliant as an 18" wheel combo

 

maybe!.. maybe even probably. i don't know. but in the same way i don't see a "need" for a "better" tire than the michelin ps2? the same goes for wheel sizing ( for me anyway ). but i don't think there has been any *improvement* in the handling/stance/ride quality ( whatever THAT means!? lol ) by any combination of wheels and tires as those which were offered by running factory recommended gt2 size wheels and the accompanying tires for this car...since the 996 turbo/gt2 iteration was first introduced. my point is that relative to wheel size, there isn't anything "better" available today beyond what was decided upon by the maker and the same holds true today.

and few would argue the 19 is an "improvement" in any way, other than *possibly*(?!) looks. even that is debatable to me lol. but it is again, merely a matter of personal choice. personally i hated 19's but not enough to stop driving the car! lol..and it's not like we are talking "20's" on this car

again .. to each their own