Tires: which were you not impressed with?
 

Looking for some feedback, which tires were you not impressed with on your Boxster or other sports car? Noise, durability etc. Thanks
p.s. please list the mileage you got out of the tires

Kumho Ecsta MX's. I got 11k out of them, but they were never true and round, causing all sorts of vibration from the back and steering wheel shake in the front. My cheaper Sumitomo HRTZII's are far better, and that's saying something!

Oh yeah, they got loud at about 7k too.

Stay away from the Pirelli P-Zeros... they are expensive, don't last very long (roughly 12k miles), and don't have all that great of traction compared to other tires in that price range.

Not terribly impressed with the set of Yokohama ES100's I had on my miata... I liked them until I put on a set of Hankook R-S2 Z212. Regarding milage on the Hankooks, hard to judge since my wife and I used them only on autocross weekends. The Hankooks are down just past the wear bars and they have gotten noisy.

As soon as I have the dough I'm springing for a set of PS2 for the Boxster. I can't say I have heard any credible source not like those Michelins. I am still kicking myself for missing out on the close-out of the S03 at tire rack.

Hi,

A lot of what you say is true, but I personally like the Pirellis. I think the traction is more than adequate and I have gone more than 18k mi. on the set I have now. Probably need replacing next spring after Mrs. MNBoxster and I finish our River Run down the Mississippi River to St. Louis and back (down on the West Bank, up on the East Bank) next month. Should exceed 20k mi. by then.

They are pricey, and there are lots of other good tires in their range. Truth is, I've bought maybe 30 sets of performance tires in my lifetime and there was something good and something bad about all of them. I have never found the Perfect Tire. The best tires I have found through the years were Dunlops, but lately, I think their crown is slipping. Bridgestones tend to be noisy and harden sooner than most other tires. Goodyears are pretty consistent through the years, but aren't the best for wet traction and they're really spendy as they seldom go on special. Michelins tend to be very non-linear in wear, that is, they show almost no wear at 10k mi., but make it all up by 15k mi. I think the asian tires deserve a good look and are underpriced, probably to gain Market Share. Just IMHO...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

A few comments...
 

I had the original Michelin Pilot Sports on my 02 S when I bought it. They had 12k miles on them and were 4 years old. The performance for both everyday and performance driving was pretty poor. I am a big fan of Michelin's and I chalk this one up to the tires being old and worn down. I have since replaced them (odometer read 15k at the time of change) with Goodyear F1's and after the 500-1000 mile break in I couldn't be happier with everyday and performance driving (I probably have 2000 miles on them now). They are relatively quiet, handle wet roads pretty well and have been pretty good at autocrosses considering the 280 treadwear rating.

In my past I had used Michelin PS A/S's on my Lincoln LS (I know it's not a sports car but it is a higher performance sedan) and they were the best all season tire I have ever driven on! I can't comment on the life of the tires as they are now with my ex-wife...

+1 on what Randall said
 

I see the MX's as more of a DE/auto-x tire for someone that needs a tire that he can drive to the event. When they are shaved, they perform pretty well in a competative setting but were tiring to listen to on a day to day basis.

you know come to think of it I do remember this vibration business with the Ecsta 712 summer tires I once sported on my last car. Very irritating. You get what you pay for I guess.

I'll have to dig deeper ho hum...

I'm not impressed with the Pirelli P-Zero Rossos. They don't have as much grip as my old Bridgestone S03 Pole Positions did. Seems like the Rossos are wearing down at a much slower pace then my S03s did though.

Pirelli PZero Nero
 

I have about 5K on these and they are holding up well. I live in a mountainous area and frequently push tires hard. I am impresed with the performance as well as ride quality and low noise level. They are not as good as the Michilins, but I would say 90% of the attributes for 70% of the price

I'm having some PS2's installed this Fri. I'll let you know what I think of them. It came out to $1,042 shipped from Tire Rack.

Hi,

This is one of those questions where you're bound to get as many opinions as there are respondents.

There is good reason for this, because several of the qualities of a Tire are subjective. Noise is a matter of personal sensitivity. Wear is largely a matter of driving and maintenence habits - some people will use a tire up in 10k mi., while others can push the same Tire past 20k mi. One will say they wear poorly while the other will be mostly satisfied. Unless you have your own all-weather Skidpad and an accelerometer, even Grip is mainly subjective and anecdotal.

All performance Tires are a series of compromises and priorities. Want great grip? There's goes the wear. Want long wear? Grip will be sacrificed. Want Dry performance, Wet performance is sure to be less impressive. Want the Tire quiet? There'll be trade-offs there as well. Even aesthetics are paramount to some, who will forego all sorts of advantages in one Tire simply because they like the look of the treadblock pattern in another. There is no Perfect Tire.

You need to evaluate how you drive and what you expect of a Tire and then pick the one you think will best suit you. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Very good points Jim. Tires are almost as subjective as exhausts :cheers:

On the Boxster in 18" sizes I have been unimpresed with PS2's and P-Zero's. The PS2's extremely soft sidewall took too much precision out of the handling and actually caused the rear to get twitchy in rough switchbacks. The P-Zero's, while having great dry grip, were too harsh and flatspotted way to easy.

I like the PS-Ribs and am dying to try the Yokohama Advans but not enough to part with $1000 when the PS-Ribs are virtually new. The PS-Ribs combine a stiffer sidewall with good wet and dry traction. Probably 95% of the absolute traction of the PS2's but far more comfortable at the limit. Early reviews of the Advans are promissing and the RE-050's seem promissing as well as a replacement for the S-03's.

In the 17" size I hated the AVS Sports and ES-100's but love the Falken RT-615's as track tires.