Best Tires?? Recommendations!!

[Ofishbein]

I swear by PS2s, but if you really don't care how long they last, get Michelin PS Cup tires. They will only last a season but you should be happy with the grip. Just stay away from wet spots.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Ofishbein

I swear by PS2s, but if you really don't care how long they last, get Michelin PS Cup tires. They will only last a season but you should be happy with the grip. Just stay away from wet spots.

Yeah the Pilot Cups are a good tire, but there are others out there that perform as good or better for significantly less. R compounds are tempting, but I would like something that lasts longer. The Advan Neova's are a bit stickier than the PS2's and I should be about to get two seasons or more out of them so they seem like the best compromise.

[Frodo]

I, too, am getting close to the point where I need new rubber.

A quote from Tire Rack regarding the Goodyear Eagles:

"Like all summer tires, it is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice."

They say basically the same thing about the PS2s.

While I don't drive my Box in the snow (or even if there's visible road salt still on the road, after the snow's gone), I do still drive to some extent year-round.

What are the consequence of driving such tires when it's cold? Is it dangerous? If so, is that still true even if you're not "pushing" your car anywhere towards its limits, traction-wise? Is it detrimental to the tires? Just curious.

Originally Posted by Frodo

Is it detrimental to the tires? Just curious.

Frodo, it is mainly detrimental to your sheet metal!

[edevlin]

PS2's rule,

Ed

[23109VC]

For PURE dry traction - what is the BEST gripping tire that is street legal?

I am not going to drive my boxster in the rain. It is a third car, in so cal - for weekends and ripping around twisty roads.

screw wet traction. Dry GRIP, money no object - what is best?

If there is some kind of tire that is really a street legal track tire - how much do they cost and how long do these things last on the the street? I do NOT want a tire that will wear out in 3 months or something insane.

PS2s are a good blend of dry traction, comfort, etc. but are there tires out there that are BETTER in the dry at the expense of wet traction - b/c I don't give a rat's a$$ about wet. this car wil never see rain.

[mts]

Originally Posted by 23109VC

For PURE dry traction - what is the BEST gripping tire that is street legal?

I am not going to drive my boxster in the rain. It is a third car, in so cal - for weekends and ripping around twisty roads.

screw wet traction. Dry GRIP, money no object - what is best?

If there is some kind of tire that is really a street legal track tire - how much do they cost and how long do these things last on the the street? I do NOT want a tire that will wear out in 3 months or something insane.

PS2s are a good blend of dry traction, comfort, etc. but are there tires out there that are BETTER in the dry at the expense of wet traction - b/c I don't give a rat's a$$ about wet. this car wil never see rain.

In the tests I've seen the Yokohama Advan Neova and Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R, test out ever so slightly better than the PS2's in the dry only. If you want more traction than that you'll have to go street legal competition tires like the Pilot Sport Cup or Yoko Advan A048. They'll last longer than 3 months on the street, but not certain how much longer.

[mtch]

Originally Posted by Frodo

What are the consequence of driving such tires when it's cold? Is it dangerous? If so, is that still true even if you're not "pushing" your car anywhere towards its limits, traction-wise? Is it detrimental to the tires? Just curious.

I was wondering about this very issue just last week. I'm thinking of replacing the all seasons with summer rubber and wonder if cold temps damage the tire or simply degrade performance.

Like you, I drive when it's cold, but not if there's any precip or salt on the roads

[RandallNeighbour]

I'm no tire expert, but I did find that my ultra high performance summer tires flatspot badly in cold weather (40 degrees and colder) and feel like wagon wheels for the first few miles after taking the car out of the garage. The Kumhos were the worst in this regard. Sumitomos were better, and Michelin PS2's much much better.

Wheel spin, especially on wet roads when its cold, is prevalent with many ultra high performance summer tires.

I don't think the temperature drop hurts the tires in any way... they just don't perform well. But I could be all wrong on that.

[Cloudsurfer]

If you're talking about running R Compounds on the street, I'd be more concerned with accumulating too many heat cycles in them before before they wear. Those tires are designed to last a few track days, not several thousand miles with hundreds of heating cycles.

And yes, most compounds used in any dry performance tire do not work well when cold, hence the significant grip tradeoff when the temps come down.

Patrick

[renzop]

Real R compounds (Hoosier R6 or Kumho v710) are not gonna make it on the street for four reasons:

1) With only circumferential grooves thay look like slicks to most cops who will write you up regardless of the fact that they are DOT tires.

2) They tend to be poor at resisting sidewall damage. Just a stone thrown up can slice those suckers wide open

3) They will heat cycle top stones pretty quickly.

4) No resistance to standing water aquaplaning. Regardless of your beautiful SoCal weather, a little rain falls into every life.

A more practical R-like street tire is the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup or the Pirelli P-Zero Corsa. These tires sacrifice almost everything for pure grip (price, longevity, comfort and noise).

Another possibility is the Toyo RA1 - a great track tire with enough groove and heat

However, I would caution you against this quest for ultimate grip. You may think you want a race car with race tires but the sacrifices will quickly make the driving experience old.

Good luck,
Alan

[Lil bastard]

Flat spotting on modern tires is much myth. Unless your tires are steel belted, it's not much of a concern. With modern high-tech cords such as Kevlar and the increasing use of silica compounds and such, any flat spotting will disappear as soon as the tires are rolling and heat up.

[23109VC]

maybe I'll jus stick with the Pzeros that are there, or upgrade to PS2s.

i don't want "track" tires for the street.

[vincesf]

By and large Porsche is more frequently equipping new Boxsters with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires, cheaper to replace than the PS2's and longer tire life, as they have a stiffer sidewall which is really advantageous for the Boxster. I had the Michelins on my '06 and found that they were a good tire, but replaced them with Bridgestones. Fortunately my '08 with 19" wheels came with the Bridgestones, and enjoy the crisper turn in. You may wish to check the Bridgestone Pole Position tires, as they are rated even higher, but make sure they are suitable for your needs. Some reviews can be read at:
http://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyComments.jsp?additionalComments=Y&commentStatus=P&tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE050A+Pole+Position
vincesf

[CA_Boxster]

Originally Posted by Frodo

I, too, am getting close to the point where I need new rubber.

A quote from Tire Rack regarding the Goodyear Eagles:

"Like all summer tires, it is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice."

They say basically the same thing about the PS2s.

While I don't drive my Box in the snow (or even if there's visible road salt still on the road, after the snow's gone), I do still drive to some extent year-round.

What are the consequence of driving such tires when it's cold? Is it dangerous? If so, is that still true even if you're not "pushing" your car anywhere towards its limits, traction-wise? Is it detrimental to the tires? Just curious.

For the Eagles in question (I have them and I did think about that warning before I chose them) it's a combination of rubber compound as well as tread pattern. The rubber compound gets too hard to give much grip so you lose some traction. How much you lose is uncertain - my guess is they're covering asses by warning you but you'll generally be OK as with any Summer performance tire. The tread pattern is a different issue. The V-shaped pattern on the Eagles will not grab in snow or mud. It's purely meant to put down to biggest tire patch while funneling away water. The tires have great dry and wet grip but I wouldn't risk getting caught in any kind of snow with them. I've read stories of people parking in dirt lots, getting rained on and remaining stuck until the mud dried. Goodyear did recently release the all-season version with some gripping tread but I don't know much about those.