[chris clark]

Well, I've finally done it. Bought my first Porsche, a '99 996. Been a muscle car collector for years, drove a Cayman S at a car show in April, and have been searching ever since for my first exposure to German engineering. All I can say is 'Wow!' so far. Thought it would be smart to spend $20k at first rather than $60k, so I bought an 'entry level' car, knowing it needed a couple of things, like tires. Came with Michelins. Front are the correct Pilot Sport 205/50/ZR17's but have to be replaced due to weather cracking. Rears are brand new, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 255/40ZR17 94Y and are not the P rated tire that conform to Porsche specs. My tire dealer says that Michelin doesn't manufacture this tire in the front, 205/50/ZR17 size, so I can't match the rear. So my immediate questions are: Are the rear tires OK for this car, even though they're not the Porsche spec'ed tire? If I can keep them, would it be OK to put a different tread pattern on front since I can't exactly match the rear(that's the way it is now)? Since I'm not crazy about the 17" twist wheels that are on the car, would I be better off to find a set of 18's more to my liking, in the event I can't use the rear tires and need to replace all four? And finally, what factory wheels will fit this car? I've seen many 18's on craigslist in my local area that were pulled off 997's and newer 996's that have new rubber and are selling under $1,000, and it seems to make sense to go this route, but I don't know which wheels will work and which won't. Found a set of 18's yesterday from 997 C4 but local Porsche dealer says they won't work. Anyway, that's my dilemna, and any input/advice will be much appreciated.