New Porsche 991 GT3 First Drive - CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS
#42
06-17-2013, 03:23 PM
I think the optional 20 inch wheels look amazing. And the wheel/tire combination seems to work flawlessly.
I'm old enough to remember the strident cries of "sacrilege!" as each succeeding generation of cars would fit larger and larger wheels.
Well, as I have always said, the engineers build these cars with all the bits to work in harmony. The lower profile tires are lighter, more responsive and reduce the moment of inertia. The big 20s also allow larger brakes to be fitted. When properly calibrated with spring rates and shock valving, the ride is fabulous. And those 20s look FABULOUS!
Some day soon, we will see 21s. It will happen. And, of course, we will hear those strident cries again.
I'm old enough to remember the strident cries of "sacrilege!" as each succeeding generation of cars would fit larger and larger wheels.
Well, as I have always said, the engineers build these cars with all the bits to work in harmony. The lower profile tires are lighter, more responsive and reduce the moment of inertia. The big 20s also allow larger brakes to be fitted. When properly calibrated with spring rates and shock valving, the ride is fabulous. And those 20s look FABULOUS!
Some day soon, we will see 21s. It will happen. And, of course, we will hear those strident cries again.
#43
06-18-2013, 09:07 AM
I think the optional 20 inch wheels look amazing. And the wheel/tire combination seems to work flawlessly.
I'm old enough to remember the strident cries of "sacrilege!" as each succeeding generation of cars would fit larger and larger wheels.
Well, as I have always said, the engineers build these cars with all the bits to work in harmony. The lower profile tires are lighter, more responsive and reduce the moment of inertia. The big 20s also allow larger brakes to be fitted. When properly calibrated with spring rates and shock valving, the ride is fabulous. And those 20s look FABULOUS!
Some day soon, we will see 21s. It will happen. And, of course, we will hear those strident cries again.
I'm old enough to remember the strident cries of "sacrilege!" as each succeeding generation of cars would fit larger and larger wheels.
Well, as I have always said, the engineers build these cars with all the bits to work in harmony. The lower profile tires are lighter, more responsive and reduce the moment of inertia. The big 20s also allow larger brakes to be fitted. When properly calibrated with spring rates and shock valving, the ride is fabulous. And those 20s look FABULOUS!
Some day soon, we will see 21s. It will happen. And, of course, we will hear those strident cries again.
#44
06-18-2013, 09:43 AM
Sure, it will always take a while for the competition tires to follow. But the cries of "Sacrilege!" were not about the tires.
#45
06-18-2013, 04:54 PM
I think the optional 20 inch wheels look amazing. And the wheel/tire combination seems to work flawlessly.
I'm old enough to remember the strident cries of "sacrilege!" as each succeeding generation of cars would fit larger and larger wheels.
Well, as I have always said, the engineers build these cars with all the bits to work in harmony. The lower profile tires are lighter, more responsive and reduce the moment of inertia. The big 20s also allow larger brakes to be fitted. When properly calibrated with spring rates and shock valving, the ride is fabulous. And those 20s look FABULOUS!
Some day soon, we will see 21s. It will happen. And, of course, we will hear those strident cries again.
I'm old enough to remember the strident cries of "sacrilege!" as each succeeding generation of cars would fit larger and larger wheels.
Well, as I have always said, the engineers build these cars with all the bits to work in harmony. The lower profile tires are lighter, more responsive and reduce the moment of inertia. The big 20s also allow larger brakes to be fitted. When properly calibrated with spring rates and shock valving, the ride is fabulous. And those 20s look FABULOUS!
Some day soon, we will see 21s. It will happen. And, of course, we will hear those strident cries again.
Marketing is one thing - winning on a race track is something else.
#46
06-18-2013, 05:37 PM
IMHO, Porsche designed the new GT3 to be wicked fast with great handling. They didn't have to offer it with 20s, but they did. It would be very interesting to see back-to-back 'Ring times with 19s vs 20s. My money would be on the 20s.
Same as the mighty GTR. I absolutely KNOW Nissan considered 19s. They proved to me the 20s were quicker. So that's what they put on the car.
The Ferrari 458 also comes with 20s. And not because the 20s are slower.
Truth is, if you design the car with these wheel/tire combinations in mind, they work very well.
I know that the track guys still use a lot of 18s, but its because of the tire SELECTION and tire COST.
20 inch race tires will come. 18" tires will go. Many will complain.
Progress can be painful. But the new GT3 looks like a BLAST to drive. Can't wait.
#47
06-19-2013, 11:21 AM
I can tell you that buying new tires and brakes is a frequent part of track driving and the 15" tires for my 73 911 are a small fraction of the cost of 20" tires - and of course the frequency of replacement is much higher with a heavy car like the 991 GT3 also. It makes going to the track frequently (I like to go weekly in the warm months) a very expensive proposition.
#48
06-19-2013, 01:05 PM
Uh oh! I guess I poked the sleeping Pitbull.
IMHO, Porsche designed the new GT3 to be wicked fast with great handling. They didn't have to offer it with 20s, but they did. It would be very interesting to see back-to-back 'Ring times with 19s vs 20s. My money would be on the 20s.
Same as the mighty GTR. I absolutely KNOW Nissan considered 19s. They proved to me the 20s were quicker. So that's what they put on the car.
The Ferrari 458 also comes with 20s. And not because the 20s are slower.
Truth is, if you design the car with these wheel/tire combinations in mind, they work very well.
I know that the track guys still use a lot of 18s, but its because of the tire SELECTION and tire COST.
20 inch race tires will come. 18" tires will go. Many will complain.
Progress can be painful. But the new GT3 looks like a BLAST to drive. Can't wait.
IMHO, Porsche designed the new GT3 to be wicked fast with great handling. They didn't have to offer it with 20s, but they did. It would be very interesting to see back-to-back 'Ring times with 19s vs 20s. My money would be on the 20s.
Same as the mighty GTR. I absolutely KNOW Nissan considered 19s. They proved to me the 20s were quicker. So that's what they put on the car.
The Ferrari 458 also comes with 20s. And not because the 20s are slower.
Truth is, if you design the car with these wheel/tire combinations in mind, they work very well.
I know that the track guys still use a lot of 18s, but its because of the tire SELECTION and tire COST.
20 inch race tires will come. 18" tires will go. Many will complain.
Progress can be painful. But the new GT3 looks like a BLAST to drive. Can't wait.
hey, you might be correct when it comes to street cars...but I remain firm on my opinion about race cars. This 20 or 21 bling is just for show..otherwise it would have been in racing already for a long time..we are in 2013 now buddy...so if your theory was correct..they should all be upgrading to 21 soon (bu the opposite is true, some reverted even to 17)..I bet you one beer that it wont happent next year..neither in 2015..You have forgotten that ist not only about cost..talk to race drivers and they will tell you how important it is to have the tires taking up some suspension work when the car goes over curbs etc..
#50
06-20-2013, 07:31 AM
What he said. Sweet spot is 18. Anything larger is just a little too rigid. Might work in another brand car, but a 21 is too rigid. Would make the car too stiff and too tail happy. Sometimes stiff is good, sometimes you need to take it out. Larger wheels prevent that.