17 inch wheels 981 S - will they fit?

[ATM]

Hello

Does anyone know if a 17 inch wheel will fit the 981?

TIA

[Bennachie]

Don't think so. Brake fouling.....

[ATM]

Poo

Are the discs really that big?

[bcr5784]

ATM said:

Poo

Are the discs really that big?

I think so, why do you want to? (Apart from the fact that winter wheel and tyre sets are dirt cheap in 17", distinctly more expensive in 18" and ridiculous in larger sizes).

[ATM]

bcr5784 said:

I think so, why do you want to? (Apart from the fact that winter wheel and tyre sets are dirt cheap in 17", distinctly more expensive in 18" and ridiculous in larger sizes).

This. 17 inch wheels on ebay go for peanuts because no one wants them - clearly. I've not really decided what to do so just looking at options. If I'm honest the car drives better than I expected considering they're 20 inch wheels. Therefore it would obviously drive better on 19 and even better on 18.

Read some interesting blurb about the wheel and tyre combos weighing pretty much the same for 18, 19 and 20. It seems the wheels get heavier but the tyres get lighter.

[DJMC]

ATM said:

This. 17 inch wheels on ebay go for peanuts because no one wants them - clearly. I've not really decided what to do so just looking at options. If I'm honest the car drives better than I expected considering they're 20 inch wheels. Therefore it would obviously drive better on 19 and even better on 18.

Read some interesting blurb about the wheel and tyre combos weighing pretty much the same for 18, 19 and 20. It seems the wheels get heavier but the tyres get lighter.

Check with your insurers before fitting anything differing from standard spec 18, 19, or 20 inch wheels/tyres.

Smaller wheels don't equal "better". More comfy over bumps perhaps, but at the expense of cornering performance and feel.

[boxsey]

ATM said:

This. 17 inch wheels on ebay go for peanuts because no one wants them - clearly. I've not really decided what to do so just looking at options. If I'm honest the car drives better than I expected considering they're 20 inch wheels. Therefore it would obviously drive better on 19 and even better on 18.

Read some interesting blurb about the wheel and tyre combos weighing pretty much the same for 18, 19 and 20. It seems the wheels get heavier but the tyres get lighter.

A problem with 17 inch wheels is that you won't be able to use the latest tyre technology e.g. Michelin supersports and pilot sport cup 2 are not made for anything smaller than 18 inch.

[ATM]

I started the thread thinking about Winter tyres. Now I am also thinking about Summers. The ride is better than I thought it would be on 20 inch wheels. The car has masses of grip now even on these cool, damp and gritty roads. It does get a bit unsettled and jiggly on bumpy roads. This would probably be improved with a bit less tyre wall stiffness.

[bcr5784]

ATM said:

I started the thread thinking about Winter tyres. Now I am also thinking about Summers. The ride is better than I thought it would be on 20 inch wheels. The car has masses of grip now even on these cool, damp and gritty roads. It does get a bit unsettled and jiggly on bumpy roads. This would probably be improved with a bit less tyre wall stiffness.

I have a set of Goodyear Eagle F1s (N0) tyres 235/45 and 265/45s for 18 wheels. They came off a near new vehicle and have covered only a nominal mileage (I had the rims fitted with winter tyres - but we haven't had any cold weather yet!) If you go down the 18" wheel route to get the best ride (and a bit less noise) and are looking for some tyres PM me

[DJMC]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

No, correct. A quick Google... "Small sidewalls are very stiff, great for cornering "feel" but terrible for ride quality..." just as I said.

From: http://www.tuneruniversity.com/blog/2011/04/wheel-...

There are many arguments for choosing large or small wheels, I just mentioned one from each side to get the OP thinking.
The above article lists just about every other reason for choosing one or the other.

[Bennachie]

So they do fit then?

[ATM]

Bennachie said:

So they do fit then?

Well the poster above who has 17 inch wheels on a Caymen has the previous 987 type model.

[bcr5784]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I've driven 981s on 18, 19 and 20" wheels and my findings accord with conventional wisdom - lower profile tyres on bigger rims give sharper steering, a worse ride and a bit more road noise. I can't see why that would change on 17s unless there was a change of tyre brand or type. In any case I would be wary of going away from Porsche approved tyres while the car was under warranty.

[bcr5784]

ATM said:

Outside warranty - just.

I've read people comment that the combo of 20 wheels and pasm has an acceptable ride. I don't have pasm and find the ride quite jiggle and unrefined. I'm sure the ride in my 997 with pasm and 19 wheels felt better. I've always liked the way Porsche cars feel well damped and composed when you're just pottering around. This does not. I doubt I will ever get to anywhere near 9 tenths of the cars ability at the limit. So for me the enjoyment is the from the mundane stuff where I am only getting from a to b but hopefully enjoying it a bit because I enjoy pottering in a more well rounded package.

You may well have tried this already - but if not it's probably worth trying the "comfort" tyre pressure settings for your 20" wheels. Normal setting is 33psi "comfort" 30psi. You will be limited to 165mph - but you might just find you can live with that.

[bcr5784]

ATM said:

Update

I am now a bit happier with the comfort setting. It's hard keeping below 165 mph most of the time.

I decided my Pirelli tyred looked a bit tired. They have plenty of tread and are dated 2013. I found some used MPSS dated 2015 to fit the rears. I'm glad I did this because my tyre guy found one of the wheels is buckled. I didn't get to see it spinning myself so I might have to jack the back up and spin the wheels in gear. Anyway the MPSS feel a bit better. They seem to give more of a thud than a crash on bumps. I could be imagining it obviously.

Anyway this has brought me back round to wheel size dilemmas. A replacement 20 inch wheel is going to be 500 - 800 and I now want 4 new tyres too.

I'm tempted to try 18 but the correct 981 wheels are not exactly plentiful. I might get some from the previous gen car which have very similar width and offset. Obviously the previous gen car has the wrong tyre size. I'll probably go with MPSS as everyone raves about them. I am also tempted to try cups as they're available in the correct 18 size but I'll probably wimp out. I can't imagine I really need that much grip especially if I stay below 165 mph.

Another bit of grist to the mill. Though I'm no great fan of Pirellis I have to say on 19" wheels bump thump (not sure if that is a technical term - but was used by car mags regularly in the past) is VERY well suppressed on Pirellis - though tyre roar on coarse surfaces is dreadful. 18" Eagles produce an even better ride than 19" - mostly at the front (I have a set of practically new tyres, of the right size, if you are interested, but I am using the wheels for winter tyres) . Personally it's so good with PASM on 19s that I wouldn't go below that myself.

[ATM]

bcr5784 said:

Another bit of grist to the mill. Though I'm no great fan of Pirellis I have to say on 19" wheels bump thump (not sure if that is a technical term - but was used by car mags regularly in the past) is VERY well suppressed on Pirellis - though tyre roar on coarse surfaces is dreadful. 18" Eagles produce an even better ride than 19" - mostly at the front (I have a set of practically new tyres, of the right size, if you are interested, but I am using the wheels for winter tyres) . Personally it's so good with PASM on 19s that I wouldn't go below that myself.

I'm not sure if the bump thump change is due to the old tyres being a bit old. Tyres do go hard with age which is why you cant beat some brand new boots.

I've punched the numbers in for the 987 17 inch fronts here and the difference is not that big:

http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?width=205&amp...

Rears are a bit further out:

http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?width=235&amp...

[bcr5784]

ATM said:

I'm not sure if the bump thump change is due to the old tyres being a bit old. Tyres do go hard with age which is why you cant beat some brand new boots.

I've punched the numbers in for the 987 17 inch fronts here and the difference is not that big:

http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?width=205&amp...

Rears are a bit further out:

http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?width=235&amp...

It's not just the tyre diameter that is the issue - it's whether the wheels will clear the brake calipers. I've never tried it - but from what others have said - I suspect you would need wheel spacers at least. There's not that much room on 18s.

[ATM]

bcr5784 said:

ATM said:

I'm not sure if the bump thump change is due to the old tyres being a bit old. Tyres do go hard with age which is why you cant beat some brand new boots.

I've punched the numbers in for the 987 17 inch fronts here and the difference is not that big:

http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?width=205&amp...

Rears are a bit further out:

http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?width=235&amp...

It's not just the tyre diameter that is the issue - it's whether the wheels will clear the brake calipers. I've never tried it - but from what others have said - I suspect you would need wheel spacers at least. There's not that much room on 18s.

I'm still not convinced. According to this Porsche press sheet the front discs are 13.0 x 1.1-in. In my mind 13 inch discs are 330 mm. I have some 355mm discs on my e46 which apparently can fit under some 17 inch wheels - or so I've read. I've used 2 different sets of 18 inch wheels on the e46 myself with these 355mm discs. One was tight and the current OZ's have a bit more room. Anyway a 330mm disc is an inch smaller. So I think a 17 inch wheel will go over the disc and caliper. I'll accept there might be a clearance issue where the face of the wheel meets the hub but that is just a spacer to fix.

http://press.porsche.com/vehicles/2013/2013_Boxste...

[bcr5784]

ATM said:

I'm still not convinced. According to this Porsche press sheet the front discs are 13.0 x 1.1-in. In my mind 13 inch discs are 330 mm. I have some 355mm discs on my e46 which apparently can fit under some 17 inch wheels - or so I've read. I've used 2 different sets of 18 inch wheels on the e46 myself with these 355mm discs. One was tight and the current OZ's have a bit more room. Anyway a 330mm disc is an inch smaller. So I think a 17 inch wheel will go over the disc and caliper. I'll accept there might be a clearance issue where the face of the wheel meets the hub but that is just a spacer to fix.

http://press.porsche.com/vehicles/2013/2013_Boxste...

All I can say is that I'm pretty sure someone said spacers were needed to fit 17s on a 987 S which has 318mm front discs, so 330mm discs are bound to be a bit tight - even wheel weights may be an issue.

[ATM]

bcr5784 said:

All I can say is that I'm pretty sure someone said spacers were needed to fit 17s on a 987 S which has 318mm front discs, so 330mm discs are bound to be a bit tight - even wheel weights may be an issue.

I think that was the moose of C. He runs tiny wheels on his gay-man.