Rear tyres needed - which to buy & where?
 

I currently have 4 Continental Sport Contact 2's: 265/35/18 on a Boxster 986 2003 reg.

The rears wore after only 9.5k miles though. I noticed there is a contact 3 tyre, although is this for Mercedes rather than Porsche?

Should I get the Contact 2's again? cheapest I can find is £409 fitted for 2 rears.

Lots of tire threads here, search is your friend. Choose tires that are a close match to your fronts for best performance. Another set of Conti 2, or a tire with very similar grip, treadwear, and wet performance. Michelin PS2 is close, Dunlop Z1 Star Spec has a bit more grip. :cheers:

If it's for street only, a lot of people have found Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's and Sumitomo HTR Z III's to be more than suitable, especially when compared to the higher cost tires.

Buy good tires especially when it's the rears. I had Goodrich and they worked, but
slipped a bit in the tight turns in the local foothills. I went with Michelin PS2's and
have been happy. They stick nicely, for the most part anyway as I drive like a Mad Man on twisty roads. :)

I have Sumitomo HTR III on my E350 and the rears should be gone by 15k, about average for a Sport model, nice sticky tires and are not getting loud as they wear, I do however have a quality issue in the front and will fight Sumitomo to get some refund (one tire is larger then the other)...I still really like the tires performance wise a lot and couldn't beat the price.

I put Hancooks on the boxster when I bought it this fall, really really inexpensive and got rebate (total cost $450 4 tires installed). I figured I was going to rip through the rears in about 15k miles so it made sense to go inexpensive. I know someone that has them on a Benz and they are so loud you can't talk in the car (not sure they are the same tire, but they are the same brand). They stick just fine for my skill level and I have taken some turns sliding sideways.

Buy Kuhmo ASX. They do it all very very very well and are inexpensive here.

thanks for the advice.

just went for a set of Cont 2 in the end £400 incl fitting in the UK - they are expensive things lasting only 9.5k

I respectfully disagree.

@emohawk - Good decison! Its always best to keep all four tires the same make and model. When this set of rears wear out, then you'll probably be close to needing new fronts too and then you can make that change to something else, if desired.

thank you - they get fitted on Saturday.

It will be nice to have some grip back again. The current tyres are close to being slicks!!!

Pat...Please explain your opinion. I do want to know because I'm planning on putting them on the 2000 S model my wife and I recently purchased.

History to my opinion. I have them on my '98 base. They do it all for me. And I work my car pretty aggressively in the twisties and we enjoy high speed runs as well. The car handles great and is very stable at high speed. I do not A-X.

I didn't know Kumho had a tire to fit the Boxster.
We have been VERY happy with Kumhos on our daily drivers. They last great, are quiet and good stick for low cost DD tires.

If you're happy with them on your 98 base, I see no reason you won't be happy on the 2000S.
I went Sumi HTR Zlll on my 06 S. They're not quite PS2s, but I can wear out twice as many for a lot more fun on the same buck!

[QUOTE=emohawk11]I currently have 4 Continental Sport Contact 2's: 265/35/18 on a Boxster 986 2003 reg.
The rears wore after only 9.5k miles though.QUOTE]

Interesting. I've had these on my 01 base now for about 40,000 km, and they're still in pretty decent shape. I've got 17's.

That's the issue, isn't it?
Lower cost and darned near equal performance.

In my experience on the street, you won't notice the difference between the PS2's and Vred's except for in your wallet. I hear the same from HTR ZIII drivers. Then add in the 2x mileage advantage of the Vred's and or Sumitomo's.

On the track, I'll take one of the R compound tires over any street tire.

Yes, Michelin makes a great tire but they charge as if it's the only option available. (I'd probably do the same.)

ive heard good things about value/performance of hankook RS2. i have Dunlop Z1 Star Specs. they are the best mid $ tire i have tested.

I have Yokohama S-Drives on my 97--They stick and wear well--

I have a set of S.drives on my Miata and they work great - but not nearly as well as the PS2's.

The ASX is an all-season tire. Some people refer to them as a no-season tire, as they make big compromises in ever season. They're not great in snow and not great in the dry. They aren't horrible at anything, but far from good at most things. They are cheap though, which is nice. However, unfortunately cheap doesn't mean they are a good value.
I'm not anti-Kumho. Infact, I've owned some that I liked. But keep in mind not all Kumhos are the same, as with any brand. They make good tires and bad tires. The ASX is not one of their better efforts. And I sure as hell wouldn't put them on a Porsche. A sports car deserves much better if you're going to drive it like it's made to be driven. If, on the other hand, you never come close to testing the limits of the car, just buy the ASX and live in ignorant bliss. :D

Go with the Nitto Invo or the Toyo T1R. They are some of if not the best tires you can get! I should know I make Toyo and Nitto tires!! ;)