I recently purchased my first Porsche. A 1999 Carrera. I am also new to this site. I want to replace my 18" wheels and tires to 19". Can someone tell me what the largest sized wheel/tire combo that can be installed on this model. Thank you.

 

I have a 99 C2 with 19x8.5 and 19x11s. 245/30 ft 315/25 19 rear. Be prepared for people to jump in and say 19s are "too big" or that they make the care drive different, or the weight will screw up balance.... I've ran this size for over a year and had no issues. I've seen others on this site have this combo for over 4 years.... no problems so far and i have NEVER heard anyone complain about the wheels being too large that suspension components have broken or brakes worn faster.. blah blah blah...

they can all **** off.. its your car and build it how you wish! Have fun.. put chrome on it.. black out the whole effing thing... wrap the car in plastic.....

 

As the guy who likes to take the other side of this argument... I'll start by saying this: It's your car, and you should set it up however you want. If you like 19s, then go for it. Sergio has been running the sizes mentioned above and apparently has no issues, so that's a good starting point for you.

Now that I've got that out of the way, I'd like to present another opinion for you to consider.

The 996 was designed and tested with 18s as the biggest wheel option. There's not an officially recommended tire and wheel size for 19s, because Porsche doesn't recommend this.

Typically (not always), 19s are heavier than 18s. The tire is a little heavier too. That weight is further from the center of rotation with a 19 compared to an 18, (metal weighs more than rubber) resulting in higher gyroscopic stabilization force. This additional force is transmitted to your suspension, brakes and steering components in an exponential fashion. If you only drive on the street, it probably won't matter. Even if you drive on the track, it may not matter. Then again, it might matter. Porsches are designed to be driven as your daily driver during the week, and driven at extremes on the track on the weekend. That's the beauty of this car. If you're comfortable with the unknown, then this won't matter for you. If you want to keep it the way Porsche designed and tested it, then go with 18s.

It's just another point of view to consider. Lots of people will say "I use 19s with no problems... yada yada yada".

I think you should put whatever wheel size you want on your car. I just think it's best to consider all viewpoints before making a decision.

Good luck.

BTW - which wheels are you considering? There are lots of beautiful choices available in 19s (and 18s too).

 

Dennis... also remember that a lot of guys choose high quality wheels that even with rubber mounted... weigh less that that of factory wheels.

 

Yes Sergio, you're right about that. I agree with you. In fact, many of the OEM wheels are quite heavy. The distribution of the weight is part of the issue. More weight further from the axis of rotation = greater gyroscopic stabilization force. This may not be an issue for the OP, or for many people. I'm just trying to present the other side of the argument.

 

You knew I would chime in on this one, didn't you?

 

LOL Dennis.. I was actually smiling when i was writing my first reply because i DID know you'd chime in. Knowledge is key.... and there are so many angles one could take.... i wish i had this much info when i was 16 and hosed my first car with modifications...

 

If there is ONE reason why I would NOT go up to 19 inch... it's because of the limited tire choices and the added cost for them.

 

Thank you both for your input. I understand that Porsche designed the 1999 996 with 18" wheels/tires in mind. I was just thinking of making it look more "up-to-date" with the 19"s.

I was looking at d2Forged, HRE, GMG, and CCW as replacement wheels. I'm looking at a monobloc concave designed wheel.

Heck, now I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board.

 

The BBS CH-R is an awesome looking wheel. It's only available in a 19" size or bigger. HRE also offers some very nice, very light weight 19s.

I've been considering the Victor Equipment Innsbruck wheel. This wheel is rotary forged, and is very light weight. It's available in 18 or 19, and it's quite a bit less expensive than HRE and other premium wheels.

 

Bought my car with 19s already on it, was ambivalent about it at first (sorry, do not know what brand the wheels are). Now I cannot imagine it with anything but 19s.

 

go 19s! 19x8.5 up front, 19x10.5 or 11. really depends on offset tho. if u have a C2, u can play around with the rear tire size. no need to worry about the 4wd differential

if u go 18s, CCWs are pretty sweet!

the VE innsbruck r a really nice wheel for the price... tempted myself

 

Rennen M Mesh 19" forged monoblock's

 

How hard is it to find tires for the 19's? What about 20's, do they look too big on the car?

 

We have many options in 19". But we also do have options in 18" for the 996.

Here's the R40 Series



HRE C90