Autocrossing a Taycan CT

[ebarron]

Prefacing this: Fast car, slow driver. Looking for information, wisdom, judgement.

The Car: 2026 Taycan 4s CT, PAR, RAS, 20" summer conti tires.

First off, yes, the big CT is fun to autocross. Its heavy, there is a lot of tire noise, but handles and brakes well (even with the normal brakes) and supplies a great day. That said, I have a bunch of questions, some will be due to lack of skill, and some will be more serious. For arguments sake lets assume I have an extra 423hp. Somehow? Magic has been known to happen.

Lets start with the wheels. The car does slide. Straight line acceleration from 0 will break the tires free even with traction control, this is really a factor of late arriving magic. But also slides under power into corners. Now - this latter part could just be exceeding what the car is capable of given what the driver is asking. But I'm also wondering - how much would 21" tires improve vs the 20s? And how much would track vs summer tire matter. I just don't know. Asking this question however leads to other questions.

21 inch wheels on a heavy car on hard cornering. I couldnt find actual specs for porsche taycan rims, but porsche specifies 101Y XL ratings for front and 104-108Y XL for the rear (1819, 1984, 2205)lbs of weight per wheel. This seems to be in advance of what most 3rd party 'taycan' rims advertise their weight ratings at. Many are less than 1/2 that

So, looking for wisdom. I know I'm in for a set of all season tires at some point. They'll go on the 20" rims I have. Are 21"s worth it for autocross? Or get good on what I got first? I'm not shelling out for gold manthey's. Tho.. they do look sweet (as do the unavailable gold rs spyders).

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[Detect]

21" not worth it. 20" with real 200tw tires will be way better. my 21" pzero pz4 tires corded after five track days and 5,000 mi. my 20" bridgestone RE-71RS tires held up better.

 

[ebarron]

Did you purchase a second set of rims?

 

[Detect]

Did you purchase a second set of rims?

yes, i have a bunch of wheel sets. purchased wheels/rims/tires off ebay, craigslist, this forum, e-tron forum, and tirerack.

 

[ebarron]

Did you have weight concerns? Or is this a non-issue?

 

[Detect]

Did you have weight concerns? Or is this a non-issue?

unsprung weight or load rating? i don't think i'm good enough driver for a few extra pounds of unsprung weight per wheel to matter for lap times. load rating for any stock e-tron GT or taycan wheels will be good. aftermarket rims worth checking if they publish that information. tires i also try to check load rating. bridgestone RE-71RS i was using for track days was square 285/35r20 with 100 load which is probably the lowest i'm comfortable with heavy weight transfer on a heavy car.

 

[gnr3312]

Just curious but do you store your wheels and tires in your garage?

 

[Mizzle51]

I stuck with 20's for my CT which does Autocross. I didn't like how the thin / low profile on the 21's looked. Figured the sidewalls would be gone during corners. Rear Axel steering is also a big help.

 

[Mad Matter]

Havent taken the Taycan out on autox but if you consider yourself a slow driver then seat time will be your biggest gain. Then consider a stickier tire like RE71 as mentioned. Those are great and will make a difference in your times. I prefer low sidewall for quicker responce in autox but may also depends how bumpy your course is. Then a slightly taller profile from the 20's might be beneficial.

Heaviest car I've autox was around 3200lbs so listen to those who have taken the taycan out. Tire pressures make a huge difference on feel and times. So play with that first.

 

[ebarron]

Thanks, super helpful both of you. I've been reading, researching, listening to folks here, and this is what I think I've figured out so far?

The overwhelming suggestion is to go with a "square" setup of 20x10 rims because:
* Autocross tires like the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS dont fit 21+rims
* They also don't fit 11+" wide rims..
* moving from 9" to 10" in the front helps with the weight induced understeer.

The Bridgestone's seem to be the overwhelming tire of choice.

I'm hearing/reading mixed things about the degree to which I need to worry about non OEM rims and weight.

What I still don't know:
* Do I need a rear spacer? Assume yes.
* 10 seems to be okay on the front on the CT, anything to know there?
* Other geometry considerations on the tire or rim?

 

[Mad Matter]

The Bridgestone's seem to be the overwhelming tire of choice.

There are others but depends how competitive you want to be or which class you want to participate in. Pzero will be more than enough to have fun but you will find it hard to keep up competitively with times of others on RE71 or RT660

What I still don't know:
* Do I need a rear spacer? Assume yes.

Depends on the offset of the wheel you choose

I'm hearing/reading mixed things about the degree to which I need to worry about non OEM rims and weight.

OEM wheels are not the strongest, the lightest or the best suited for AutoX. There are better out there, you just need to make sure they can handle your car for your intended purpose. I would stay away from cast wheels and look for forged wheels from a reputable source.

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