what wheels ? comfort and usability

[1303bug]

hey im in a bit of a dilemma here ,
im looking at 17" turbo twists at the moment but have been told that the
17" wheels would look super but bugs on 17" wheels drive awfully. Aska anyone with 17" wheels on a bug and they'll tell you.
is this right ?

then i saw a pair of 15" revolutions drilled to 5x130
and was told that
the smaller revolutions are a "standard" wheel that gets drilled for any pattern, hence the big flat area in the centre where the bolt holes are. They'd be grand to drive on as you could get a nice big tyre on but it really depends on what look you're going for and what your priorities are: looks or comfort/usability.

so what i'm asking is which wheels offer style and comfort and are usable ?
i want a wheel thats easy enough to install without huge modifications , im going to be running 944 aluminium trailing arms on the rear and 944n/a brakes from the balljoint out on the front.

Thanks , :)

[ricola]

I had no issues at all with 17" cup 2s. It's more about tyre profile and combined wheel/tyre weight than absolute size. Obviously what suspension rates and damping you use will also affect things.. Ally rear arms will increase the track and I'm fairly sure you will need wider rear wings for any porsche wheel..

[petevw]

No issues with my 17's on the super. Been running them for 9yrs.

Daily driving, drag strip, and the track. A-OK!

Pete

[volkdent]

No problem with 17's here, I will say that I run pretty low tire pressures due to the lightness of the car. Definately don't run the standard 35psi, I think I run 25psi or less. Softer pressure = softer ride. Lower profile=less sidewall rollover= better handling feel.

Jason

[evilC]

For day to day comfort profiles greater than 50% are recommended and given an o/a wheel/tyre diameter of 640mm you can work out the tyre that suits you best.
BTW tyre sidewall is much lighter than alloy wheel so that the larger the wheel/lower the profile the greater the unsprung weight.

Clive

[ricola]

Another thing to watch is wheel weights, they can vary a lot. Typically repro wheels weighing a lot more than genuine ones... There's a site called 'wheel weights' IIRC that lists a lot of the common ones...

[Steve C]

Hi

I have 17 x 7s on my daily 1303, rides great with 215/45 tyres. I had 17x8 & 17x9s on my 1302 ride was very good even with 40 series tyres.

Steve

[volkdent]

For day to day comfort profiles greater than 50% are recommended and given an o/a wheel/tyre diameter of 640mm you can work out the tyre that suits you best.
BTW tyre sidewall is much lighter than alloy wheel so that the larger the wheel/lower the profile the greater the unsprung weight.

Clive

Are there any recommendations for the maximum allowable G-force to stay in the "day to day comfort" range? ;):lmao:

I've never had anyone tell me riding in my car would be described as comfortable, though it has been described as an "experience".

Maybe I should bolt up some 14"s with some 70% side profiles, but I still think comfort won't be a adjective to describe my driving! I'm a slave to car fashion I guess, bring on the 18"s!

Jason

[1303bug]

thanks guys for the great info , guess ill be going with 17" s found a nice pair of porsche doglegs (ttwists) , ill post pics up soon

[Joel]

had 17s on mine for years too, ride is fine

even the 18s i used to have wern't too bad, just felt big bumps alot more with 35 series tyres

[evilC]

thanks guys for the great info , guess ill be going with 17" s found a nice pair of porsche doglegs (ttwists) , ill post pics up soon

Just don't let anyone con you into thinking that ultra low profile tyres offer better grip or handling per se, if they did all the open wheel formula racers would be using them. The only time you will find low profile tyres on a racer is when ultra big brakes are required and that the tyres also have to fit under proscribed bodies leaving little room for tall(ish) sidewalls.

Tall sidewalls are also more tolerant to camber changes that is the bane of most street cars

Clive

[volkdent]

Just don't let anyone con you into thinking that ultra low profile tyres offer better grip or handling per se, if they did all the open wheel formula racers would be using them. The only time you will find low profile tyres on a racer is when ultra big brakes are required and that the tyres also have to fit under proscribed bodies leaving little room for tall(ish) sidewalls.

Tall sidewalls are also more tolerant to camber changes that is the bane of most street cars

Clive

Exactly right. I love watching the slo-mos of F1 tires as they bounce back and forth with their tall sidewalls. There is talk about going with 18's on F1 cars with the 4 cylinder turbo engines, either way the tire manufacturers have their hands full.

A 50% sidewall seems like the best compromise, but the looks can suffer depending on what style you like.

Jason

[aircured]

can anyone recommend some 17" wheels and tyres for a novice like me.
just started in the scene and am still "green behind the ears".

[1303bug]

im with aircured on that one !

[aircured]

No issues with my 17's on the super. Been running them for 9yrs.

Daily driving, drag strip, and the track. A-OK!

Pete

what wheels were the 17's you have

[aircured]

1303bug.
have done a bit of diggin and found this info, if your interested.

front. 17X7 - 205/40
rear. 17X7 - 225/45