Winter wheels and tires

[idtotaldoc]

Recently purchased a2014 CARRERA 4S(991.1) and want to drive this winter to western ski resorts. Currently
have 20in aftermarket wheels with 245/35 20 on the front and 305/30 20 rear. I’ve read that decreasing the wheel size to 19 and increasing the side wall height is desirable for winter driving(hitting potholes) So I’ve looked at less expensive wheels 19X8.5 front and 19X11 rear.Would Michelin alpinPA4 235/45 19front and
295/45 19 rear work? I’m sure this has been discussed before but new owner,new member to forum,really nonmechanical begs forgiveness. Any advice?

[blueline]

Others here will probably have ideas, but meanwhile check out the info at Tire Rack. Go to the "Research & Advice" link and use search terms such as "tire wheel sizing" or similar and you'll find helpful articles regarding your thoughts and questions.

Here are a couple of examples:

https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage ... snow-tires
https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage ... confidence

There are other companies besides Tire Rack that can help too, possibly including your local Porsche dealer, a qualified tire shop, and maybe a good performance shop that specializes in Porsches.

By the way, welcome to Carpokes!

[Arne2]

I did this (tires and wheels) for a living for almost 25 years. And yes, generally a smaller wheel diameter while maintaining overall tire diameter is desirable for winter tires, as is a little narrower tread. But there are potential issues.

First, have you verified that those 19" wheels will clear your brake calipers and have proper offset for your car? Not all late model Porsche wheel fitments are interchangeable.

If 19" will fit over your brakes, the tire sizes you list (especially the rear) are too tall. For those 19" wheels, ideally I'd look for 245/40-19 in front, and probably 285/35-19 in the rear. These sizes will maintain (more or less) your existing gearing and speedometer accuracy, while giving you an extra ½" of sidewall height.

That said, winter tires can be tough to find in the "perfect" sizes once you leave the stock sizes behind. In this case, one of the issues is the 11" width of those rear wheels. That means that you can't go narrower than 285 for the rear, and it turns out that negates most correct fitting 19" winter tire choices. I scanned through most of the major winter tire brands and didn't see any that offer both front and rear sizes appropriate for your car with those wheels.

I'd want to do some research before I recommended something different, but other than staying with the stock 20" sizes, the best other option that *MIGHT* work would be a set of 19" wheels from a 718. The fronts on these are 8" wide and the same offset as 991/992 Carreras. The 19" rears are only 10" wide, which means you could use narrower 275/40-19 tires. That opens some new options with Vredstein, Pirelli and Hankook winter tires. *IF* the 718 wheels fit.

In sum, fitting 19" winter tires to your car is going to take some research, and it is probable that your preferred tire brand may not have appropriate tires for this fitment. It may well be simpler to stay with approved 20" sizes to guarantee proper fit and function. In the end, the proper fit will be more important than the "narrower, taller sidewall" advantage.

[Ls9009]

Any suggestions/advise for winter tires on my 992S..not alot of snow but cold and slippery.. thank you

[blueline]

Any suggestions/advise for winter tires on my 992S..not alot of snow but cold and slippery.. thank you

I have a winter wheel/tire set for the 992 Turbo S from Porsche.

The winter tires are 245/35R20 (front) & 305/30R21 (rear) Goodyear M+S Ultra Grip Performance "NAO" Gen 1 (Porsche spec and made in Germany).

Limited use last winter but very pleased so far.

[Ls9009]

Tim
Thank you..I normally drive the Macan GTS in the winter the last year or so but my wife has seemed to 'take it over'..thanks for the info..
Larry S

[blueline]

Tim
Thank you..I normally drive the Macan GTS in the winter the last year or so but my wife has seemed to 'take it over'..thanks for the info..
Larry S

Spouses can do that at times!

I was looking back Larry and found a thread from last year with you and others about some of the issues and options regarding winter tires for a Turbo S. What I found (and had since forgotten!) was that manufacturing of winter tires for the 992 Turbo S are limited. The wheel/tire set that I purchased was Porsche supplied.

See this post and comments:
viewtopic.php?p=12948#p12948

[WillyDaP]

No worries at our house, as my wife has mentioned if it is really bad out she is taking my 22 Ram Laramie Crew Cab. This is a shock to my system as through 46 years of marriage she has always hated my trucks but she loves the Ram and in fact thinks it drives like a dream. Guess, the Macan S will be a garage queen this Winter if we get a lot of snow --- heh, great idea as I can spend money or race tires and wheels for the Cayman GTS so I am all for her driving the Ram, ha!

[blueline]

No worries at our house, as my wife has mentioned if it is really bad out she is taking my 22 Ram Laramie Crew Cab. This is a shock to my system as through 46 years of marriage she has always hated my trucks but she loves the Ram and in fact thinks it drives like a dream. Guess, the Macan S will be a garage queen this Winter if we get a lot of snow --- heh, great idea as I can spend money or race tires and wheels for the Cayman GTS so I am all for her driving the Ram, ha!

Same thing said about my 2011 GMC truck by my wife over the years but she's getting to like it. I put all three Porsche's in the Regions Concours this past Saturday and they'd been stored in the garage, un-driven for over a week after all three were detailed. She went out of town and took the truck and I rented the cheapest car I could get from Enterprise for 4-days so I could get around.

But, back to tires, we have winters for all the Porsches so that we can go out whenever we please. Drive them thar carz!

[Norville]

Any suggestions/advise for winter tires on my 992S..not alot of snow but cold and slippery.. thank you

Porsche sells packages, both 19/20 and 20/21 for the 992. I have optional 20/21 summer wheels and tires, but went Withee 19/20 wheels with Continental tires. I didn’t use them a lot, but they were fine in 3-4” of snow.