Tires - Buy now or later?

[gryphon99]

I've been browsing wheels to replace the standard 19 inch ones that come with my Taycan while I wait ever so patiently for it to arrive. For those of you who have put after market tires on, should I get the new wheels and enjoy them as soon as the car arrives? Or should I wait and get used to how the car drives before going all in?

I have this fear of slapping on the new tires day one only to hit a curb and scuff em all up! I'm coming from a crossover SUV and have never driven a sports car before. I don't drive aggressive but am expecting it will take a while to get used to the handling.

Also, if I wait, I probably can't get as much if I try to sell them. Then again, maybe I should keep them in case I get a flat or two and need to swap out in an emergency???

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[hifi239]

To confirm, when you say "tires" you mean "wheels and tires."

First, you can avoid curbing the original or new wheels with a little care. You are already aware this is a concern. The car is wide, so I fade a little for corners. Parallel parking is also no problem - just give it a few extra inches and go slow using the backup camera and the right mirror.

Second, if you are not getting Porsche wheels, I would make sure they are the right offset, hole depth, and made for Porsche lug bolts. Also, I would get a size that can accept a Porsche-approved Taycan tire with the NFO label. Are you not happy with the Porsche offerings? I would give those priority. You can get a set of genuine ones on EBay - not sure how those prices compare with the dealer.

Finally, I although they look great, and I have them, I would consider avoiding ultra-low profile 21" wheels, unless you live in a place with good roads and have a heavier model Taycan with dual motors and the big battery. I feel the 21's are too wide for my base model. For example, when turning at slow speeds the extra wide front wheels sometimes scrub and pop on the pavement. The factory aero wheels are the smallest ones you can get and they are big. I think they look great and offer more sidewall to protect the wheel and suspension.

 

[TXAG]

I contemplated this, too, back in January 2022. I spoke with a sales rep at Voss, and he said it would take 6 months to make the wheels I wanted. The standard 19" wheels are not appealing IMO and I'd want them replaced pronto.

 

[gryphon99]

To confirm, when you say "tires" you mean "wheels and tires."

First, you can avoid curbing the original or new wheels with a little care. You are already aware this is a concern. The car is wide, so I fade a little for corners. Parallel parking is also no problem - just give it a few extra inches and go slow using the backup camera and the right mirror.

Second, if you are not getting Porsche wheels, I would make sure they are the right offset, hole depth, and made for Porsche lug bolts. Also, I would get a size that can accept a Porsche-approved Taycan tire with the NFO label. Are you not happy with the Porsche offerings? I would give those priority. You can get a set of genuine ones on EBay - not sure how those prices compare with the dealer.

Finally, I although they look great, and I have them, I would consider avoiding ultra-low profile 21" wheels, unless you live in a place with good roads and have a heavier model Taycan with dual motors and the big battery. I feel the 21's are too wide for my base model. For example, when turning at slow speeds the extra wide front wheels sometimes scrub and pop on the pavement. The factory aero wheels are the smallest ones you can get and they are big. I think they look great and offer more sidewall to protect the wheel and suspension.

Thanks for the detailed response. Yes you are correct, wheels and tires I thought about the Porsche ones, but I did not like the only two 20 inch ones in the configurator and I really want to stick to that size and not go 21 inch. For now, I'm heavily leaning towards the Vossen HF-3s. Everything I see on the forums seem to say they won't be a problem for the Taycan. But I want to contact them to make sure and also go with the Porsche recommended tires for that size.

The 19 inch Taycan S Aeros are ok, but I really don't like the silver when the rest of my build is Volcano Grey with high gloss black trim. I'd love for the wheels to be gloss black as well to give it that sleek look.

 

[jkoya]

The 19 inch Taycan S Aeros are ok, but I really don't like the silver when the rest of my build is Volcano Grey with high gloss black trim. I'd love for the wheels to be gloss black as well to give it that sleek look.

Out of curiosity, is your new Taycan arriving with all-season or summer only tires ? Have you considered keeping the OEM wheels as a winter set ?

I had spec'd my Cross Turismo with 20" all-season tires (which I'm keeping for the winter season) and just installed 21" Signature Wheels with summer only tires. I will say the difference in driving feel is much better with the summer only tires. Just something to consider....

 

[simcity]

For example, when turning at slow speeds the extra wide front wheels sometimes scrub and pop on the pavement.

That’s just Ackermann effect. Bit disconcerting, but absolutely nothing to worry about. It’s just geometry

 

[gryphon99]

Out of curiosity, is your new Taycan arriving with all-season or summer only tires ? Have you considered keeping the OEM wheels as a winter set ?

I had spec'd my Cross Turismo with 20" all-season tires (which I'm keeping for the winter season) and just installed 21" Signature Wheels with summer only tires. I will say the difference in driving feel is much better with the summer only tires. Just something to consider....

I ordered mine with all season tires. I live in North Carolina in the US, which is the south. It typically doesn't get too cold here. In fact, we didn't get any snow all winter. Usually we get 1 or 2 days of snow each winter, occasionally we get a nasty winter storm with ice. I figure I'll just drive one of my other cars on those days.

My wife wants me to run the OEM tires to the ground and not waste money, haha. But those Vossens look oh so good!

One other data point. My wife's car is 2 years old and she has already had 2 flat tires due to nails with all the construction around us. Neither of them were covered by warranty. One happened just a few months after we bought the car. That's why I'm kind of leaning towards keeping them as backups... but maybe that's a bit extreme since I'd have to swap out 4 tires just for one flat.

 

[Archimedes]

I've been browsing wheels to replace the standard 19 inch ones that come with my Taycan while I wait ever so patiently for it to arrive. For those of you who have put after market tires on, should I get the new wheels and enjoy them as soon as the car arrives? Or should I wait and get used to how the car drives before going all in?

I have this fear of slapping on the new tires day one only to hit a curb and scuff em all up! I'm coming from a crossover SUV and have never driven a sports car before. I don't drive aggressive but am expecting it will take a while to get used to the handling.

The Taycan is not a sports car, it’s a sporty sedan. There’s nothing about the ‘handling’ that will require getting used to, though you do have to respect that it’s a wide car.

 

[hifi239]

That’s just Ackermann effect. Bit disconcerting, but absolutely nothing to worry about. It’s just geometry

Yes now I know what that’s called. But also I felt the combination of the electric power steering and the extra wide 21s gives a poor steering feel even at higher speeds. I just switched my base Taycan down from the 21s to the aero 19 wheels and tires and the steering feels much better. It is more responsive and consistent. Hard to describe.

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