Time for new tires - let the debate begin

[MikenOH]

I f I were living in FL, driving the way you do, I 'd be concerned with, in no particular order:
-Ride quality
-Noise
-Wet weather performance
-Dry weather performance
-Longevity
-Steering response

I would put special attention on wet weather handling, noise and ride quality since you don't track it.

The PS2's and Goodyear GS-D3's I think handle all those issues per tireracks comparisons and reviews. Sounds like the Goodyear may get a bit more tread wear. People in our club that have used the Goodyears gave them rave reviews.

I just put Pirelli P-Zeros on my 98 non-S boxster about 4 months ago. I have been VERY happy with them. FWIW, I do have the 17" sport classic wheels.

Edited to clarify that they are the Rosso's.

[mjw930]

Originally Posted by creseida

I just put Pirelli P-Zeros on my 98 non-S boxster about 4 months ago. I have been VERY happy with them. FWIW, I do have the 17" sport classic wheels.

Just remember that there are multiple variations on the P-Zero tire line. The P-Zero Rosso is the correct max-performance tire for the Boxster. The P-Zero Directional is obsolete and the P-Zero Nero is an all season tire and not what I would consider appropriate for a Porsche.

that's right have had Rosso N1 on my last two boxsters, changed rear ones once a year and had front ones for nearly three years (they needed changing when i sold the car) but i am not as happy with the rosso on the S, quite tail happy, now at the same time weather is crap and they are building a motorway near my home which leaves tons of crap on the roads.
Porsche club Ireland has a deal going with Bridgestone if you are a member you can get 25% off a full set, does Porsche US have something similar?
also i hear often that if you do not use N rated tyres some insurance companies won't insure you! any comments?

[mjw930]

Originally Posted by olly986

that's right have had Rosso N1 on my last two boxsters, changed rear ones once a year and had front ones for nearly three years (they needed changing when i sold the car) but i am not as happy with the rosso on the S, quite tail happy, now at the same time weather is crap and they are building a motorway near my home which leaves tons of crap on the roads.
Porsche club Ireland has a deal going with Bridgestone if you are a member you can get 25% off a full set, does Porsche US have something similar?
also i hear often that if you do not use N rated tyres some insurance companies won't insure you! any comments?

No tire deals where that I've seen linked up with PCA members but some local merchants do give discounts. We have mail order places like Tire Rack that tend to keep our prices low and our local tire stores competitive.

The insurance and warranty issues with non N-Spec tires are a non-US phenomenon since we have laws that prevent PCNA and the insurance industry from being that overbearing. One thing you do need to be careful of is the speed rating of the tire you install if it's not the N-Spec. A smart insurance adjuster can refuse a tire related claim if they can prove you have tires on the car that are rated lower than the OEM tire but I suspect that's a one in a million chance.

I would also agree that an insurance adjustor would even know to look at the performance ratings. When I insured my boxster with a Name Brand insurance company, they were like, "Oh, I've never insured a Porsche before".

[mjw930]

Originally Posted by creseida

I would also agree that an insurance adjustor would even know to look at the performance ratings. When I insured my boxster with a Name Brand insurance company, they were like, "Oh, I've never insured a Porsche before".

Agreed

Of course I'm the exception, my agent has owned many Porsche's and has done the PCA tour to the factory, it's impossible to get anything past him

Well, that's not really true, being another P-Car enthusiast he's gone to bat with me and gotten me special ratings on my older 930 as well as an offshore race boat I had registered as a cruiser (hey, it had a cabin and a head )

On the tire issue, tire dealers can be held liable if they knowingly install a tire on a car that is below the minimum speed rating that the manufacturer specifies for that particular model. I know it's asking a lot of a person who's JOB it is to sell tires to actually understand speed ratings but hey, I guess I'm a hard ass.

[boxstter]

Originally Posted by MikenOH

I f I were living in FL, driving the way you do, I 'd be concerned with, in no particular order:
-Ride quality
-Noise
-Wet weather performance
-Dry weather performance
-Longevity
-Steering response

I would put special attention on wet weather handling, noise and ride quality since you don't track it.

The PS2's and Goodyear GS-D3's I think handle all those issues per tireracks comparisons and reviews. Sounds like the Goodyear may get a bit more tread wear. People in our club that have used the Goodyears gave them rave reviews.

Actually the order is just right. Since I am not tearing up the streets ride and noise are top's on my list. Performance is nice for the occasional on ramp. Longevity - well you just can't expect a lot here. I mean if you get 15k that is probably all that can be expected - you aren't going to get 30k out of these kinds of tires. The Goodyears seem to get rave reviews - except for a couple of BMW track sites that complained about them wearing down wayyyyyy to quickly. Guess I'll see if I can find them local for a reasonable price. Thanks to everyone for the input.

[Chris C Atlanta]

Car and Driver did a test of max performance tires recently (in conjunction w Tire Rack)...the Goodyears, PS2 and Yoko's all performed well. Contis were mushier but surprisingly good numbers wise.

Here's the url...

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=10252

They offer a lot of subjective opinion and objective info...I found this very helpful.

I love my ps2s (06 987S) and will likely stick with them as I have had good results with Michelins on my Porsches. Had good experience with n-rated Pirelli Rossos on my 993 too...very quiet with exellent wet and dry grip.

N-ratings definitely make a difference. If you look up the specs by tire on TR's site, you can see that the PS2s (for example) in N-sizes are significantly lighter and designed for lighter loads. They are different designs. I too have used non N tires on my performance cars but, as some commented, there is a risk they don't mate well with your suspension/spring rate, etc.

Definitely never mix tires on the same axle, or even from front to rear. Amazing how many times i see "performance" cars with 2 different brands/tread patterns front to rear. Geez.