I need a set of Tires for under $1000
 

I know this could be a loaded question and I'm sure I could do more research on this site but since I'm at work and it's the end of the day I want to throw this out there to you guys.

I need a set of tires fairly quick (back are bald on the inside and my other car is in the shop) and wanted some suggestions from fellow Boxster owners. I have Potenza S03 and was thinking something different mainly because the can't locate any that matches my tire specs. 225/40-18 and 265/35-18.

The holiday season is coming and I'm up to my neck with car repairs on the other car.

Does anybody have Dunlop (Direzza DZ101)?

thanks...

I'm pretty sure you won't have any trouble finding a set of tires for under $1000. Just go to www.tirerack.com and pick out a set based on your needs. I purchased a set of Goodyear F1's for less than $1k and have been happy with them; however, my purchase was based on my personal driving habits/requirements.

I decided to go the snow tire ($850 Pirelli Snowsports) for five months and then in the Spring I'll mount a set of more expensive PS2's. I decided against buying a second set of wheels/tires for winter or buying summer/snow/all season for a weekend only car.
I might go with a set of Carrera replicas for the snow tires next years.

Perfectlap - Why did you go to PS2's instead of Pilot Sport (two completely tread designs and PS2's are for a heavier cars)?

Sammy - Thanks for the suggestion.

Actually I didn't buy them yet. I'm probably leaning toward the Pilot Sport Cups for Autocross. I'm really not looking forward to chaning the wheels again for each event and the MPSC seem to be a decent streetable track/autocross tire. I tried the Toyo Proxes RA-1 this season and they were ok (but good in the rain).
THe stress on the cv joints from ultra sticky tires has me thinking I should get a second set of wheels and tires (moan).

i've never tried the Dunlops, but i've tried P-Zero Asymmetrico, Yokohama AVS, Potenza S-03, Potenza RE050A Pole Position, Pilot Sports, BFG KD, BFG KDW, Sumitomo HTRZ and Kumho MX. By FAR the best tire for the money (and ALMOST the best tire period) in my opinion is the BFG KDW2. You can get a set of 4 in your sizes from tire rack for around $750 shipped. I swear by these tires.

the P-Zeros were noisy and tramlined a lot. they didn't feel that crisp to me, either. the yokos were even noisier and the sidewalls felt too soft. the potenzas are awesome; some of my favorite tires. The S-03's were probably my favorite all around tire. The RE050A Pole Positions are nice (and non-directional, so you can rotate them) but wear very quickly. The Pilot Sports are noisy and overrated in my opinion (except the PS Cups, those rock). The BFG KD is great, but the KDW2 gives 99.9% of the dry performance for WAY less $$$ PLUS handles great in the rain. the sumitomos are the worst tires i have ever had. i put 200 miles on them and threw them away. they were downright scary. you couldn't pay me to run those tires. the Kumho MX is a pretty good tire (and quite cheap to boot). they flat spot in the cold, though, and seem to cup over time.

all in all, the KDW2 is the one i keep buying over and over again.

the pilot sports are VERY noisy. the PS2's are much quieter.

extra wheels are a great idea. lots of guys get the same width (8.5") for all 4 so they can rotate / extend the life of their autoX tires. the PS Cups are awesome, but you really can't drive them on the street for long. the tread pattern on the outside 3" of the tire wears to bald in no time flat, so any water at all will be your arch enemy.

i've got a friend with a GT2 that just bought a set of Nitto NT-01's that he likes better than the Cups. they also seem to be lasting longer.

insite - I'm looking at your suggestion (BFG KDW2) and I'm wondering if this tire is noisier than the PS2's or the Potenza's?

quieter than the PS2; on par w/ Potenza. not noisy at all. i really love these; when i first got my car, i kept trying all different types of tires to see what i really liked. this is the only tire i've purchased multiple times; they're pretty much all i buy now.

AVOID the BFG KDW2s. I put them on my Audi S4 early this year, and they were noisy. Very noisy. The first 3 or 4 months they weren't bad, but after that, they were too loud for me. I would imagine it'd be worse in a less insulated Boxster.

On the other hand, then handling and stickiness of the tires were damn good!

Tire Rack
 

I checked tire rack and they have a special on 18 inch tires by Yoko. They have a set of 18's for AVS Sports for ~$550 for all 4!

Are these good tires? I believe they use them as OE tires too.

Rich

I currently have the Yoko AVS Sports on my Box (still original tires) and even thought there a little noisy I feel the handling is exceptional. I thought about keeping the OE tires when the time for new replacements. After seeing Rich’s post I thought to myself this has to be to good to be true. I went to the tire rack website to check out this special price and yes indeed they are ~ $550 for a set of 4 after shipping. During my search I also noticed there were two different AVS Sports listed, the AVS Sport at the special price and AVS Sport N1 at not so special price. I decided to call tire racks technical department to ask the difference between the two AVS Sports. I was told the AVS Sports on special are not considered by Porsche as OE tires even thought they have the same speed rating and tread design. Porsche only recognizes the AVS Sports N1 as an OE replacement and the major difference between the two is internal design (different belt material). I kind of felt this was a little miss leading so I thought it might be worth wild to share this with the forum.

Yoko AVS sports
 

There is a pretty good thread over at the Porsche Pete's Boxster Board about the difference between N rated that Porsche uses and non-N rated. It seems that some people believe there aren't that big of a difference between the two. What do you guys think?

Thanks,
Rich

If money is strapped, I'd recommend these tires..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=009&sspagename=STRK%3AME WA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=190052053797&rd=1,1

Fairly good tires, Driven them for about 500 miles thus far, noise is quite good, no vibrations, grip is well, but not as good as my Parada Spec2s nor Falken Azenis. But were comparable to Falken Zeix, Kumhos, and Yokohoma ES100. Just about that level for grip.

The tires are

265/35/18 & 225/40/18

Z rated tires.

I bought Blizzak's from my local Firestone store - $800.00 (17"s) They even mount and change-out seasonally for free. Unbelievable performance in snow and ice. I drive the car every day unless snow depth bottoms out the car. BTW it is dangerous to drive "summer tires" in weather below freezing. Good luck!

Mis-posted my response about snow's. If you are on a budget...and who's not! Try Peerless Tyres in your area. (assuming they are out your way) I bought a set of Bridgestone Potenza SO2A's for about $900 since they were discontinued. Great performance tire and replacement insurance was $10.00. Since you're in Maryland you still need to be aware of temperature limitations for the tire you choose. Many "summer" tires are not safe below freezing temps. I drive my Box all year with no problems, but tires are critical to performance.

oddly, i noticed FAR less noise with these (fourth set on now) than with the AVS ES100, Asymmetrico, or Pilot Sports. The only quieter tires i've put on the box have been all season Bridgestone RE950 all seasons.

Hi,

It doesn't surprise me at all that a tire may exhibit different characteristics on a different application (car). Most Performance Tires out there are actually quite good and you probably won't go wrong, overall, with any of them.

But the subtleties they can exhibit on a particular car, along with your personal taste and driving style, may determine which one is best for you. Stick with recommendations of Tires which have been used on the Boxster and place less weight on any where another car was used...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

btw; my pic in my signature is a nearly 1.2G turn (turn 2 running Talladega GPR counterclockwise) on the very tires in question. man, do they stick.