Friday, January 29, 2021

Wheels, Wheels, Wheels

Tires. Kind of useless without wheels

If you've got a car, odds are that it has wheels. OK, Fred Flintstone, we see you with your hand in the air, but I'm going to call those rolling stones on your car "wheels" too. For most cars, they come with one standard size, and it's likely that for a few extra dollars you could get bigger, taller, sportier, or better wheels as an option. One of my favorite movies "My Cousin Vinnie" kind of centers around some Michelin tires, 14 inch sized, the most popular tire in America back in the day. These days, you're more likely driving around on much larger wheels than that!

19 inch wheel with snazzy color Porsche center cap

In the case of the Cayman, in 2009 they came with either 17, 18, or 19 inch wheels. The NMS version was bought used, and came with these 19 inch wheels, which look pretty cool, but because of the snazzy wheel design, they have unique lug nuts that also require a special adapter for the 19mm socket. Plus, they're a bit used and road-rashed, so I've been looking for some replacements for every day driving. 


Used tires from the Fiat Abarth, 17 inch
I gave these to a local guy that needed some tires


Every day driving is a relative term, since I don't drive it every day, so let's just tell it like it is and say "cheaper and smaller", as in some used 17 inch wheels. Since I already bought some awesome OZ wheels with Hankook tires in 18 inch size, I figured the 17 inch wheels will give me plenty of options for tires, and work just fine for non-competitive driving. 

17 inch Porsche wheel, plain black logo center cap

Above are the wheels I bought from another Porsche owner, he had listed them on the Rennlist forum, and with the used tires on here needing replacing, it's time to go tire shopping! Oh, and time to go 19 inch wheel/tire  selling too! I appreciate the 2nd stimulus payment that arrived recently, but it's not really enough for a new set of tires! Hey Washington DC, here's an idea, every American gets a new set of tires for free every year! That would boost the old economy, and the tire makers, tire shops, mechanics, and pretty much everybody wins!

18 inch OZ wheels ready to rumble on track


In review, we've covered my 19 and 17 inch wheels. What's missing? My 18 inch wheels! I bought them shortly after getting the car, and with the thought that 18 inch tires are cheaper than 19 inch tires. Overall that's a pretty good rule, smaller tires are cheaper tires. I also went all out with the OZ wheels, so these are my wheels/tires I use just for autocross and track driving. If you've never heard of OZ wheels, well, they make all the wheels for Formula 1, so that's good enough for me. This model is the Allegerita, which means they are lighter, so in a perfect world, they help make the car go faster. 

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