991 19" or 20" winter wheels/tyres?
Discussion
Good morning,
I am picking up a new 991 PDK Carrera on Monday. I am pretty sure that I will order a set of winter wheels/tyres for November onwards. The price for the 20" set isn't a great deal more than the 19". Has anybody please got an opinion on whether or not it will behave noticeably better on the 19" than the 20" once the bad weather starts?
Cheers
I am picking up a new 991 PDK Carrera on Monday. I am pretty sure that I will order a set of winter wheels/tyres for November onwards. The price for the 20" set isn't a great deal more than the 19". Has anybody please got an opinion on whether or not it will behave noticeably better on the 19" than the 20" once the bad weather starts?
Cheers
I don't think it will make much difference - apart from the purchase price and cost of replacement. Around here (Switzerland) a lot of people use the original/standard wheels for the winters, and buy a 'fancy' set for the summers, so quite often the winters are on smaller wheels by default. On my LR D4 I have winters and summers on the same set of wheels: 19"s. Never seen 20" winter tyres (yet).
I guess it depends on circumstances Ady. I live down a farm track and have a 12 mile commute on hilly back roads. I've had a RRS for the last two years and am used to it being a given that I get to work first each morning! I'm not totally sure what to expect with this car but I can't imagine it will be brilliant on snow with standard tyres.
How was yours?
How was yours?
4wd Porsches are pretty Scary in the snow from my experience. My old 996TT wouldn't get up my driveway which is about 2% gradient at most (I kid you not) I actually got out the car while the wheels were still spinning in gear.
Thinking about it, I never did work out why only the rear wheels were spinning and not the fronts.....
Also, it's not the traction that's the biggest issue, try stopping the f
ker on compacted snow !
I think the benefits of winter tyres should be publicised much more in this country.
G.
Thinking about it, I never did work out why only the rear wheels were spinning and not the fronts.....
Also, it's not the traction that's the biggest issue, try stopping the f
ker on compacted snow !I think the benefits of winter tyres should be publicised much more in this country.
G.
Glenn McMenamin said:
4wd Porsches are pretty Scary in the snow from my experience. My old 996TT wouldn't get up my driveway which is about 2% gradient at most (I kid you not) I actually got out the car while the wheels were still spinning in gear.
Thinking about it, I never did work out why only the rear wheels were spinning and not the fronts.....
Also, it's not the traction that's the biggest issue, try stopping the fker on compacted snow !
I think the benefits of winter tyres should be publicised much more in this country.
G.
My 997 C4S has been fantastic in the snow, but had I been keeping it longer I would have added winter tyres to improve grip.Thinking about it, I never did work out why only the rear wheels were spinning and not the fronts.....
Also, it's not the traction that's the biggest issue, try stopping the f
ker on compacted snow !I think the benefits of winter tyres should be publicised much more in this country.
G.
Be careful with the M+S marked tyres, worth checking with the dealer that they are proper winters and not just all-seasons. Winters have a 'snowflake inside a mountain' picture on them or the word 'winter'. M+S tyres are half-jokingly referred to as May to September. My 'summer' tyres are M+S.
ETA: scratch all that - they do exist
http://auto.ricardo.ch/kaufen/fahrzeugzubehoer/fel...
ETA: scratch all that - they do exist
http://auto.ricardo.ch/kaufen/fahrzeugzubehoer/fel...
Edited by kinghottinger on Friday 30th August 08:13
Hi Guys,
I fitted the Porsche 19" wheels & tyres to my 991 Carrera, last winter.
Do not think that a set of !8" will fit a 991, they don't, too small & foul suspension.
I drove down M11 early one morning as snow storm hit & while other cars were doing a tentative 40 mph in the slush & ridges, the 991
sailed past at easy 70 as though the road was merely wet. I did get flashed quite a lot as other cars tried to 'warn' me of the conditions!
Can't think of any reason to go for 20', in fact I think a narrower tyre is best on snow & less susceptible to aquaplaning in the wet.
I have 12 winter tyres stored in the garage for our 3 cars, ready to go as soon as temps drop consistently below 7c.
And something else I always point out to people who ask, the rubber is not actually costing you any more money, because the summers aren't being used!
Good Luck, 991.
I fitted the Porsche 19" wheels & tyres to my 991 Carrera, last winter.
Do not think that a set of !8" will fit a 991, they don't, too small & foul suspension.
I drove down M11 early one morning as snow storm hit & while other cars were doing a tentative 40 mph in the slush & ridges, the 991
sailed past at easy 70 as though the road was merely wet. I did get flashed quite a lot as other cars tried to 'warn' me of the conditions!
Can't think of any reason to go for 20', in fact I think a narrower tyre is best on snow & less susceptible to aquaplaning in the wet.
I have 12 winter tyres stored in the garage for our 3 cars, ready to go as soon as temps drop consistently below 7c.
And something else I always point out to people who ask, the rubber is not actually costing you any more money, because the summers aren't being used!
Good Luck, 991.
Without stating the intended use or defining what is meant by 'noticably better' it's hard to advise but 19" are the only option on the 991 if you intend to run chains - and there are circumstances when running chains is 'noticably better' than running without chains! 
See page 5 of the "Overview winter tires current vehicles" pdf at the below linky...
http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservices/...
Living where I do, I have used winters for the past 12 years on all my cars, including on my Boxster and the Disco. I will continue to do so with the greatest benefit being the ability to set out with confidence and maintain a decent margin of safety (particulary when braking) in otherwise marginal conditions.
However, I do find myself running around for extended periods of time in the winter when it is dry or substantially free of ice/snow/slush and although the general rule of thumb is that below 7C winter tyres are 'better' overall, I have my doubts about this and would say that summer tyres are more than up to the job for 'most of the time' and therefore less of a compromise interms of 'performance'.
Saying that, as it's regularly -5c or colder when I set off for work of a morning in the Boxster, I would rather be on winter tyres for the extra braking performance and put up with a noticably sub-optimum level of overall level of grip if and/or when it warms up later in the day and I will get to know the PSM light that bit better and re-aquaint myself with the ABS judder...
See page 5 of the "Overview winter tires current vehicles" pdf at the below linky...
http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservices/...
Living where I do, I have used winters for the past 12 years on all my cars, including on my Boxster and the Disco. I will continue to do so with the greatest benefit being the ability to set out with confidence and maintain a decent margin of safety (particulary when braking) in otherwise marginal conditions.
However, I do find myself running around for extended periods of time in the winter when it is dry or substantially free of ice/snow/slush and although the general rule of thumb is that below 7C winter tyres are 'better' overall, I have my doubts about this and would say that summer tyres are more than up to the job for 'most of the time' and therefore less of a compromise interms of 'performance'.
Saying that, as it's regularly -5c or colder when I set off for work of a morning in the Boxster, I would rather be on winter tyres for the extra braking performance and put up with a noticably sub-optimum level of overall level of grip if and/or when it warms up later in the day and I will get to know the PSM light that bit better and re-aquaint myself with the ABS judder...
Edited by MogulBoy on Friday 30th August 14:10
I have the 20" tyres for my 991 because I can't see the point in buying new wheels as well (tight Yorkshireman). They (and their summer counterparts) sit at the OPC when idle, and we swap in March and November. I did the same with my two previous 997s on 19" wheels. I can tell you for sure that the quality of the tyre is a hundred times more important than the width of the wheel. Absolutely zero problems with the 20s on snow and ice so far.
And since my hobby is ice climbing and I took the 991 all over Scotland, the Lakes and North Wales throughout this year's epic winter, you can assume they've had a proper workout.
And since my hobby is ice climbing and I took the 991 all over Scotland, the Lakes and North Wales throughout this year's epic winter, you can assume they've had a proper workout.
NineNineOne said:
And something else I always point out to people who ask, the rubber is not actually costing you any more money, because the summers aren't being used!
Apparently the summers wear quicker than winters in the cold, even though they're a harder compound, as the rubber comes away from them in larger pieces (relatively).I know the tyres probably get less of a work-out in the winter too, but my Michelin Pilot Alpins seem to wear at about a quarter of the rate of the Pirelli P Zeros.
S
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