Porsche Spec tires
 

I visited my dealer and was told what no boxster wants to hear - I have about 2k left on my tires. OK, so I began to research tires, and am buried in information and advice, and totally confused. Tire Rack tells me that there is no downside to putting non-spec tires on the car, but to check with my dealer. The dealer says that the car is setup for OEM tires and that I should continue with either Michelin, Pirelli, or Continentals. That's fine, but there are many other excellently rated (Goodyear F1 Eagles, etc.) available that are much less expensive. I could sure use some advice ..............

I've had both types of tires, and lived to tell the tale. Non N-rated tires won't kill you, or your car, they just aren't approved by Porsche, which is to say Porsche doesn't get the $20 kickback per tire from the tire manufacturer for pushing that type of tire. Anyway, if you don't want N-rated, get something else. Porsche can't test every single X-through-Z rated tire out there and give approval of it, so go based on what reviews you've heard. I've tried Kumho ECSTA 712's and they worked just fine - super cheap, too. I've also done the unthinkable and put S-02A's on my car instead of the Porsche-approved (and identical) S-03's. Dealers are supposed to tell you to get Porsche approved tires, what would you expect them to say?

just get good tires and you're fine. the N rated tires will run nicely at factory tire pressures, alignment, etc. with non-N rated tires, you may need to play w/ tire pressures a bit, but no problems.

i'm a big fan of the BFG KDW2's. they give a weird rumble at the limit, but they stick like glue (nearly 1.2G on my M030 RoW) and the sidewalls are very stiff. they're good in the rain and fairly quiet in normal driving conditions. in terms of bang for the buck, i've liked them best. i've tried:

yoko AVS100
- nice, but had a tendency to follow road ruts. noisy on some surfaces, a bit more flex in the sidewall than i like

pirelli p-zero assimmetrico
- a bit soft on sidewalls, but not bad. very sticky, very $$$.

bridgestone potenza re750
- GREAT tire, not as sticky as some, but lasted a long time. excellent road feel.

bridgestone potenza re950
- GREAT all-season tire (but an all-season tire); lasted longest of group. ALMOST as sticky as the re750.

bridgestone potenza s-03 pole position
- my favorite all-around tire; excellent road feel, VERY sticky, but very $$$

sumitomo HTR-Z
- HORRIBLE. removed and threw away after 48 hours. very soft, squishy sidewall that would flex on turn-in and then snap-back and oscillate. trammelled a lot, noisy, and scary. these tires absolutely suck; i wouldn't wish them on my enemies. they put the boxster's handling on par with a geo metro. (people have had luck w/ the HTR-Z II, but my experience w/ the HTR-Z I steers me FAR away)

BF Goodrich KDW 2
- best all-around tire for the $$$. extremely sticky, bolted-to-the-road feel, great in the wet. the only thing people might find strange is the large tread blocks 'rumble' when you corner hard. you get used to it; you get so much in return. will not last as nearly as long as the 300 treadwear rating indicates, but for the $$$ difference, it's worth it. this is the only tire i've bought multiple times for the car.

I've read some good reviews on Yokohama ES-100's - I'm seriously thinking of trying them - TireRack likes them - excellent traction wet and dry and decent tread life. Thanks for the comments.

I just put on a set of Dunlop SP Sport Maxx - w/ about 1000 miles, so far they seem to be a great tire. They're N rated, handle very well and are quiet. The reviews on tirerack.com rate them very high... even got a $100 rebate.

Tires my vote is always OEM
 

My opinion for what is worth, maybe less than two pennies, is to stick with the tires that Porsche has listed as acceptable tires. These tires Porsche has tested and bring out the best performance in the Boxster. Remember what keeps you save is the grip of the tires I would rather spend my money on the tires they recommend, since I value my safety, as well as my passenger's , more than savings a few hundred dollars every so often. :cool:

...and just to make things difficult... tirerack is having a close out sale on the Bridgestone Potenza s-03 pole positions.

The Dunlop mentioned above is a fine tire, as is the Yokohama.

Being Porsche "approved" here is about the money for Porsche, not the tire.

Excellent performance. Noisiest tire I ever had (ES100)
 

Bottom line is I would never buy them again except maybe as a track tire.

Grant

++ Or for drifting. :D
I have a set of ES100 on my miata for "daily use," but i do not think I would by another set. The ES100 has been the same for the last few years with out any update, “old technology” if you will. Better tires in the same price point exist out there now.

Should be safety vs. money
 

Being Porsche "approved" here is about the money for Porsche, not the tire.[/QUOTE]

If I am going to put my neck on high performance tires and Porsche has tested them I woul rather select the ones that Porsche approves. I fail to see the connection of money for Porsche with the tires as you allege. Safety is the baseline not money as far as I am concerned.

If I am going to put my neck on high performance tires and Porsche has tested them I woul rather select the ones that Porsche approves. I fail to see the connection of money for Porsche with the tires as you allege. Safety is the baseline not money as far as I am concerned.[/QUOTE]


Porsche buys these tires for less money as they endorse and distribute them for the manufacturer. Porsche dealers sell these brands at list price and make plenty of dough on them.

I am not saying they are not good tires, they are simply very high priced. There are many other pefectly good tires to use on your box.

Be glad you don’t have 19’s – there’s only like 3 tires made that match the specs.

Related but separate question
 

My rear tires look like they need to be replaced. I noticed that tirerack is selling Bridgestone S-03's for $99/$125 for front/rear 17inch tires. Apparently these tires are being discontinued. I checked with the firestone guy who was repairing a flat and he told me that the new ones are going to be $325 EACH.

Sounds like they're a good tire.

My questions are:
1. Since they are being discontinued, does that matter? (for future use, etc.)
2. Should I buy just the rear ones or should I stock up the front ones as well?

As for my current tires, I'm currently running the Continental SportContact 2's and they run fine and I would recommend them as a mid-tier option. I considered changing to other tires but since I only replaced the fronts initially, I decided to go with what was already on the car.

I think it is a good idea to stick with a matched set of the same 4 tires.

I really need new tires, I was going to hold out till I could afford a complete set of PS2s but a set of those S-03's on close-out is nearly half the cost. I don't track the Boxster and it will only see five or six autox each year... hard to pass up.

I've had both the PS2's and S-03's(which are currently on the car) and I love the S-03's. Too bad they are being discontinued...

I replaced my original Conti Sport Contact's with the Goodyear Eagle F1's. I am very happy with the F1's. I like them much better than what came on the car originally. These tires stick to the road :cool:

Re950 sounds like a good choice for this neck of the woods. I'm budgeting for snow tires in 18" too :( Got caught in a "rain turned to snow turned to blizzard" in a single drive home once. Never again.

Now's a good time to spring for Bridgestone S-03 Pole Positions. They've come down a lot in price and the guy at Bridgestone seemed to think they were going to be shortly phased out.