Why did Porsche switch from 265 to 285 tyre on rear?

I've searched this and other forums regarding tyre size and obviously there's lots of debate, but the reason why Porsche decided to switch from a 265 profile tyre (on an 18" wheel) to a 285 for the gen 2 is still somewhat ambiguous. Can anyone enlighten me as to why the change? Presuambly as the 285 was the latter option selected by Porsche they deemed this to be a more suitable tyre for the rear of the 996 C2 or C4 so despite the deviation from the original spec, there's logic to following suit and replacing the 265's with a 285?

FWIW my 2003 still seems to use 265's.

My 2003 car has 285 section which are a bit grippy. I will replace with 265 ones when due I think.

With the facelift and the change to the 3.6 engine.

My guess is because the 996.1 got a got of hate for being so similar to a Boxster being essentially the same car from the front seats going forward so they tried making as many cheap differences as possible in the gen 2 to make the 996 flagship sportcar different from the 986 fun roadster and its very cheap to simply order a wider tyre than manufacture new parts. the 986 on gen 1's offered up to 255's on the rears and standard spec 996's also had 255's with 265's as an option so giving the 996's 285's in the gen 2 is a cheap way of making the 911 look more powerful side by side alongside the new headlights, slightly bigger engine and sell the ideal of all that rear engine power weight and grip compared to the more balance conservatively powered 986 Especially with the S model 986 coming out which would makes people ask why the 996 is almost twice the price for almost the same car with a different engine placement, 200cc extra displacement and a rear trunk rather than tiny rear seats. Of course you also get more grip with the 285's, but the caveat of that is you are going to get worse mpg. on the road realistically the mpg is the main difference you will notice.

The 986 and 996 do have similar features, but they are far from the same car, as much as I have a soft spot for a 986 s, it doesn't have the road presence and residual qualities of a 996. There seems to be afew posts regarding 265/285 tyres which have been previously answered, both fit so go with what you fancy 👍

That's what I was thinking; that potentially the difference was an asthetic shift and the fact that 'bigger is therfore better' on the new spec sheet. As Gt30wl says it's well discussed but the debate is always based on what folk have as their personal preference, the true answer Porsche's thinking behind it continues to be an enigma, although I'm sure you're pretty close to the mark esendia I'm due some new rear's so I'll think I'll be replacing my 265s with 285s this time to see for myself...

I ordered 265's from Exel wheels, he said "the 285 sits on the wheel with a nicer profile", I changed my order to 285. I don't think it makes a great deal of difference, other than maybe the 285 giving the rim a little more protection from menacing curbs.

I just downsized my rear 285's on Chris @CenterGravity recommendation. Suggested 265 as ideal setup, but I went for 275 to retain more rim protection.

I mean more from the perspective of a potential buyer when new. though also as an owner of a 986 and 996 and a heavy DiYer can say they share a hell of a lot, almost identical suspension components, the engine is essentially the same crank case with different cylinders bolted to it, same for the gearbox with a couple internal changes, they even share the same mounts just in reverse since the chassis share the same base and almost all electronics and such are also identical.

The rear wheel went from 10" to 11" with the facelift which is most likely why the tyre size went up. The original 10" rims were largely carried over from the 993.

Not on the narrow body, they were 10in before and after face-lift. C4S was 11in as was turbo but they are 295 tyres.

If I were replacing the rears on my facelift car, I would use 275 PS4s, a more modern tyre than the PS2 which I have and which are too new to change.

I think the simple answer here is tyre deveolpment and progress. As the years have gone by diameters and widths have increased and profiles come down.

:yeah: Thats got my vote .