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    RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    Hey gang,

    My dealer is ordering 19" tires from Tire Rack for me. He has also offered to sell me 19" S type RIMS to be used for the snow tires.....FOR $3500. Ok, i know i just paid $90K for a car, but doesn't $3500 seem like a lot for RIMS that will be used for 4 months of the year? What does everyone else do? Do you buy regular (cheaper) RIMS from TireRack or another distributor? Thanks in advance for your help!!!

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    One thing I would think about is purchasing the 18" Carerra III wheels with the Continental Wintercontact 810V tires if you have any plans of driving in snow. The 18" tires will plow through the snow a little easier.

    My dealer is obtaining a set of wheels AND tires for $3800. The rims for $3500 is a bit steep. The tires will be at least $200/tire. Another source is Wheel Enhancement. Email or talk to David Martin. He has been very helpful.

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    Please be aware that non N-classified winter tires have not been tested by Porsche and due to the very special weight distribution and the different tire sizes front/rear of the 997, the tires are one of the most important components on the 997 and wrong choices could lead to some pretty undesireable results, especially under extreme driving conditions. Non-N classified winter tires do not deliver satisfying results under all driving conditions in winter time. And even if the tire brand, type and size are the same, N-classified tires have a different compound/tread mixture and deliver completely different results.

    From past experience, stick with N-classified tires, winter and summer because the tire is actually the only part which connects the car to the street.

    And if a tire dealer tells you that N-classified tires are the same, just with a Nx added, change your tire dealer, he's not to be trusted. I know that a lot of people think this has to do with sponsorship, relations to tire manufacturers, etc. but take a good look at the tire brands Porsche was using over the past years for their cars and you find Pirelli, Michelin, Yokohama, Bridgestone and Continental among them. So there is no "preferred" supplier, just the one who delivers the best results for a certain product. Best evidence: the new Michelin Pilot Sport 2 on my 997 Carrera S, an absolutely great sport tire, very good setup. And for tire manufacturers, it is an "honour" to advertise their tires as the OEM supplier of Porsche.

    But of course you guys are free to do what you want, it is your money, your car and your life.

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    BTW, the Conti Wintercontact 810's are N-classified.

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    Quote:
    alin2 said:
    BTW, the Conti Wintercontact 810's are N-classified.



    I'm afraid this is not true.
    There is a WinterContact 810 without N-classification, this is the original WinterContact 810 which can be used for various brands of cars.
    And this is also the tire almost every tire dealer will sell you (although he knows you own a Porsche) because:
    1. he doesn't have a clue about tires
    2. he doesn't care
    3. he wants to sell you what he has in stock
    4. he wants to sell you what he can get fast
    5. etc. etc. etc.

    Porsche actually uses a modified WinterContact 810 Sport (yes, there is such a thing too ) with different compound mixtures (soft winter oriented rubber on the inside for better snow grip and a stiffer winter sport rubber one on the outside for hard driving in the dry).
    You can imagine how your 997 drives if you're using an "ordinary" WinterContact 810 instead.

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    Actually, you can't even get ANY 810Vs in the US. I'm referring to the N-spec 810Vs that I'm getting from the Porsche dealership as part of the 18" Carerra III wheel and winter tire package.

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    The dealer is ordering the following tires from Tire Rack for me. How can I tell whether these are "N" rated tires?

    >235/35VR-19 Pirelli Winter Sottozero XL
    >295/30VR-19 Pirelli Winter Sottozero XL

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    Sorry. The Pirellis are not "N" rated for the 997. The 18" and 19" N rated tires according to Porsche (from Christophorus) is the new Continental Wintercontact 810Vs. The Tire Rack does not carry them. I think the only source in the US are Porsche dealerships or places that carry Tequipment wheels like Whell Enhancement.

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    And so we start again!!

    Neither of the two Porsche recommended tires seem to be available in the USA (the Conti 810's at all, the Pireli 240's in the right size), and neither my Porsche dealer or Porsche USA had any further info. (Porsche USA said: 'ask your dealer'. My dealer said: 'ask Tire Rack. That's where Porsche USA and we both get our tires!')

    I went through this BS a month ago and reported it in detail on this site.

    Tire Rack has and recommends strongly the Pirelli Sottozero XL's in 19" or at least will have on December 31st and I have them on order (like you, Alin2). The only rims they have are about the same cost ($4,000+) as the Porsche 19" 997S rims so I had asked my dealer to provide and Tire Rack to ship the dealer.

    I e-mailed all this info to my salesman several weeks ago, at Paul Miller Porsche, but actually never heard back, because Mr. Paul Miller is too damned cheap to provide e-mail for his staff and my salesman doesn't seem to answer his personal e-mail. (I had to get that off my chest!)

    I'm frankly pretty mad to have paid (or leased) a $93,000 car, desire to purchase the correct and best tires (and rims) even for around $5,000, and can't get past go.

    Meanwhile RC is telling us that only Porsche blessed N tires will work and the Sottozero's aren't kosher.

    So, RC, what practical advice do you have for US customers living in the snow belt? Practical as in: snow tires we can actually purchase.

    PS: I have taken a page from our President's hymn book and have become a true believer in faith-based weather forecasting: i.e. it can't possibly snow in New Jersey until this matter is sorted out. But seeing how poorly GW's faith-based prosecution of the war in Iraq is going, I'm losing my optimism fast.

    So please, PorscheUSA, my dealer, RC, whomever, come up with a practical solution to snow tires (i.e. available in the USA) before we get globbered by our first snow storm of the season!!

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    "faith based weather forecasting?" LOL.

    I gotta say that I'm with you on this one. But, my dealer and Wheel Enhancement have the 18" CIII/Conti combo. Do you really want the 19" wheels?

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    I don't know, alin2, I'm confused. The SottoZeros according Tire Rack, are full performance cold season, not just snow focused. And Porsche Germany's recommendation is a stock 19" size snow tire, not 18" nd not narrower. One of the moderators here suggested, as I remember it, that this was becuase of the rear engine/weight distribution versus my M5 where 17" narrower snow tires were recommended. (I am getting nostaligic about the straightforward advice I got from BMW!)

    PS: I'm not so nostalgic for my M5 after having hit the 2,000 mile mark this evening and having let my 997S rip in Sports mode. Woweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    Pnoble,

    I share your pain and confusion. However, the Christophorus article and the Tequipment catalog for the 997 lists the 18" CIII wheel as a "official" wheel/snow tire combo FWIW.

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    Alin2,

    This is what RC reported on September 23rd as being officially Porsche recommended:

    235/40 R18 91V M+S (front)
    265/40 R18 97V M+S (rear)
    Continental Winter Contact TS 810 N0
    This combo is recommended for snow and dry/wet pavement.

    235/35 R19 87V M+S (front)
    295/30 R19 100V XL M+S (rear)
    Continental Winter Contact TS 810 N0
    This combo is recommended for dry/wet pavement.

    235/35 R19 87V M+S (front)
    295/30 R19 100V SL M+S (rear)
    Pirelli Winter 240 SnowSport N0
    This combo is recommended for snow and dry/wet pavement.

    I assumed the 18" were for the 997, the 19" for the 997S.

    Paul

    Re: RIMS FOR WINTER ONLY!

    Pnoble,

    The October/November Christophorus magazine lists the above wheel/tire combos for the "911 Carrera (997)" It does not distinguish between the 997 and the 997S. Both Dave at Wheel Enhancement and my local dealership have confirmed that the 18" wheel will definitely fit and work with the 997S. The 997 Tequipment catalog also does not distinguish its winter wheel and tire recommendations between the 997 and the 997S. Hopefully this helps.

    Any thoughts RC?

     
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