boxster in the wet?

[rick3000]

That shouldn't be happening in light rain, or on a damp road. I agree with everyone else, it's most likely because the previous owner bough cheap tires. You can easily get a great set for around $700.

[stateofidleness]

Michelin PS 1's with 50k on them (I KNOW I KNOW!!!)
i feel completely safe in the rain.
this is a very balanced car and handles as such in wet and dry.

get good tires. rain is a non-issue

[ARModen]

I've found that my boxster is much less forgiving of bad tires. My old 944 had great traction when it had good tires and good tread left, but the traction was still decent with cheap half bald tires. I could still do 80 on the highway no problem assuming I had no intention of stopping in anything less than half a mile.


The boxster on the other hand is terrible with bald tires. You might say thats not surprising, but it's more than just sliding through corners or hydroplaning when braking. I did that a lot, and usually intentionally with the 944. Here when the tires are getting fairly (very) low on tread the back tires feel like they are fighting each other. The car is pushing side to side, which I assume is due to the speed/friction oscillating back and forth from tire to tire. It is a very unnatural feeling for a porsche.

Two weeks ago, right before I changed the tires, it was scary doing 45 mph on the road to work in the rain. Last night, with new slightly broken in tires, I was doing 70 and it felt rock solid. Obviously this is a pretty clear message I need to procastinate less about changing the tires, but it does make me concerned that there is something going wrong with the transmission/rear diff.


Anyone seen anything similar? My boxster is a 99 with an automatic and no TC/PSM.