19 wheels and tires

[Cosmo007]

I called my local Porsche dealer today and asked them what size tire is recommended for a 19 inch rim on my 2003 Porsche 996 Twin Turbo.

NOTE: I was told by the Porsche dealer that 19 inch tires, wheels and/or wheelsets are NOT APPROVED for use on 911 Carrera(996), C4, C4S and Turbo.

The Porsche dealer even faxed me a technical information bulletin from PCA North America stating; PAG has not approved the use of 19" wheels on 911(996) vehicles due to safety issues, handling and driveline damage.

Any thoughts ?

JIM

PS. I'd be happy to fax anyone the PCA technical information bulletin. E-mail me your fax number.

[wross996TT]

the recommended tire size is 235/35-19 F and 315/25-19 R...for street you will not notice any handling issues...for track it is recommended to stay with 18's

[PTEC]

The dealer is pretty much required to stand behind Porsche's recommendation of not using 19s. Of course there are a bunch of people running 19s without problems but its a CYA thing for dealers. If you're the one person in a million to have problems with 19s you can't turn around and blame the dealer.

[KevinMac]

The dealer is pretty much required to stand behind Porsche's recommendation of not using 19s. Of course there are a bunch of people running 19s without problems but its a CYA thing for dealers. If you're the one person in a million to have problems with 19s you can't turn around and blame the dealer.

Porsche recommends the 18 for a reason. It seems Porsche does tune suspension utilizing tire size. Based on the attached article I would not go to 19's. BTW in order to keep the same diameter and rolling revs per mile, you will have to go to a lower profile tire. Results will be a harder ride, and if you get a blowout, maybe a damaged rim.

Read this article and it may bring some understanding.

http://www.europeancarweb.com/features/epc...test/index.html

Edited July 15, 2008 by KevinMac

[wross996TT]

Porsche recommends the 18 for a reason. It seems Porsche does tune suspension utilizing tire size. Based on the attached article I would not go to 19's.

This assumes you have not upgraded the poor stock suspension. This is a must. I have been on 19's for over a year...no problems, no measurable change in comfort, if anything, with the lower profile tire, the car handles better.