19 inch wheels? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

I know there's a lot of discussion on whether to put 19 inch wheels on the 986. Though I have 18s now, I'm actually considering 19s becaue I want the Miro wheels and they seem to only come in 19s. My question is whether it is necessary to lower the car when I put 19s on it ( I know wheel spacers will probably be necessary). Does anyone out there have 19s on a 986 with stock suspensions? What is your take on this? Does it make the car look extra tall? How does the riding feel? Thanks for your input!

The primary cushion between your car & the road is the sidewall of your tire. Measure the sidewall of your 18" & the 19" to see what you will be missing. I can't advise on 19" fitment because you couldn't give me a set of 19" to put on my car, it is so much more fun to drive with 17" than 18"

I don't k about stock height but Click my profile pic. I have 19s. I think the over all diameter is a tiny bit smaller and will give the car a odd look not lowered.

I will echo BYP's comments. I have driven both sizes on the same car and no question its a way better driving experience on the 17's.

Assuming you're going from stock 18s to 19s with the same width and 30 series sidewalls, your sidewall height in the rear will go from 3.65 inches to 3.13 inches, a decrease of 11.8%. http://www.ajdesigner.com/fl_tire/tire.php

Thanks everyone for your input. And yes, I currently have stock carrera 18s on mine (2003 S). The car is a lot of fun and nimble. I'm going to put 17s next week for the winter. However, I will probably buy another set of wheels come spring time Not sure if 19s will do. Will probably stick with 18s (I just think what I have now is kinda boring - the new turbo style rims are probably my first choice right now).

265/35/18 Original tire Sidewall: 3.65 in Radius: 12.65 in Diameter: 25.30 in Circumf: 79.49 in Revs/mile: 797.06 275/30/19 New Tire Sidewall: 3.25 in Radius: 12.75 in Diameter: 25.50 in Circumf: 80.10 in Revs/mile: 791.03 225/40/18 Original tire Sidewall: 3.54 in Radius: 12.54 in Diameter: 25.09 in Circumf: 78.81 in Revs/mile: 803.94 235/35/19 New Tire Sidewall: 3.24 in Radius: 12.74 in Diameter: 25.48 in Circumf: 80.04 in Revs/mile: 791.64 Based on these specs, if any boxster owner can discern a significant difference in ride quality based on this slight reduction in actual tire sidewall, then that person should be working for NASA . For anyone who can appreciate the dramatic improvement in handling and overall performance that I experienced by eliminating nearly 100 lbs. of unsprung rotational mass from my vehicle, then I'll buy you an ice cream.

Your data is confusing. What size tires are you actually comparing ?

lol, that's not my data. That's the default data for the website. I kept things as close to stock with the 19s I used as an example. That's why the figures I posted on this site are so close to yours. The difference is I didn't change the section width.

LoL, I thought so ! You must be comparing 265's then.

Those are good numbers that Johnny Danger posted. Your sidewall height should be all that troubles you. Once you get under the 3" you start losing coushioning and even if that doesn't bother you it can wreak havoc on your wheels. Plus it can hurt performance. Your sidewall height can be so low and thus so stiff that your contact patch loses grip on uneven surfaces of real world street driving. It all really comes down to personal preference. Do you want the look or do you want the performance. An 18 is a good compromise of both. But then again thats just my oponion. Didn't some sports car manufacturer go with 19's on their latest models.

Hello, i just purchased 19" rims for my 986 and was wondering if i could run 295-30-19 rear & 245/35/19 fronts for tires? or am i gonna have rubbing issues? Thanks.

I have 19" on my 986 Front 235/35/19 rear 265/30/19 never had any problems.

Depending on what the offset is of your rear wheels, 295 is an awfully wide tire choice. Both from a clearance perspective as well as a performance one. I've found a very good balance is achieved with the following tire sizes: 235/35/19 and 275/30/19.

Erik, did you lower your car? Any suspension adjustments?

Hi, No i have standard height. I belive the US spec is a bit higher and softer than EU spec? Mine is imported from US.

Quotes source post: 231037

Wrong post, please ignore

I purchased my 05 s with 19s on it. first thing I did was get a set of 18s from a Carrera and install them. the 18s on 40 series tires versus 19s on 30 series tires really helps the ride quality. driving on the poorly maintained streets of new Orleans, the extra cushion of the slightly higher sidewall is added protection from the not always avoidable potholes. but if you are looking for 19s my stock sizes for the 05 were 235 40 19 fronts and 265 30 19 for the rear. the front offset was 57mm on an 8" wide wheel and the rear was I believe a 55mm offset on a 9.5" wheel. you may try checking various years on tire rack's website for the exact tier sizes and fitment.

Would 19's from a Cayman fit on a 2000 Boxster S? The cayman wheels I'm looking at come with the tires which is why I considered them. These are the cayman wheels: Front - 235/35 ZR 19 (9.3 inches wide) Rear - 265/35 ZR 19 (10.4 inches wide) 5X130 bolt pattern Offset is 52 for both front and rear I just want to make sure these would clear suspension and calipers and no rubbing. Based on looking at a few size comparison tools online it looks like they should fit. I'm fine with the possible +/- 1-1.5 percent variation on my speedo. Funny enough I am not actually doing this for 19 inch wheel aesthetics, I would prefer the 18's, I just need the brand new tires that come with these wheels lol.