20" Vs 21" Wheels Comfort and Handling

[WindsurfUS1111]

My Taycan went to the dealer for a few days to get a software reset. I was given my same car (Taycan RWD) as a loaner. The only difference is my car (21" wheels) Vs loaner (20" wheels). I find a significant difference in the comfort and ride handling - with the 20" being superior. Is this a common experience between the two? I'm surprised I feel such a difference.

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[WuffvonTrips]

Air suspension on both?

 

[WindsurfUS1111]

Air suspension is an added cost option
Both cars are steel suspension

 

[f1eng]

I noticed markedly better ride with 20” wheels versus 21” wheels when I compared 2 CT 4S demo cars.

I didn’t drive fast enough to judge handling difference.

I still ordered the 21” Cross Turismo wheels because I like their styling.

 

[jkoya]

My Cross Turismo came with the 20" Turbo Design Wheels and when I switched to aftermarket 21" forged Signature Wheels, I did notice the ride was slightly harsher. Used to it now though...

Didn't think much about it, as the 20" wheels had all-season tires and the 21" wheels have summer only tires. I'll swap back to the 20" in a couple of months and see if I notice the difference again..

 

[lcarron]

My Taycan went to the dealer for a few days to get a software reset. I was given my same car (Taycan RWD) as a loaner. The only difference is my car (21" wheels) Vs loaner (20" wheels). I find a significant difference in the comfort and ride handling - with the 20" being superior. Is this a common experience between the two? I'm surprised I feel such a difference.

Thanks for confirming. Any big noise difference when the road is rough between 21 and 20?

 

[hifi239]

With my RWD with steel springs, going from the very big and wide 21" wheels and tires down to 19" made a noticeable improvement in the feel and steering agility. Likely there is a similar difference going down to 20". My opinion is that the very wide 21" wheels might be best left to the high power and heavier AWDs. Even for slow turns in a parking lot the 21" front wheels I had scrubbed and popped on the pavement . My profile shows the 21s that are now in storage.

 

[Archimedes]

With my RWD with steel springs, going from the very big and wide 21" wheels and tires down to 19" made a noticeable improvement in the feel and steering agility. Likely there is a similar difference going down to 20". My opinion is that the very wide 21" wheels might be best left to the high power and heavier AWDs. Even for slow turns in a parking lot the 21" front wheels I had scrubbed and popped on the pavement . My profile shows the 21s that are now in storage.

The scrubbing has nothing to do with the wheel size.

 

[WindsurfUS1111]

I don’t notice a noise difference between wheel sizes - just a better ride

The extra expense, fragility, and inferior ride makes 21’s (for me) an absurd choice. I don’t even think they look better.

I got stuck with them because they came with the car - would happily trade for 20’s, even though these were a $5200 add vs $2300

 

[whan]

For me, I chose to stick with 20s mostly for the protection of a thicker sidewall. These cars are as heavy as most ICE crossovers so for me using it as a daily driver and having to drive over rougher roads form time to time, I felt more at ease with the 4.35" sidewall vs. 3.65" of the 21s. On top of that I do think they ride somewhat better, although Porsche's suspension tuning is great so I'd probably be fine with ride quality on 21s as well

That being said, I do think the 20" setup can contribute to understeer. 245 on the front is a bit narrow for the car's weight and so I tend to feel the car has a tendency to push at the limit. The 21" setup having 265s at the front probably would help handling (on top of generally overall improved grip, as the rear goes from 285 to 305). For comparison, a lot of other performance sedans have wider front wheel setups. The M5 is 275F/285R, RS6 is 285F/285R, and E63 is 265F/295R.

For my use case as a daily driver, the understeer is fine. My 458 is the weekend car that I want to be balanced.

 

[NuJerzPorsche]

The 21's of anything on a Taycan look MUCH better. Id sacrifice just a tad bit for the look. I hate how 20's and 19s look on this car.

 

[Jonathan S.]

That being said, I do think the 20" setup can contribute to understeer. 245 on the front is a bit narrow for the car's weight and so I tend to feel the car has a tendency to push at the limit. [...]

I've been wondering about the 225 front on the 19" setup -- that seems crazy narrow for a vehicle like this?

 

[Mike in CA]

I don’t notice a noise difference between wheel sizes - just a better ride

The extra expense, fragility, and inferior ride makes 21’s (for me) an absurd choice. I don’t even think they look better.

I got stuck with them because they came with the car - would happily trade for 20’s, even though these were a $5200 add vs $2300

I've not compared 20's to 21's so I don't have any input to that part of the discussion. You already determined that you prefer the ride of the 20's.

Just to add my own subjective 2 cents, the 21" Mission E's are the wheels that belong on the Taycan and are the best looking of the bunch. Additionally, all of the 21" wheels are wider with wider rubber and are also forged, while the 19's and 20's are cast.

Finally, I have absolutely no objection to the ride with the 21's on my 4S. With air suspension, adaptive dampers and adaptive sway bars (PDCC) I find the ride and handling can be made ideal for almost any situation. Personally, I would not want a softer or more comfortable ride on my Taycan.

 

[WindsurfUS1111]

I didn’t realize 21’s had a wider tread
Do you think the wider tread compensates for a thinner tire depth and equals out?

What difference is forged vs cast in practical terms?
Stiffer, stronger?

You also have air suspension vs steel which I suspect makes a big difference in comfort.

 

[f1eng]

What difference is forged vs cast in practical terms?
Stiffer, stronger?

The forging alloys tend to be stronger than those used for casting so can be made thinner and lighter but with a 21" this may simply offset the extra weight of the rim.

The specific stiffness of most engineering metals is very close, which means that though Titaniium is half the weight of Steel it is also half the stiffness and whilst Ally is a third the weight of steel it is also a third the stiffness.
FWIW

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