265/35R18 or 295/30R18 on 996 mkII

Getting ready to put the summer rubber on my 03 C2, and would like to use my old 18" wheels (from my 2001 C2), but they have 265/35 PS2s on them. I also have a new set of 295/30 PS2s (tires only came with the 03 C2). Will the 265/35s negatively effect the handling on the 03 C2, or should I put the 295s on immediately. This will be for STREET driving only. Thanks, Ross

THe 265/35 will induce a little less understeer and you will get a little less rear grip. I when from 385/30 P-Zeros to 265/35 Bridgestone RE750 (non "N" rated) then to 295/30 PS2 tires. IMO, I like the 285 or 295 tires better, a little more grip and softer compounds on the P-Zero and the PS2 versus the Bridgestone, so that part of the comparison is not really fair. BTW - I LOVE the PS2 tires.

What size (how wide) are your rear wheels? When the Mk I's were delivered from the factory with 18's they came with 265's (not sure of the rim width). Mk II's with 18's were delivered with 285's on 10" wheels and GT3's came with 295's on 11" wheels (width). There is no question there is enough room to fit 295's as long as your wheels have the correct offset. However, your wheel width also need to be the correct size to accomodate the tires.

Tim, do you have any pics of your 996 rolling on the 385 "meats"? That must be a sight to see.

I think he meant to say 285/30

8x10 - the car came with 295s... just wondering whether 265s will have any negative consequences... doesnt sound like i am going to sacrafice THAT much if I run the 265s...

265s where the orginal standard for around a 2000 model year on 18" Not sure what year it changed and why but for the life of your rim I like a 265/35 over a 295/30. I have thought of going with a 275/40 for city driving but have not done the research on if it will fit and how it will handle.

So I just happended to be finishing up swapping my snows back to my summer tires over lunch. My 1999 996 came with the 18" wheel option and they are 265/35/18. I was just looking at them from the top and thought how undersized that tire is for the rim based on how much the tire patch is less than the actual rim width itself. I measured at least 3/4 of an inch on either side of the tire thread (aka contact patch) if you hold a ruler parallel to the rim. Seeing that I think that the 10" rear rims can easily accommodate a 285 or 295 (mm) tire. There are no clearance issues when using a stock wheel offset. The only issue is that by increasing the rear tire and leaving the fronts the same the car gets much more rear grip and actually increases the sense of understeer up front.

You are not gonna tell too much difference. The 265 might ride a bit better due to extra tire height. The 295 will offer a bit of extra rear grip. They were both OE tire sizes and the earier cars were 10" rear rims. Personally I like the 295 looks better as it fills out the rim more. Other then that there really is no real difference.

thanks.

I know......I was just trying to give Tim a hard time...

Ray, Nice catch on the typo! BTW - yes, I do have a pic of the "meaty 385's" on the car. Of course, I had to modify the fenders a little.

Whats that song again ... "Baby got back!" Nice, bet you need those 385's now!

First, 295/30's were not OEM on an 03' Carrera. The stock size tires are 285/30's and the size I would choose to go to. If you were buying new tires, I would stick to this size. Unless you are planning on a lowering your tire pressure, you won't gain any contact patch or grip. In addition, the additional sidewall flex from a wider tire on a narrow will degrades handling. This is why on the 996 GT3, Turbo and 997 porsche puts a 295 on an 11.0" wheel instead of a 10.0" wheel. The only difference in fitting between the 99-01' and 02+ 18" wheels is the fronts are .5" narrower on the early cars. Since you already have the 295's and they are street tire (PS2 versus race tires), I would go ahead and use them for the street.