To all:

I have an 07 Cayman with the stock 17inch Cayman Wheels and Michelins and I would like to buy a set of winter tires. I plan on mounting these tires on another set of the same wheels. I like the OEM look. Here is my dilemma.

From what I have read and been told, Winter tires perform better in the snow/ice the narrower they are. Wide is bad because of the surface area and weight distrubution onto the snow/ice. You want to have as much weight concentrated on the smallest amount of space. The P Cars (not cayanne) typically have the staggered setup where the front wheels are narrower than the rear. In my case I have 17X6.5 in the front and 17X8 in the rear. The question is - Do I need to have 8 inch wheels in the rear? I understand for performance on dry/track it is better but I dont really care about that in the winter. Will the offset of a 6 inch wheel fit in the rear?

My dealer has said no but with some hestitation. Tirerack seems to think the same thing and is saying to go with the same OEM specs. They are also recommending the Porsche OEM Winter Tires - Continental.

I actually want to go with Nokian www.nokiantyres.com since I have past experience with them and they are best IMO. Nokian recommends all 4 tires be the same width.

What to you guys think? Any past expereince?