Jim makes an interesting point that I had not considered about the Z-rating of the tires. Most of my "spirited" driving is at speeds below 100 mph. I have only used three tires on my 2000 2.7L Boxster, Pirellis, Michellins and Falkens. Of those, I really liked the Z-rated Michellins. Is there a cheaper Michellin that handles like the Z-rated Michellin P/S at lower speeds?
Ed
"I've used several sets of Dunlops and Pirellis. They share alot of the same traits. One is that their wear is not usually linear. At 10k mi. they look hardly worn, but by 15k mi. they're down to the wear bars. I persoanlly like them both, but they're spendy.
Any tire you pick is going to be a compromise. Grip vs Wear, Wet vs Dry, Grip vs Noise, Price vs Grip, Tread Pattern vs Price, etc.
Lots of the tire recommendations you get are going to be from people using that same tire, so they may be a little biased, or have little to compare it to. Even with their last set, their impressions are usually of the tires after they have worn - those are the freshest impressions in their minds, not when they were new. So they get a new set, and "WOW... what a difference, these new tires are MUCH better than my old ones" - little wonder.
Unless you're going to be Beating the Snot out of the car on a regular basis, one way to lessen the pain is to go with a lower speed rating. These ratings indicate a Tire's ability to shed Heat at a sustained speed and have nothing to do with Grip at all.
Admittedly, there is a lot of Machismo wrapped up in Tires, everyone wants the Z-rated, like going with a different rating might be seen as 'Girlie'. But I suspect 50% of the Z-rated Tires out there never see 130MPH in their entire lifetime. And, of those that do, I bet 75% are for short stints, not sustained driving at that speed. So, they're really a waste of money as far as function is concerned.
On the Boxster, there is NO reason for a Z-Rated Tire because these are rated for sustained speeds over 186MPH, much higher than any Boxster is gonna go. To use a Z rated Tire is just wasting money. They don't grip any better than the same tire rated 'V', 'H' or 'U'. A 'U' rated Tire is for sustained speeds over 124MPH, 'H' Rated to 130MPH, and 'V' Rated to +130MPH.
If you're using the Car for mostly street and some spirited driving an 'H' or 'V' rated tire will save you considerable $$. For a pure street Car, even an M+S Tire will give good performance and treadwear and save $$.
Tires are expensive no matter which way you go, and they're all consumables, so you need to decide which compromise is best for you and then find the Tire that best meets this criteria. You don't start out by asking about a specific Tire, you begin by deciding what you want from it, how much you can spend, and go from there..."