Tire Talk For Boxster S
 

Ok...I want the best performing tires for this little car. I did a lot of trial and error with the MR2 to come to the conclusion only the Yokohamas it orig came with would do. For little boxter, I am advised to get Bridgestone 960AS Pole Positions when I was originally scoping out the Michelin Pilot Sport Ribs....who's owned their car long enough to play "whats the best tire" on the Boxster? I have 25k on the orig tires and the back ones are down to nubbs and I was thinking of either doing all 4 or 2 rears and fronts in about 4k miles....I have PS2s on there now.

I'm on my second set of Kumho MX and they really stick! They have a 220 wear rating too. I have a friend with a new Cayman s and I can corner every bit as well as him with his Michelin PS2's, and the Kumho's are 2/3 the price. I also have a friend who just got the Goodyear F1 and he really likes them.

I assume you drive your car daily and push it for fun, and you mentioned you have PS2s on there now, so I also assume you're running on 18s because they aren't available in 205/50/17s.

If you're doing spirited daily driving, performance summer tires in dry weather have come a long way, and comparing dry road performance is like comparing 90% to 98%. Your winner is going to depend on the additional benefits you get from the tire.

If you want maximum dry performance, check out something like BFGoodrich KDs or Yokohama Advan Neova. Be ready to trade off wet performance, tire wear and cost.

If you want the best all-around tire, keep your Michelin PS2 or check out Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3.

I drove a car on the ContiSportContact2, and while they are comfy, they weren't sporty. I've read the ContiSportContact3 is way better, but don't have first- or second-hand experience.

The #1 safety item on the car are tires, so I went with the Eagle F1 GS-D3 because even though dry performance is shy of the Yoko, BFG and PS2 in dry--again, we're talking like 95%--everybody I know who had them swore the tires perform better than the others in wet, so well that you don't even know the road is wet. I don't drive my car in the rain, but that doesn't mean I haven't gotten caught in it. Also, they cost way less, have a very unique and aesthetic look, and have the best tire wear rating at 280.

Andy

Why not stick with the PS2s?

You don't say what aspect of a tire is important
 

to you so giving you advice is a crap shoot. My experience might not fit your needs.

I've had 3 tires on Boxsters, all used so the comparison problem of new Brand-A versus used-up Brand-B doesn't come into play.

Pirelli Asyms and Russos. Good.
Yoko's were great in traction, so noisy I couldn't wait to get rid of them.
Mich Ribs are great all around, expensive. Quiet.

I don't drive in snow, do drive on 17"s over rough roads. No track, spirited but not insane corners.

I second the vote for the PS2s. They're actually a decent value as they will wear a bit longer than some of the other comparable tires, and offer great dry AND wet traction, and are not too noisy.

Patrick

The PS2's are noticably stickier than the ribs too. Ribs came on my car and I could almost always spin'em with a fast 1-2 shift. Now I can't even get a chirp out of the PS2's.

After doing the Tail of the Dragon trip, I will continue to use the PS2's when I need new tires (next year). They were great in the rain, and awesome in the spirited curves. I have 265/35/19 and 235/35/19.

PS2 are great if money isn't a huge concern. Great on the track and for everyday driving.

I just got a set of Kumho ecsta spt; 225/45ZR-17 and 255/40ZR-17; this is a daily driver wet and dry, replaced conti contactsport2's that were well worn and one had an unrepairable nail. Only about 150 miles on them so far, going to take them to vegas tomorrow. All I read said good things about these tires. America's Tires in northridge close to tirerack prices and have been satisfied with their service in the past with tires for at least 3 or 4 of our previous cars.

later
rockbox

Thanks so much for all the tire advise. It is very appreciated...think I will shot for the Michelins. And,yes, I was looking for best performance, on the street, not track...just to and from work etc...and a whole heaping lot of cornering! :)

Check these out. Very similar wet/dry performance to my PS2's, only 2/3 the price. Worth a look.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Bridgestone&model=Potenza+RE050A+Po le+Position&vehicleSearch=true&index=28&frontTire= 055WR6RE050APP&rearTire=25WR6RE050APP

i am now a total convert of the bridgestone RE-01R. this tire is schitzophrenic. it's totally quiet, VERY comfortable, but STICKS like crazy. once you heat it up, it's seriously as grippy as an R compound. good in the rain, too. i did dry / wet braking tests w/ my G-meter. i use cold stop decel numbers to tell me how good a tire's street grip will be. these are the only tires i've tested that pull > 1.0G stops while cold (1.03G). they still pulled 0.81G stops in the rain. that's incredible. once you get em' hot, even better. IMO these kill the PS2's and are even better than the advan Neovas.

I saw those tires and the test results look great. They just don't offer them in a 255/40 17 size. :( The fastest guys around here autocrossing with street tires are usually on Advan Neovas. It looks like the RE-01R could be a contender in S/S class.

then go for the 245/40. a 255/40 is getting pretty tall for a boxster. plus, one thing i noticed when i mounted these is that they run a little wide.

Yes I considered that. Here are the relevant numbers for the street tires I like in 17". I should add that my car is a weekend toy and not a daily driver. I use it for spirited canyon carving, Auto-X, scenic tours, and track days only.

Tire..............................Size............ .....Wear R.........Wt........Diam......Tread Width
Bri. RE01R ..............245/40/17..............140............27.........24.7”... ..........9”
Bri. RE050A P.P .......255/40/17..............140............27.........25”..... ..........9.5”
Yok. Advan Neova....255/40/17..............180............28.........25”..... ..........9.9”
Mich. Pilot PS2..........255/40/17..............220............24.........25”..... ..........9.5”

As you can see the 245/40/17 RE01R in this size is slightly smaller in diameter than stock and narrower by almost 1" compared to the 255/40/17 Neova. This would give me a slightly lower C.G. but I am not sure the improved tire compound could overcome a nearly 10% reduction in contact patch. Given the same tire size the RE01R looks like a slam dunk because it has great performance and is also very affordable. I must say I am generally very happy with my PS2's. I got them lightly used and cheap. They are a vast improvement over the Eagle HP's that were on the car when I got it.

There are still two guys that regularly outrun me in S/S class by 1-2 sec. Both former Top Gun fighter pilots who really know how to drive. Both are running Neovas. Like you I am always looking for an edge. Maybe if I can just clean up a few more corners.....time to reel those guys in. :cool:

Decided to skip the Michelin and Bridgestones this time around and go
with the Goodyear F1's for my 18" Carreras.

EXCELLENT Tire.

They performed just as well as the others and cost a little less.
a little old but great info:
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/tests/CandD_gy_f1_gs_d3/CandD_gy_f1_gs_ds.pdf

out of that list, i have tried every tire. i would rate them in the following order:

RE01R, Advan Neova, RE050A PP, PS2

Your experiences are consistent with Car & Driver/Tirerack testing. Once I run the tread off these it will be time to go shopping.

one note with the RE-01R: it's nearly impossible to mount the narrower width tires on the Coats brand machines. it's best to find a shop with Hunter or Corghi machines (with the wheel that runs around the tire). my 265's weren't too bad to mount, but the 225's locked up the machine. i had to take them to Butler tire where they have tons of different machines.