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17'' vs 18''

JamesThomas

Well-known member
Joined
5 Jan 2005
Messages
145
Hi all, I'm still hunting for my perfect 993. What are people's opinions on 18'' wheels? I'm after a 993 C2 (LHD, pref. Varioram) and have seen a few with 17'' Cup alloys and some with 18'' Turbos. I think the Turbo alloys look great but do they knacker the handling?

Migration info. Legacy thread was 23749
 
Think 17s are best combination of ride and grip; ride's firmer with 18s. IMHO 18s only look good on wide-body 993s.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 23753
 
My last 993 had 18" turbo wheels and although acceptable the ride was not great on bad road surfaces. the current 993 is on 17" and overall is a better ride.


Migration info. Legacy thread was 23765
 
18" looks good, and they have more grip on the track. They do tramline a bit more and a bit more jumpy on rough road. Don't think it impaires handling on normal road driving.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 23771
 
Is there much difference in terms of tyre costs between 17's and 18's?

Migration info. Legacy thread was 23772
 
Depends on what you mean by "much", but there's certainly difference. Not bought any 18" myself but 17" Pirrelli P-Zero is about £600 a set.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 23773
 
18" are better for handling (shorter sidewalls).. prime reason car manufactureres have been going that way for a while....
but less rubber between the road and the wheel leads to a worse ride, i.e. less rubber to shake out the shakes.....

here's the catch... going large may be better but with a wider tyre may not ! although grip levels are evn higher (too wide and you'll enduce understeer and a higher risk of aqua planning!)

why a 17" boxster handles better than one on 18" ! or so I hear !

on track for a 993 (at least) 18"'s are the way to go ...... less sidewall movement and thus better stability & handling...... as for the loss in handling comfort, bit that important on the track..




Migration info. Legacy thread was 23775
 
I found 18s made the car tramliine on the road and it also felt jittery. My personal opinion is that 17s are the best compromise for the road.

Drive the cars and see what you think.

pp




Migration info. Legacy thread was 23780
 
18's look better on all cars
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Migration info. Legacy thread was 23782
 
i have 18 inch summer and winter wheels. Tramlining with snow tyres (michelin) hardly noticable, but with the summer tyres (pirelli p zero), quite noticable.

My advise is to get a full tracking / alignment done and dont use pirelli p -zero's (hard sidewall promote's tramlining). Some people also swear that a strut brace helps the tramlining.

i agree with poon - 18 's look great.


Migration info. Legacy thread was 23831
 
I think I rather overstated the case for 17s in terms of looks. But colour seems important: against some the 18s look kinda garish.

But there's no accounting for tastes, as they say... :wink:


Migration info. Legacy thread was 23866
 
I bought my 993 this summer, fitted with 18" alloys and 033 factory lowered suspension and also bought the original 17" cups from the former owner. Having refurbished the 17" wheels I fitted them last week.

Both 17" and 18" are fitted with P Zeros so I can offer a comparison on a back to back basis.

Soon after buying the car I had the suspension aligned by Ninemeister which gave a great improvement in feel and handling. Nevertheless, the 18" tramlined all the time, in fact at illegal speeds they gave me a few heart stopping moments on the motorway, snatching left or right as the road surface changed. The ride was also very jittery.

By comparison, the 17" give a lot better ride and the handling has improved - a lot more feel all around with no tramilning to speak of. It is certainly a more relaxing drive. As an every day user the 17" are probably a better bet but I agree with Sundeep if you expect to do track days the 18" will be more suitable due to less tyre wall movement.




Migration info. Legacy thread was 23874
 
but 18's do look the biz !

although with more track time due this year.. 18's may be the way forward for me !


Migration info. Legacy thread was 23913
 

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