986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post - Cut on a tire

Lil bastard · 09-25-2008, 02:29 PM

I think simply the vast number of people out there running non-N rated tires proves there's little point to them (N-rated), especially if you pay a premium to get them.

If people were going through wheel bearings, or having excessive accidents or deaths on non-N tires, some credence might be given to the N ratings, but they're not.

Porsche may very well test the tires, whether or not the tire design is improved based on this testing remains a mystery.

Some Mfrs. have worked with Tire Cos. to produce a specific tire and then engineer the car's suspension and handling around that tire such as Ferrari and Mercedes to name a couple. In these cases, sticking with the spec'd tire probably results in the best overall ride and handling. But, since there are several OEM tires available for the porsche, and several more N-rated tires out there, it's not likely this is the case with the 986/996, 987/997.

09-25-2008, 02:29 PM	#21
Lil bastard Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Du Monde Posts: 2,199	I think simply the vast number of people out there running non-N rated tires proves there's little point to them (N-rated), especially if you pay a premium to get them. If people were going through wheel bearings, or having excessive accidents or deaths on non-N tires, some credence might be given to the N ratings, but they're not. Porsche may very well test the tires, whether or not the tire design is improved based on this testing remains a mystery. Some Mfrs. have worked with Tire Cos. to produce a specific tire and then engineer the car's suspension and handling around that tire such as Ferrari and Mercedes to name a couple. In these cases, sticking with the spec'd tire probably results in the best overall ride and handling. But, since there are several OEM tires available for the porsche, and several more N-rated tires out there, it's not likely this is the case with the 986/996, 987/997. __________________ 1990 Porsche 964 Carrera 4 Cabriolet 1976 BMW 2002 1990 BMW 325is 1999 Porsche Boxster (gone, but not forgotten) http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/a...smiley-003.gif Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly! Last edited by Lil bastard; 09-25-2008 at 02:34 PM.