Should I upgrade my 996 from 17in to 18in wheels?

Hello all, I picked up my first 911 a little over a month ago and so far it has been absolutely superb. It is a 996.2 with a standard transmission, the M030 sport chassis and PSM. While the car has been great, the first maintenance item has come quickly as the tires are nearly in need of replacement. I have four questions for you guys: 1) The rear tires are slightly more worn than the fronts. In most rear wheel drive cars I would just think the car had spun its tires a bit, but because it is nearly impossible to break the rears loose on a dry day, I assume that it is normal for slightly uneven wear to occur as a result of having so much weight biased towards the rear of the car. Is that a correct assumption? 2) My car currently has factory 10 spoke 17 inch wheels on it with colored Porsche crests. These are the original wheels to the car, they are in excellent condition, and they have been professionally powder coated. I am debating whether or not it is worth it to upgrade to factory 18 inch wheels for the extra diameter. I actually quite like the look of my current 17 inch wheels, so appearance is not a consideration for me in this decision. While the car will not see track time, I started racing competitively at age 7 and because of my experience I am pretty good at noticing changes in the performance of a car (ie: the added weight of a passenger). I currently live in Arizona and the car is a daily driver, however, I often take it on "spirited" drives through the nearby canyons. To those who have experienced both the factory 17 inch and 18 inch wheels on the street or on the track, was the difference in cornering speed noticeable? Logic dictates that installing wheels which can fit tires that are 20-30mm wider in front and 30-40mm wider in the rear whilst having a lower profile would lead to a fairly significant improvement in lateral grip. That said, fitting larger wheels and tires will add a considerable amount of unsprung mass, so I am curious as to what those who have driven with both setups think of the trade off. 3) If I do decide to upgrade to 18 inch wheels, I am primarily considering used factory Carrera 2 or Sport Design styles. I am not a big fan of the Turbo Twist style, but I would consider other options. I am not currently looking at aftermarket wheels because I don't trust cheap ones and I can't afford quality ones. What kind of price gap am I looking at between my 17 inch wheels 18 inch wheels on the used market? 4) My car has Sumitomo HTR iii tires on it in factory dimensions. For a road tire, I think they are pretty good but it seems that they are no longer being made. What tire recommendations would you guys make for a car which is daily driven and spends most of its time in Arizona, but may see some time in Indiana if I have to go back to campus for the Fall 2021 semester (I'm a Junior studying finance at Indiana University). Traction in the snow is not something I am worried about, but decent wet weather traction would be nice for peace of mind. For the most part though, I am looking for maximum dry traction with reasonable treadwear and a reasonable price. Thank you for your time and suggestions, Spiro

Congratulations on your 996 purchase! My 996.1 is on 17" wheels (the standard twists) and from all that I have read, the 17" wheels actually give better handling than 18" due to the reduction in unsprung weight. But I'm far from a professional driver so maybe others with more experience will chime in. I did put a fresh set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's with N rating on the summer wheels and they are great.

Thanks for the reply Frederik! I had a set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s on my old Evo 8 a few years ago and I also thought that they provided exceptional grip. I may grab another set if they are the consensus. The only problem I had with them is that they only lasted about 15,000 miles on my Evo, which is not great for a daily driver. Obviously, a shorter duration of tread life is the cost of high performance tires, but if 15,000 miles is all I can get out of them I was hoping there might be a cheaper alternative with similar performance. You stated, "[F]rom all that I have read, the 17" wheels actually give better handling than 18" due to the reduction in unsprung weight." If you have the time, would you mind sharing the source of that information? Unsprung mass is critical to handling and the overall feel of a car, but I am surprised to hear that the smaller diameter wheel outperforms the larger one. Thank you, Spiro

Either are fine but 17" tires that you want to run can be harder to find.

Yup! Keep the 17's for your winter tires, and put some 18's on there (PS4S...) I'm partial to the Sport Classic II design, but I really like the lightweight 5 spoke design as well...

I personally wouldn�t ditch the 17s; and have been half heartedly looking for a set to swap on in place of my solid 18 twists that are heavy. Just my opinion though; I think the 10 spoke 17s look great. I would say that you could probably get $600-900 for your wheels depending on tires. And expect to pay $800-1500 for some nice 18� wheels like the Carrera 5 spokes that are narrow toward the rim and are really light.

Upgrade to 18’s, keep the 17’s if you want, as you might use them for snow or just because. The Carrera 5 spokes are classic and durable and light all-around excellent wheels. There are other fantastic 18” options around the same price point.

I did not realize the 996-2 came with 17 in wheels. Is this correct? I know the 996-1 did with 18s as an option.

Pretty good list of wheel weights. http://www.944racing.de/felgengewichte.php

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I believe I just searched on various forums, and I can't find a definitive source of information for that right now. And I've only had the PS2's for half a year so don't know how long they will last. Personally I'm sort of torn between 17" and 18". On one hand I like the friendly, unassuming look of the car on 17s and appreciate the extra comfort, but when I see a picture of a 996 on Sport Techno's it does look really nice and more sporty... Good luck with your decision.

Re 1) : I've owned my '01 since new. I've replaced rear tires quite reliably every 12,000 miles. The fronts have never been replaced because they wore out, but, as a summer car, because by the time 2 sets of rears wore out, tire technology/offerings changed enough that the fronts were discarded just to have a matched set. I'm guessing fronts would easily go 25,000+ miles to the rears 12,000. I have approx. 64,000 miles on the car. Yes, it's the weight, and I don't drive super aggressively.

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Thank you for the reply Steve. It is good to know that I should only expect around 12,000 miles from the rear tires. Although that could get pricey, at least now I know not to blame it on the tires! Thanks again Fredrick! I agree the sport technos look fantastic, especially on a dark colored 996. I also tried to find some information on the forums, but I was unable to find anything definitive. I think that is because most guys who track 996s � and could thus tell the difference empirically � have much lighter aftermarket wheels on the car. Thanks for the link hbdunn. I have actually seen this link before when I was looking to replace the aftermarket wheels on my 968 variocam swapped 944 with factory wheels. I didn't save the link though, so this time I bookmarked it. Before the 968 swapped 944, I had a LS swapped 944. Unfortunately, that car met an untimely end because it had knockoff BBS wheels on it. It was in very good condition with no rust whatsoever, clean original paintwork, and a nearly complete interior. When I bought it, the car had the old BBS knockoffs, but because they were wrapped in brand new BfGoodrich tires I assumed that the rims were fine. However, on just my second journey after finishing the car, I hit a pothole and the rim sheered in half which shot the car to the right and I hit a tree at 40 MPH. It turned out that the center barrel of the wheel had rusted through and that's why a small pothole sheered it. Amazingly I was completely unscathed, but from then on I have had no trust in cheap aftermarket wheels. Pmkazz, yes sir it is! My car has the original window sticker showing the base model 17 inch 10 spoke wheels. Thanks for the response Neil. I would probably sell the 17 inch wheels if I decided to buy 18 inch wheels because during quarantine I have been staying with my parents. I have asthma so COVID is more of a concern for me than it was for my roommates back at University. It was just the safer decision for me to take my classes online from home. I don't think my parents would fancy having some wheels laying around the garage. They are already not happy that I have some leftover parts from my old c5 Corvette that I've been selling and those take up hardly any room. If I do decide to sell them, I shoot you a PM if you are interested. They are professionally powder coated and there is no curb rash or damage at all on any of the wheels. That is a good point sgt1372! I 17 inch tires are getting harder and harder to find. My Dad has a Factory Five Cobra which has 15 inch wheel on it and he now has only TWO tire choices that fit his wheels! I can definitely see the same thing happening to 17 inch wheels in the future. Thanks everyone for the responses. There has been some very helpful information shared and you guys have answered most of my questions. All that is left is whether the 17 inch or wider 18 inch wheels provide more traction through the corners. It seems like Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s are the definitive go to for tires. Does anyone have an alternative they prefer, or are the Michelins just the way to go?

I just got my 911 this year and it came with 18". I just bought a set of 17" rims to get a set of all seasons. 17" are cheaper tires and there is more selection. I am also interested in a less bumpy ride as it's a daily driver. The plan is to run the 18" with summer tires in the summer and probably just keep the 17's long term.

I�m currently installing new transaxles on my �02 Boxster Base: previous owner installed 19� Steel rims on her. I bought Continental Extreme Contact winter tires, and loved their handling when I trained on the track: but I know the suspension was not designed for that huge extra weight, or those thin sidewalls for the ride quality. I just bought a set of stock rims w/Michelin Pilot AS 3+.. can�t wait to install them. I would stick with your 17�.. and those are good looking wheels! Another thought.. I usually have two sets of wheels/tires for my cars, so an option for you might be for summer tires on 18�; winter tires on 17�..🤔 For reference, my �06 Boxster S has the factory 19� wheels.. but it has PSM etc, so amazing ride/control on Highway and track, as designed!👍🏻🤠👍🏻

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Hmm... You liked winter tires on the track? That seems like an odd combination from my experience. In addition for the reasoning above in my last post, I don't think I need a second set of wheels for winter tires because the car is spending the majority of its time in Arizona. At some point in the future I may live in a colder climate, but for now I would likely sell the 17 inch wheels if I bought some 18 inchers. That's interesting Eurocarguy911! sgt1372 thought nearly the opposite. I think you both may be correct in that there are more tire options overall for 17 inch wheels, but fewer high performance summer tires. I'll do some research tomorrow and see if that theory is accurate.

Should have included my location: I�m in Washington.. it rained on track day..!!💦😝💦 Most cars showed up with summer tires.. which is what was on my S car at home. Many PCA members seem to run the Michelin Pilots in the summer, and those were awesome on my S car.. I�ll probably get another set of those this Spring. FYI, I still have a residence and vehicles registered in Prescott.. I�ll be headed their soon..!👍🏻

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That would explain it! I am located in Fountain Hills near the border of Scottsdale. Perhaps after COVID I'll see you at a meet sometime.

Cool.. an Congratulations on your fun sports car!👍🏻

I ditched my GT3 sport design split rims and went for the 17" ten-spokes. I am anally retentive about weight and the ten-spokes are the lightest OEM wheel for a 996. I can feel the difference, but I'm also anally retentive about handling (I used to race and still help develop other's race cars). If you want looks then there are many better looking rims out there. Ride on the 17s is also superior due to the deeper side wall, and the tyres are cheaper and the choice is greater, but again, I like to go sideways a lot in my car so I buy new rears every18 months, so cost is a factor for me.