If you drive conservely how long are tires and brakes good for?
 

I drive very conservatively. I never speed, ( no tickets in 10 years), I brake conservatively and go around corners slowly. I have a Chrysler with 80k miles and still have not redone the brakes. I have read here on this great forum what to me are horror stories that some people are changing tires and brakes more often that getting oil changes. Can anyone tell me how long brakes and tires will last if a new 2006 Boxster is driven as I describe? Thanks

Kavlono, with all due respect, I suspect that your driving habits will be changing soon! Go ahead and keep driving your Chrysler with that conservative mind-set...that's a good thing. But, when you get in your Boxster...drive it like you stole it! Have some fun man, you deserve it!

I've got an airplane that gives me all the speed and thrills I can handle. In cars I like to go slow and enjoy the sights.

Then perhaps a Porsche isn't the right car for you ;)

Might I humbly recommend a BMW 325CI convertible then? It will run you much less dough and suit your driving style better. It's a real looker and very nice handling. Maintenance is included for the first 50,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first.

Porsche is really aiming at a different market from what (I'm hearing) you want.

Hi,

Generally the softer the compound, the better the grip, the shorter the wear - a trade-off Grip for Wear.

The Tires spec'd for the Boxster are relatively soft compound Tires: 140-220 Treadwear Rating. This means they grip like a Cat, but leave lots of rubber in their wake and so wear quickly. Tires in this range wear between 12k and 20k mi.

But, there is also a Time Component to the Tires' Service Life - NO LONGER THAN 5 YEARS! This is because the tire become harder, losing Grip, and loses it's Heat Management qualities as it ages. This is due to moisture, UV Rays, Heat Cycling etc.

A Tire 5 years old is unsafe for high speed running regardless of the amount of tread left, you may get away with it, but that doesn't mean it's safe. Personally, I change my Tires every 4 years (they usually need it anyway, but I do it even if they don't).

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99

don't let the bastar . . . errr . . . posters get you down kav.

i know: you want the box because it feels good to drive in your manner and it looks good to the eye. screw the "bleeding edge" performance crap. bravo!

get some all season tires and go r30k/f50k and replace your break pads about the same (f/r estimates swapped). or thereabouts.

get the car you love to drive and drive it like you want.

:cheers:

They don't get me down. Some people find their manhood in having a fast car and when someone challenges that, it scares them. I am a firm believer in to each their own. I never pass judgment on others.
Thanks for both the responsive responses. That is very informative about soft tires. Never knew that. OK 30-50k for tires and brakes are good for me. That issue is resolved. I will think of more.

I had a 99 Boxster, picked it up with 24K miles, kept it for 2 years sold it with 46K miles and did not have to replace brakes or tires. I drive like a wimp too I guess. I will say so far with the S I am not so conservative. No speed demon either but these cars are awesome! I use my 02 S as a daily driver, as did I with the 99 and hope to have no problems. I am willing to trade stickyness for tread life due to my daily, non-race inspired commutes.

--John

I got 46k on my brakes. Tires will go much quicker if you're using the sticky types. I'm hoping to get two seasons out of my rears but I'm not sure I'll make it.

Thanks, this is good information. Sounds like with wimpy (conservative) driving, the tires and brakes may last almost as long as they would on a regular car. I m going to two dealers today to look at models.

If you're going to drive conservatively, you can put Kumho ASX on all four wheels and get great treadwear. I do not drive conservatively, but my wife does and we got 36K miles from the set we had on the rear.

For the brakes, 30K miles for pads and 60K miles for rotors.

Thanks again. that is great to know. Now on the 2006 Boxer I understand that oil changes are every 20k miles which is what I will do since all my miles will be highway miles and I wall put 20k on it the first year. But with this and the pads needing to be replaced at 30k, do I have to go the dealer then for pad inspection? Is there any indicator to signal the pads are getting thin. On one car I had the pads started squeaking like a butchered pig when they needed replacement.

We put 40K miles on a '99' Boxster and had not touched anything on the car, excluding tires, when we traded it.

We got 30K out of the Michelin MXX3's which had several track days on them and probably 15 auto-x sessions. They were really done but still had some tread.

I can't say I ever had a car that we had more fun with and required nothing but normal maintenance.

Sounds like everyone is gettin great wear out of their tires. On average i get about 4,000 - 6,000miles out of my rears. The car is a daily driver and has NEVER been tracked or Autocrossed. Dealer blames the wear on the upgraded suspension. Any ideas? I guess i may be driving it harder than i thought.

Hi,

What type of suspension upgrades?...

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99

I just talked to my nieghbor who has a 2001 Boxster and he says he has 80k miles on his and has never had a brake job. He must be so conservative he thinks Bush is a flaming liberal.

PSS9 Bilstein were put on recently (2weeks ago) but prior to that i had H&R springs with Bilstein shocks (it was a great setup, loved it).