Tires
 

Got my 2000 Boxster just over 6 months ago and knew it was going to need tires soon. Well I picked up a set of Hankook K120 Ventus V12 Evo2 for all four corners. Good reviews and good price. Question I have is how will they handle compared to the Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 that are on the car now. The Bridgestones that are on it have amazing grip and It's enjoyable going around corners at 35-40 MPH. I just wasn't able to justify the price of the bridgestones ( have the receipt for what the PO paid-ouch). It gets driven about 140 miles a week ( 70 miles Monday morning and 70 Friday afternoon) plus weekend fun. Am I going to really notice a serious performance drop. Only a little bit of meat left on the bones of the Bridgestone's

Can't speak to the Bridgestones comparison grip.

I have/had the Hankook's on a 97 Tip and an 08S. I just put a second set on the rears of the 97. Little over 12K miles out of them in three years and they were done. Zero track or A/X time on them. Just spirited canyon drives. I have been very pleased with them. The 97 fronts are still in great shape and will replace them with same when needed. I think I pay +/-$125 a piece from Tirerack for them.

I had a set of Hankook Ventus V12s on my 996 and they were great (at first) but went down hill really fast and ended up being the absolute worst tire I ever owned. The RE-11 will be consistent throughout its life, save for if you are pushing them consistently at the track. The Hankook tires are great value, but you do get what you pay for. I would not get them again.

RE-11 was a great tire that wore well but they are now long gone. The V12 does not have as much ultimate grip but are quieter and not as firm of a ride. I had both along the way. Other tires I like:

Hankook RS-4- Very similar to the RE-11
RE-71R- monstrous grip but wear out very quickly
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

To my mind there is no more important component on this car than your contact patch so shop tires based on your driving style and change them often. New tires feel like Christmas morning!

A good place to learn about performance tires:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?zip-code=91730&width=225/&ratio=45&diameter=17&rearWidth=255/&rearRatio=40&rearDiameter=17

Yes, you're going to really feel a performance drop. Not huge, but noticeable.

Hankook R-S4. Great grip and decent pricing. Just be careful in the rain.

Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Great grip dry and wet. Fairly expensive.

I think RE-11's are the same as Firestone Indy 500's. Great tire.

Bridgestone bought Firestone a long time ago.

I don't mean to high jack the thread, but since we are on the topic of tires, has anyone had experience with the Micheline Pilot Sport PS2? I know they were original tires for the Boxster, but I never had a set. Only experienced the Michelin Pilot Super Sport on my 996 and loved them. Too bad they don't make a size for factory 17" wheels.

Here's my experience with PS2s, YMMV.

Both my 07 Cayman S and 08 Cayman S Sport came with PS2s. I bought both cars used and my comments apply to both so I won't have to keep saying both. The PS2s were junk on the track. They took at least a 1/2 lap to warm up, generally more. On the street, they rode rough. At that time, my 08 Box S LE was on Conti Contact 3s and you could def tell the difference in ride. I replaced the PS2s on my CSS with a set of Super Sports and it was a night / day difference in all categories.

Quite frankly, I'm surprised they continue to produce / sell PS2s.

Another great value priced tire is the Sumotomo HTR ZIII. I think they may no longer be available and replaced with a newer version


+986 on the Hankook R-S4

Thanks for that. I appreciate the insight on your experience on the PS2. A few of the tire shops I called also said the same thing in that they would be "just okay" for light track use, like a few HPDE, but nothing like time attacks and club racing. Glad to know they ride rough on the street - This is where the MPSS was a real winner, but it's annoying they don't make it anymore.

Any experience with the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S?

What about pilot sport as 3+. That's what I have on my car. They seem to ware well and I've never been in the ditch but I have nothing to compare them to.

Already knew that.

I have the Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ on my daily driver (2017 Toyota Corolla iM, precursor to the latest Corolla hatchback.)

My experience is limited to the street only and as a daily driver and grocery getter. I've had them for over a year and a bit and they've worn very well on a relatively tame alignment for the street (I don't recall the specs.) The car is lowered on a set of H&R springs and it hasn't accelerated wear in any way. It's not rough on the street and overall comfortable, but mind you, this is a Toyota Corolla, not a race prepped Boxster or 911 hot rod. If the intention is to run these on the track, I would steer you away from them because these are an all-season tire.

For comparison, the Corolla iM came with a set of Bridgestone Ecopia tires from the factory. They were really soft and meant to, well, make the ride comfortable, but the braking distance on them was terrible, especially in the rain. That's when I got rid of them and got a set of the Michelins.

I haven't had a set of 4Ss but they always seem to get great reviews. At the time they came out, Conti had the DW but was ready to introduce their new tire called the Sport Contact. I've had a set of DW tires and Conti SportContacts. Both sets of Contis had issues with cupping. When the 4S and SportContact came out, they were taking aim at ea other. The 4S was supposed to be better in the rain than the MPSS, which was a DW strength, and the SportContact was supposed to have better cornering ablity than the DW and more like the MPSS.

Last summer I came across a smokin deal on some Yokohama Advan V105s. TireRack had them on sale for $585. Got Discount Tire to match them. Drove them at Indy and they were OK. They howled a lot in the corners. I'd made some changes to my lines from the yr before and I know I was faster in those sections but I never came close to my 2018 times. The only difference was my tires.

I bought a nice set of Bridgestone Potenza S007A tires for the 2014 Cayman S Wheeler Dealer car I sold last fall. Those tires had a great ride on the street but I never did any DEs with it. That tire was supposed to be the street / track tire in their line-up, which was their "middle tire". They offer a street tire, a street / track tire, and a track tire.

The only reason I haven't bought the 4Ss is because I'm on a bit of a fixed income at this time. Spending money on a premium tire that I'm going to wear out at the track isn't in my budget. If money is not object, you can't go wrong with the 4S. But keep in mind tires are very subjective and depend on what you want them to do - street driving, canyon carving, DE, rain, snow, etc. Each tire has it's own characteristics and might be right or wrong for what you want. The 4S seems to be great at all of them.

I have them on my wife's Lexus F-sport 19", I like them fine, very comfortable, quiet,& handling is good too. The Michelin's on my Box are 5 years old, when I replace them I may get the 4s or sport's depends on price & time of year. I have worked at a few tire stores & never had any issues with Michelin's.

Thanks for the insight, gents.

I can't seem to find the right sizes in Canada for the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. I'm currently running 225/50/17 (F) and 255/40/17 (R) on a set of Dunlop Direzza DZ102 tires that came with the car, and are on its last legs. I may have to dig into the US for some sizing, but the exchange rate is killer right now, and with the lock down at the border due to COVID-19, I don't know when I'll be able to get across the border for tires and a Trader Joe's run. Edit: I should add that I am primarily looking for a solid street tire for some spirited driving, and light track duty, maybe less than 6 times a year. The Michelin Pilot Super Sports (at the time) put a smile on my face every time as it was great for the street, some light track duty, and was comfortable overall.

@BYprodriver - Anything on a Lexus will drive and handle like its on a cloud. :D :p

I liked the Kumho esctas I had way back. My wife put 20k on them daily driving and they did pretty well wet, dry or snow.

I can't say anything about track usage, but for a long life cheapo tire they did exceptionally well.


This car I'm going with the Firehawks. They seem like a good tire on all the cars I see them with figure they are worth a shot.

The Michelin PSS are probably IMHO the best tire for our car, I loved them, but also only got 10k miles out of them. Currently I run the Falkin Zeis95 and they are great on the street but squeal a little with a ROW setup and are hard to get any bite at the track unless pressure is down to 23-24 lbs.
But I will get 30-40k miles out of them, if I can keep them off the track.