Mix brand tires front and rear
 

I can't find. same brand tires for the front tires of my 1998 Boxster. I have Sumitomo HTR Z II 255/40 R17 retard and can't find Sumitomo HTR Z II 205/50 R17 for the front. Can I buy different brand same size tires for the front.

Are they are no longer available? Or you can't find them locally? Check the date code on all four. I would then call Tire Rack and speak to one of their sales techs. If they are obsolete, I'm sure they can cross reference a suitable replacement.

It's generally thought to not be a good idea to mix brands. Tire companies have their own brew when it comes to compounds and mixing them can have hazardous results. Under normal street conditions, you would probably be OK. But get outside that finite parameter and you could be asking for trouble. You could have spooky experiences if it rains, or you go for spirited drives, and certainly if you go to the track. It doesn't make sense to handcuff yourself like that with a sports car and you defn wouldn't want to loan your car to an unsuspecting friend.

As Rex suggests, you may want to check the dates of your rears. While they may have plenty of tread left, if the dates are 6+ yrs old you'll wan to replace them too. Then you have all kinds of options available. If they're still w/in specs, TireRack is an excellent source of info.

It's generally thought to not be a good idea to mix brands. Tire companies have their own brew when it comes to compounds and mixing them can have hazardous results. Under normal street conditions, you would probably be OK. But get outside that finite parameter and you could be asking for trouble. You could have spooky experiences if it rains, or you go for spirited drives, and certainly if you go to the track. It doesn't make sense to handcuff yourself like that with a sports car and you definitely wouldn't want to loan your car to an unsuspecting friend.

As Rex suggests, you may want to check the dates of your rears. While they may have plenty of tread left, if the dates are 6+ yrs old you'll wan to replace them too. Then you have all kinds of options available. If they're still w/in specs, TireRack is an excellent source of info.





weird..... I think I read this someplace else, too.

bwahahahaa.

Just once, I wanted to give advice as good as Husker's advice. :dance:

Get a comparable tire and you will be fine.

htr 2s suck anyway. just get a new set of 4.

It`s fine to use different tire brands as long as the treat pattern is almost the same as the ones you already have, and that you do it in pairs. I`ve done it many times, Continetal Extreme Contact DW with Michelin pilot super sport, etc. Like others mentioned the tires that you have are not that good, I remember that I had them in a Mustang many years ago and I could burn rubber in 3rd gear, that`s how bad they were. If you are on a budget just get yourself some Firestone Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, they are very good tires for the money.

Interesting these 2 tires were mentioned. I have track experience with the 1st & 2nd iterations of the Conti DW and Mich Super Sports. I had the SS's on my Cayman 1st. They were great on a dry track. I never had the chance to try them in the rain, but experts said they weren't as good as the Conti DW. They did have a propensity to chunk on the outer edges of the front tires. I replaced them with the 1st iteration of the Conti DW. Those were not as sticky in the corners as the SS's were, but they were very good in the rain. I got up to 120mph in the rain on the back straight at COTA. I may have been able to go faster, but I was at max scared at the 120. I also drove home from COTA the yr before being chased by a tornado and got up to speeds of 85mph in a deluge. Two sets of tires, both with different characteristics.

When both companies came out with their next versions (still DW for Conti & 4S for Mich), both took aim at the other's strengths while maintaining their advantage. According to the experts, both companies have achieved their goal. I haven't driven the 4S so I can't comment on it. I did purchase a set of 2nd gen DWs and didn't feel they were much better on a dry track. My guess would be the 4S is still a better dry tire. Mich also addressed the issue of chunking outer edges by changing the compound on the outer edge while using a different compound on the inside.

But getting back on point, there is still enough of a difference between the 2 companies that their tires will perform differently under similar conditions. Once again, extreme conditions, not stop & go, daily driving. The OP hasn't stated how he / she uses their Boxster, but chances are it's not just a daily driver commuter. If you're going to push your Boxster, why have tires with different characteristics that will produce unstable results? Like front tires breaking loose before the rears, or vice versa. There are already plenty of variables in driving at a rapid pace, why introduce more?

I don't have experience with the tire the OP has. Others have mentioned it's not a very good high performance tire. So it would be very problematic to combine it with a good high performance tire. But it's your $$$ and your life. I just want to pass along some experience.

If you're interested in my wet adventures, here they are. It was 3 yrs ago & I'd do some things different now, but it gives you an idea.
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You are right about the Michelin Super Sport handling better than the Continentals Extreme Contact DW in dry conditions and the Continentals Extreme Contact DW handling better in the rain, I had them both (old and newer versions) and I noticed that difference. I also have Michelin's Pilot Sport A/S 3 one of my cars and I also noticed that they handle better in dry conditions than the Continentals DWS. I have never been at those speeds like you at the track for a long period of time to be able to have a more experienced opinion than you, but I have been at higher speeds than that I have noticed those differences between the Michelin's and the Continentals. I also have noticed that the 1st generation DWS were much better in dry conditions than the 2nd generation. I have Continentals Extreme Contact DW in the rear of my Boxster and Pirelli p-zero in the front, (That`s the way the car came when I bought) but I plan on replacing the Continentals with P-zeros on the rear because I`m really impressed with how the Pirellis handle. This is the first time I`ve had Pirelli tires, so I`m not sure if it`s the tires or the car itself but I`m getting a lot of understeering with the Boxster which I have never experienced before with any other car with much more power.

To get back to the OP question, 99% of the people driving a sports car are not going to the track at all, most are just going for an evening drive or a weekend drive, so to mix match tires brands for the average Sunday cruiser I don`t think it will make a big difference on their weekend cruise. OP does not specify what his/her intentions are so it`s difficult to give him/her a proper answer without knowing OP driving habits. The tires OP has on his/her car are mostly used on muscle cars so their owners can burn rubber easy, corvettes, mustangs, etc., they are not very sticky tires, at least that`s my experience.

Recall that original equipment for the Boxster at one time were Pirelli made tires with completely different tread patterns for the fronts and rears. Asymetricos?

Having said that, tires are not something I ever tried to save on. I might cheap out and replace a O2 sensor at a muffler shop. Or do my own oil change. But on the things that keep me safe I spared no expense. Even to the point of replacing a set of 4 Michelins with completely legal tread just because they were old.