Side wall profile on 19" tires

The consensus seems to be that 19" wheels are not a good solution on a 996 based primarily on the smaller sidewall profile. I was wondering, however, why not use a 19" tire with a higher sidewall profile like that of an 18" tire. Since the 996 can be lowered close to an inch without scrubbing problems, it does not seem like scrubbing should be an issue. It seems like a look that couldn't be beat and of course greater pavement contact area as well. Anyone have any thoughts on this or whether higher sidewall 19" tires are even available?

I think the problem with larger tires on a 19 inch wheel is that it creates a larger rolling diameter, which would throw off your speedo and perhaps create problems with the stability management.

Larger diameter tires also increase your gear ratios which will have a negative impact on acceleration. They will increase unsprung weight which will impact both acceleration and braking and the taller sidewall will some minor negative impact on handling. All in all I would say it's a real bad idea.

19" tires are very scarce as it is. Not sure you will be able to find tires with a taller sidewall.

Certainly there would be a spedo issue (but I wonder if it wouldn't just counteract the over speed read that most of them seem to have stock). Up here in the great wet north where lowering isn't really an option for a daily driver, I'm still not so sure this wouldn't be a step closer to PCar heaven. I think the original sin is the large gap between top of tire and fender well (not necessarily the overall height off the ground).

My main goal in going to 19s is to put less odometer miles on the car....heck w/the speedo, I pretty much just run w/the tach and Val 1 anyway. Sorry, thought the thread needed a little humor OK...I don't know about a higher profile 19 (or why a person would want a higher profile 19)....but the 19s that some people are putting on Turbos, for instance, have little difference in diameter to the 18" rubber they replace (ie. less sidewall)....it's inaccurate to say that going to 19s places you neccesarily higher, fills out your wheel well more, yada, yada. Personally, I won't run em on the track, and some people may not want them as daily's because the type of roads they drive. Otherwise..... they can look pretty cool if done right and. along w/ the right suspension moves, can be fun to drive...just my 2 cents.

I just recently bought 18" wheels for my 2003 996 C2 coupe. I was also a little confused because I have always used the "pimped out" approach when it comes to choosing rims - I have 24's on my escalade. I bought the 18x8.5 and 18x11 Gemballa Competitions. Gemballa said that on a 19" wheel I should have gone with 305/25/19's on rear. This tire is not recommended for daily use. I had to decide whether it was a show car - hardly driven - or a daily driver. Bottom line is that a 19"rims has too much of a negative impact on the performace/ride etc. of the car. I felt a little odd spending big $$$ on 18's when I already had 18's, also the price I spent I could have has almost any 19" wheel and tire combo - again I had to wrap my mind around the perfomance benefits of sticking to an 18". Now that the rims are on the car - no regrets - they look great. Johnny.

Dpblessing - believe me if it was within my budget - I would be rolling on 19" HRE's as well - up here in Canada you almost have to sell your family to afford those babies. Enjoy, Johnny.