[Tony Curtis]

Is there an advantage of having 20" wheels and tires on our 718's ? I know most car reviewers will say that the larger the wheel the worse the ride is for passengers. I frankly enjoy the 20" wheels on my Boxter but am thinking maybe the handling and ride characteristics would be better with 18 or 19" wheels. I'm sure there are readers out there who have experienced both. Your thoughts ?

 

[Naptown]

Very happy with the 20” on my 2019 base Cayman. Ride is fine for us

 

[don]

I think there are some Youtube tests comparing different sized wheels.

My understanding is the shorter tire side wall with the larger wheel helps with steering and lateral traction but I notice most track guys tend to go for 19" but I think that might also have something to do with wheel weight and size availability.

I notice if anything wheels have gotten bigger on GT cars so I would stick with the 20". If anything tires often weigh more than forged wheels so having the tire with the shorter side walls may if anything reduce rotational weight.

 

[jimmuller]

I dunno' but I like my 20" wheels.

 

[duegatti]

My 20"ers don't squeal before they lose traction. Do the 19"ers squeal before they lose traction?

 

[vhs]

My 20"ers don't squeal before they lose traction. Do the 19"ers squeal before they lose traction?

Which tires are you running?

 

[Tedj101]

Is there an advantage of having 20" wheels and tires on our 718's ? I know most car reviewers will say that the larger the wheel the worse the ride is for passengers. I frankly enjoy the 20" wheels on my Boxter but am thinking maybe the handling and ride characteristics would be better with 18 or 19" wheels. I'm sure there are readers out there who have experienced both. Your thoughts ?

Depends on how you are going to use it. If you are running solely on the street, the 20" are more than fine. Good street tires are available. If you are going to track the car, there are more real track tires available that fit these cars in the 19" size. My street wheels are the stock factory 20" ones. My track wheels are 19". Sidewalls are a little higher on the 19" wheels to get the same rolling diameter, though you can run slightly lower sidewall ratio on the 19" on the track if you want. YMMV.

<TED>

 

[alf_17]

Higher sidewall normally also gives you more comfort as the tire/sidewall acts as part of the suspension, and a higher sidewall is more compliant than a lower one.
A higher sidewall will however compromise handling but only marginally, you will need very high profile tires for it to become a real problem.
I myself am very happy with my 18" wheels on my 718 Boxster and I honestly think that the meaty tires that come on the 18" looks better than the skinny tires on a set of 20" wheels.
It must be said that the road quality where I live is not really that good, so I think 20" would be too much of a compromise for comfort for me.
Even though it is possible to determine which size is best for a given application by back-to-back testing, I think most is down to preference and what you think look best will most likely work just fine.
Porsche would not sell the cars with a wheel and tire combo which would severely compromise the cars performance.

 

[duegatti]

Which tires are you running?

The OEM Goodyears. I just replaced them with the OEM Michelins; haven't put them to the test yet. In 20", are either the Michelins or the OEM Pirelli's squealers? I thought it was "normal" for a tire to give you some warning before breaking loose.

 

[JazzCatGab]

I think my 18" are just the thing for the back roads I haunt once or twice a week. Some of the worst roads I find myself on are also enclosed by foliage and are quite dark, particularly when you come into them from bright sunshine. So avoiding potholes is very difficult to do and I feel more confident that the deeper sidewalls are going to save me. There is always the possibility of a really big pothole, but at least I don't have to worry about most of them. They seem a bit vocal on the track sometimes, but I need all the help I can get.

 

[highwire_ca]

The quality of the roads in your area can make driving on low profile tires a challenge. I have several friends with high end cars with large wheels and low profile tires and many of them have had blow-outs on Ottawa's atrociously maintained pot-hole riddled and cracked roads. One friend has had bad luck with four destroyed tires and one wheel in the past two years. In a way, I'm glad my car came with 19s.

 

[RussellHodgson]

The OEM Goodyears. I just replaced them with the OEM Michelins; haven't put them to the test yet. In 20", are either the Michelins or the OEM Pirelli's squealers? I thought it was "normal" for a tire to give you some warning before breaking loose.

I run 19" Michelins on the track and you can definitely hear them when near/at the limit. On the road though I never hear them as I am nowhere near the limit.

 

[Tony Curtis]

Higher sidewall normally also gives you more comfort as the tire/sidewall acts as part of the suspension, and a higher sidewall is more compliant than a lower one.
A higher sidewall will however compromise handling but only marginally, you will need very high profile tires for it to become a real problem.
I myself am very happy with my 18" wheels on my 718 Boxster and I honestly think that the meaty tires that come on the 18" looks better than the skinny tires on a set of 20" wheels.
It must be said that the road quality where I live is not really that good, so I think 20" would be too much of a compromise for comfort for me.
Even though it is possible to determine which size is best for a given application by back-to-back testing, I think most is down to preference and what you think look best will most likely work just fine.
Porsche would not sell the cars with a wheel and tire combo which would severely compromise the cars performance.

Thanks for the input, your comments are well taken. ~ Tony

 

[Tony Curtis]

Depends on how you are going to use it. If you are running solely on the street, the 20" are more than fine. Good street tires are available. If you are going to track the car, there are more real track tires available that fit these cars in the 19" size. My street wheels are the stock factory 20" ones. My track wheels are 19". Sidewalls are a little higher on the 19" wheels to get the same rolling diameter, though you can run slightly lower sidewall ratio on the 19" on the track if you want. YMMV.

<TED>

I hadn't considered the difference in track Vs street, good info and thanks for your comments ~ Tony

 

[Tony Curtis]

I think there are some Youtube tests comparing different sized wheels.

My understanding is the shorter tire side wall with the larger wheel helps with steering and lateral traction but I notice most track guys tend to go for 19" but I think that might also have something to do with wheel weight and size availability.

I notice if anything wheels have gotten bigger on GT cars so I would stick with the 20". If anything tires often weigh more than forged wheels so having the tire with the shorter side walls may if anything reduce rotational weight.

Tire and wheel weight is a factor I hadn't considered. Since I don't plan to track my car, I think I made the right choice with 20's - Thanks for your comments. ~ Tony

 

[faizaan2000]

I have the 19's because tires are cheaper and I track the car. But if I wasn't tracking I would 100% get the 20s as they look way better IMO.

 

[jdstein11]

Is there an advantage of having 20" wheels and tires on our 718's ? I know most car reviewers will say that the larger the wheel the worse the ride is for passengers. I frankly enjoy the 20" wheels on my Boxter but am thinking maybe the handling and ride characteristics would be better with 18 or 19" wheels. I'm sure there are readers out there who have experienced both. Your thoughts ?

My 20” wheels on 2018 Boxster are only noticeable when in sport mode when the ride is stiffer. Other than that, the only other issue is winter tires are harder to find for 20” wheels than 18 / 19.

 

[Krez]

I got 20's because I thought they made the car look nicer. I have a VW GTI with 18's and the ride is harsh; when I hit a bump I feel like my teeth are gonna fall out of my head, so I was hesitant on getting the 20's on the 718 because of my experience with the VW on low profile rims.
I have been very surprised...the ride is great even with 20's. A far as tracking ( which I dont track my 718, but I do race BMW's) the debate on 18, 19 or 20 for the track would depend on weight, and what tires I could get for what rims. I also feel an smaller rim would be protected a bit more while on the track, if you curb it, etc.....those 20's are not cheap, I wouldn't want to cause any damage on them.

 

[717R]

For me it’s a balance between looks, ride comfort and sidewalk protection when u get too near kerbs. This is dependent on the kind of roads at your locality.

So mine’s a 19” and I’m very happy it gives me the best of all worlds. For the car of this size I felt it looked best wearing 19” shoes. And the fact that it came as stock rims was even better.

 

[Sunny SF]

I tested a 718CS on 19" rims and they did ride slightly more comfortable then 20" rims. I got 20" rims on my 718CS because that's what they came with and I didn't have any other option. I do worry about blow-outs since I live in San Francisco, which has some of the worst pot-holed and uneven roads in the world. I paid extra for the dealer's wheel & tire warranty. With all of that said, other then tire noise that is a bit loud, I'm very happy with the ride comfort and looks of the 20" wheels.