Which tyre is best?
 

Hello,

I own a 2.7 1999 Boxster and I am going to swap my tyres soon but I was wondering which tyre is the best ?!?

As far as I have gathered these are the recommended ones by Porsche:

Pirelli P Zero Rosso
Michelin Pilot Sport
Continental Sport Contact

I have only owned my car for half a year and it came with different makes front (Continental) and back (Uniroyal). At the moment I am finding it unpredictable in slippery English roundabouts! How should a Boxster behave in slippery conditions?

Regards,
Henrik

Hi Henrick!...we have the same year of Boxster and i bought Kumho Excsta few months ago and it's working out fine with me....just sharing it with you :)

I thought the 2.7L engine started from 2000, with the 2.5L being standard on 97-99. In any case, Kumho brand tires, as Unkleraker have suggested, are a good economical tire, with good bang for the dollar, but if you are looking for better performance in the wet, then you might want to try directional tires up front with assymetrical tires in the rear. This type of set up is good for rear and mid-engined cars, for better wet weather stability. Porsche, in fact, specified this set up for my model year (2001), and I've found it to perform really well on wet roads.

As for general brands, Michelin PS2s, Bridgestone Potenza RE050A, Yokohama Advans, and Goodyear F1s, are all really good tires. Hope this helps.

I have the Rossos on my car now,stay away from them. For the price go they are not worth it. Go for the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A(Max Summer Performance) or RE-01R(Extreme Summer Performance),both are less $ and based off of my past experiences with higher end Potenzas they should be better. Whatever route you decide to go,be sure to give us a review.

I had the Continentals on my BMW 3 series and really hated them. They had a decent ride but no handling and I did not get a good life out of them.

I replaced them with a version of the Pilot Sport I have on the Boxster..Pilot Exalto. They ride great and the handling improved 100 percent. They were a good bit cheaper than the sports.

Henrik - "best" for what?

If normal, spirited street driving, as Porsche intended, in most elements, then follow the porsche suggestions. Since you are in the UK, I am not sure what other brands you can buy that have been mentioned here already (ie Khumo, or Toyo)

I am not suprised that your car currently feels slippery given the fact you have mixed brands of tires. I am sure tread patterns and likely tire constructions are different between the two. You don't mention how many miles you have on the tires, but the rears typically don't last more than 15,000 miles. Fronts can take as much as twice as long to wear out. Obviously, tread depths will impact their wet weather performance.

15,000? I got a tiny bit over 6000 miles out of my last set. I bought them new in April and by December they were gone.

I am also searching for tires and have decided on the Bridgestone Pole Positions. A great resource for tires is tirerack.com. Try the link below, then you can get reviews from everyone with a Boxster about how they liked each tire. It's a little confusing to find that - but enter you car in their search engine and it will give you loads of info.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=MP

I have the P Zero Rossos

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSSSSS of grip.

These were new when I bought my car 4 months ago (since done 3000miles)
Still look like new but many say wear very wuickly. We will see I suppose.

I like em. Even if they only last 7 or 8K then I will get them again.

Ciao

Hi,

I have Dunlop SP9090 on 18inch sport wheels and find them a good balance for the damp UK roads. I previously had the pirrellis which were very nervous at the first sign of rain.

Also it would be a good idea to check your tyre pressures, I use 31/36 rather than 29/36 as recommended and find it a bit more stable.

I find the pirellis fine in the rain as long as common sense prevails. They dont like freezing temperature though at all!!!

Thank you for all the replies!

I don't know how many miles the tyres have done as they were on the car when I bought it half a year ago. They do have lots of thread left but I suspect the different makes are upsetting the car.
I drive as you should...slow in quick out...and when I apply the power it sometimes just snaps without any warning.

When I say "which tyre is best" I mean for everyday normal (Porsche) driving. I think grip is more important than that they will last long.

Regards,
Henrik

P.S. As regards to when the 2.7 came out I believe it was 1999 model year. My car is in fact built in 1998, Stuttgart.

Well, I thought I would let you know how I got on.
I got new tires a some time ago and I opted for the Michelin Pilot Sport. I have now driven a few thousand miles and the car feels planted in all situations. They were the most expensive tires but only a little bit more than the Pirelli Rossos which aren't supposed to be as good in the wet as the Michelins. Since it rains everyday in England......it was an easy choice!

I would strongly recommend these tires!

Henrik

I always recommend checking out 1010tires.com.
They have ratings on most tires, and break it down into groups like wet, traction, thread life, etc. Personally, my biggest cocerns are treadlife and wet traction. but it depnds on your needs for the car. :D

I like the Kumhos Ecsta SPT. I now have them on the front and rear. Great all season tire with aqua-tread design and good grip. :dance:

Check out what Falken has to offer. I put a set on my supercharged jag and they are performing flawlessly, even in the rain.

Is this the tire of the future? No more air needed.
http://www.lltek.com/PRS_bin/PRS_77_AudiMichelin.htm
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15..._img_03_xy.jpg

^ That is crazy!
The wear, and ride quality must really suck. I would rather deal with the occasional flat or blowout than the ride quality that thing must have.
But it would definitely be a head turner.
:cheers:

Good choice. The Pirelli's have such a soft compound that they wear out ultra-fast and the soft rubber also doesn't do well in colder weather (not freezing by any means, but just cold weather).

I have PS2's on my car now and unless I am flat broke, I'm going to keep putting them on my boxster. Excellent traction in all sorts of weather and they seem to be wearing well.

Did you get the Pilot Sport or the Pilot Sport PS2? Both are excellent tires, but there is a difference.

"I have PS2's on my car now and unless I am flat broke, I'm going to keep putting them on my boxster. Excellent traction in all sorts of weather and they seem to be wearing well."

Yeh, me too, I got 5K out of each of my first two sets of PS2's, maybe I will get 7K out of the thrid set......


Ed

:D

I am on my second set of Kumho Excsta MX and have nothing but great things to say about the tire! Sticks as well as any tire lasts longer than other extreme preformance tires too with a tread wear rating of 220 and a whole set of 18's costs about $600 from tire rack. They really stick and in a wide variety of temperatures including near freezing.

How do you guys get only 5k miles out of one set of tires?
Are these specialty tires of some kind.

I am still using the tires the car came with at 25k miles and they still have plenty of thread left.

I'm with Rick. I'm running 18's with Pirelli Pzero's and have 7k on the tires with minimal wear. I run the car reasonably hard around town and don't do any track/DE or AutoX, so maybe that is the difference.

I like the Pirelli's but have no comparison on 986. I'd look at the PS2's/Pirellis if I want to spend the bucks or the Kumho's to save a few $$ when I need tires.

The PS2 are a soft tire even with a tread ware rating of 220 and the boxster will eat up the rear tires in 5k with spirited driving (is there any other way to drive a boxster?). At minimum I drive my boxster 30 mi. a day (m-f) and autocross it a few times each year as well.

+ I'm right there with Randall too:

New tires needed soon!
 

Here we go again! New tires needed soon!
The Michelin tires have been perfect. I have done 32000km in a bit more than 4 years and it's not down to the treadware indicator on the rears yet. And the fronts, as expected, have a bit more. I guess I don't drive that hard - but I have done two track days!

I would like to have a complete fresh set and I was wondering if someone has got experience and can compare these tires:

Michelin PS2 (€846)
Bridgestone S02A (€776)
Yokohama Advan Sport, not Porsche approved (€691)

Thanks,
Henrik

nice chart here based on lots of user feedback.
Consumer Survey Results By Category

If you like the Michelins, then stick with them. Of the three you listed, they are much higher rated than the others.

I usually pick from tires in what Tire Rack calls "Extreme Performance Summer" which tend to have more dry grip and better track performance.

I plan on trying the Pilot Super Sports in the spring, they seem to be even better than the PS2's.

Has anyone tried the Dunlop Direzza Star Specs? I know one member here (ekam I think? Forgive me if I'm wrong!) has a set and really likes them a lot. Recently, though, I was talking to a technician at a local dealership who also does a lot of track events as well. He was, IIRC, given a set of them to test, and he said that's the only reason he's still even driving on them..said he hated them. Don't remember the details, but I believe he was having problems with uneven wear, scalloping, etc. Don't recall if he commented on the driving performance per se (we were talking about LOTS of other stuff---specifically about my car---and I was more focused on those items. The Star Spec discussion was an 'oh, by the way' afterthought).

Anyway, was curious what, if any, experience other folks had had with this tire since (before talking with that tech) I was very seriously considering them as my next tire.

UPDATE: I was finally able to wear out my rear PS2's so I can try the new Pilot Super Sports. Saved $100 for the pair over the last rear PS2's & they feel great so far.

I was going to give the new Super Sports a try, but I was shocked to find out they do not make them in the 255/40R17 for my rear wheels!! Boo!

Every tire is a tradeoff.

The PS2's are a great blend of high grip in both dry and wet conditions along with a smooth ride and quiet operation. The only downside is that they are expensive.

There are cheaper tires with more dry grip (Kumho Ecsta XS, Hankook Ventus RS-3, and Dunlop Star Spec Direzza) but you're going to give up something else (like wet grip and longevity) to max out the dry grip capability.

I've had Pirellis, Michelins and Falken All-Weathers on my Porsches (4). The best all-around tires I've had have been the factory Michelin Pilot Sport PS2. They'll give up a little on top-end performance but you'll get twice the wear from them and never have an issue for any reason.

If you're looking for performance, and to not have it "slippery" and in my experience, when the car is sliding its way easier to handle with good tires.. You should get...

1. Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Specs (200 Treadwear: My favorite, work GREAT cold and when wet, as well as perform amazing in warm, summer conditions)
2. Hankook Ventus R-S3 (140 Treadwear: Great for absolute performance when warm. If you're not ever going to race, not for you, but you'll notice the performance even when cold, but again not as good in the cold as the Star Specs)
3. Toyo R1R (140 Treadwear: Great tires when wet and cold and again hot and warm. But they're rather pricey.)

IMHO, if you want good, grippy tires get the Star Specs. If you want tires that will last but not perform, get Michelins, they make great tires that will last. For best of both worlds, look for a tire around 300-350 Treadwear rating...

(I can also give you info on race tires if you want it.... But you don't seem to race if you don't know how it should perform going around a round about lol)

I have Front .... Toyo Proxes T1R......and Rear.....Nexxen N3000.

The Nexxens are holding up extremely well
The Toyos NOT so well

This is so easy - THERE IS NO BEST. Your temperatures, humidity, altitude, speed, traffic conditions.... Will be different than almost everyone else. Therefore, this is an unanswerable question. If I were you, I would start with what came stock on the car. That's probably Michelin. You won't be sorry and you'll see what Porsche put on these from the factory. Then you can adjust from there, if necessary.

Otherwise, you'll just have a list of every tire made. Happy motoring.

I'm going to bite on the new Michelin Super Sports come spring time. Was running the Bridgestone RE050 but wore out way too fast for me 6000 KM on the rears and completely bald. No track days just 4 runs on the TOD and then pretty basic running around town.

Got about 600 miles on the Mich Super Sports on the rear so I stoped by the local skidpad (Long Beach traffic Circle) today, felt better than the PS2's. AutoXing Sunday so I will try & push it enough to get the rear to break loose. :D

Thanks for all the info here. Just went through this decision myself. I have 19" rims so matched pairs are harder to find. I was considering changing to 18" rims and going with either the Hankook's or Sumi's, but after talking to one of the guys in the local Porsche Club who does a lot of events, I went with the Michelin Super Sports.

His commentary was that they run into sidewall failure often at events with both of those brands, and that they do not see the issues with Bridgestone or Michelin. Also thought they would last longer so the difference in price wasn't so bad.

The Super Sports are $150 cheaper on tirerack than the PS2 right now as well. Will report on my results - installed on Saturday.

Hands down, Hoosier A6 is the best!! :D