[walkman]

Hello folks! I need your recommendations on winter wheel/tire set for 2018 718 Cayman base model (yes, it’s still summer!). I live in upstate New York and plan to drive it in the winter! I primarily looked at 18” size. Tirerack carries OZ Alleggerita HLT wheels and Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D tires at a price similar to the Porsche winter wheel set at Suncoast (except for shipping from the latter). Is there any particular reason to go for the tirerack’s set? Also, does changing wheels on 718 Cayman require special tools or handling? I'm only a few weeks into the Porsche experience. I enjoy greatly the driving, as much as reading the posts in this forum!

 

[Cinnamon]

You'll want to make sure to also get appropriate/compatible tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sender units for each wheel. Tire Rack sells them separately but will install them before mounting the tires. Then when putting the wheels with tires on the car you will need to get the sender units communicating with the car. Some will link automatically after a short drive...

I've been pleased with Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires for many years here in the inland northwest. Certainly a different climate from upstate NY (I have wintered in Ithaca), as we get a lot of ice due to temps fluctuating across the freezing point, with snow more occasional. The Blizzaks are particularly good on icy roads.

The choice of 18" wheels with winter tires sounds a wise one, that's what I would do if shopping for that myself. Fortunately, we have two AWD vehicles that get more use in winter, so the Cayman gets out only occasionally then.

Good luck shopping!
Doug

 

[GTS]

I'll second Blizzaks as a good winter tire choice. I tell everyone that I got around better in a RWD car (BMW 135i) in snow with Blizzaks than any SUV I've owned with all season tires.

 

[RussellHodgson]

My 718 CS is a daily driver even in the winter. I have a set of continental winter tires - they are excellent. I got them with Stark wheels from TireRack because the stark wheels were the cheapest option. They are winter tires and I'm not going to be pushing the car at all and didn't care too much about looks for this set. I've used them for one winter and they worked really well. As long as the snow wasn't too deep the car had amazing traction and balance.


To change the wheels you'll need a jack, a 19mm socket for the lug bolts. Also a breaker bar and torque wrench. Then follow the instructions in the manual.


After changing them you'll need to tell the car you changed the wheels by going to the TPMS display and selecting the winter 18" wheels. If you don't do this it will never recognize the new TPMS sensors.

 

[walkman]

Thank you all! The options at TireRack for 718 Cayman seem pretty limited. I couldn't find any Blizzak 18" tires from their recommendation. Also, thanks for mentioning the TPMS sensor. I've read about it in the manual but didn't make the connection. Now it all makes sense!
RussellHodgson, glad to hear your winter driving experience!

 

[Tailwagger]

Hello folks! I need your recommendations on winter wheel/tire set for 2018 718 Cayman base model (yes, it’s still summer!). I live in upstate New York and plan to drive it in the winter! I primarily looked at 18” size. Tirerack carries OZ Alleggerita HLT wheels and Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D tires at a price similar to the Porsche winter wheel set at Suncoast (except for shipping from the latter). Is there any particular reason to go for the tirerack’s set? Also, does changing wheels on 718 Cayman require special tools or handling? I'm only a few weeks into the Porsche experience. I enjoy greatly the driving, as much as reading the posts in this forum!

I'd somewhat second the Starks for winter use. Lightweight, non-forged OZs for winter use seem a bit out of place. Most versions (all not sure?) are painted as well which given all the road chemicals isn't a great combo either.

While we're on the topic, its probably not an issue for cars with the stock suspensions, but for the CS with SPASM, if you have a flat you need 2x8 or 10. Found out the hard way after hitting a pot hole last week and having AAA tow the car home given there was nowhere to take the car to get a new tire and the sidewall had split. Ordered a tire from TR and when I went to jack up the car it was sitting so low I couldn't get any of my jacks to slide under the car. Was seeing a little red, so it took a while for me to figure out that I could gain the extra clearance to slide the jack under by just driving up on a board. Had already been contemplating buying the spare kit, but now I plan on carrying a board around in the trunk as well. Given the topic I figure I'd mention it as what was an unexpected issue for me might be a surprise for others with the lower suspension as well.