Tire Dunlop SP Sport 9000 - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

JDM · 09-30-2005, 04:43 AM

Hi Guys,

Thinking of replacing the tyres on my boxster S. I have 17 inch wheels. Any recommendations on what brand should I buy? I don't want to go too expensive but want decent tires. The situation from my short research in the market until now is as follows :

Dunlop SP Sport 9000 price 700 Euro = 842 Usd
Michelin Pilot Sport Rib N2 price 1050 Euro = 1264 Usd
Pirelli PZero Rosso Asimmetrico N3 price 1100 Euro = 1325 Usd

( my location is Europe therefore i have mentioned both rates euro/usd )

Do you have any experience for the above mentioned tires especially for the Dunlop.

Please advice...

Regards,
JDM

deliriousga · 09-30-2005, 04:58 AM

I have the Dunlops on the 928 and don't like them too much. Not good enough grip for hard turns. I like the Kumho's much better.

MNBoxster · 09-30-2005, 06:41 AM

HI,

The Dunlop Sport 8000 and Sport 9000 are the preferred tires for the Lotus Esprit and they have Tons of Grip.

Perhaps John (deliriousga) had issues with them because the 928 is so much heavier than either the Boxster or Lotus Esprit, 500lbs. more than the Boxster and 700 lbs. more than the Esprit. And of course, a lot of Tire feel can be subjective (both ways) as well. But, I agree with him on the Kumhos, they're excellent tires as well.

The Boxster and Esprit are more evenly matched in terms of weight, so they may be a good fit for the Boxster as well, they certainly are a lot of tire for the money.

There's very little difference between the 8000 and 9000 in terms of construction and ratings. The 9000 has a more agressive tread pattern which I believe costs it some grip over the 8000 (which I run - am on my 2nd set, which is a first for me). The Treadwear Rating on the 8000 is 200 while the 9000 is 240, meaning that it (9000) is a little harder compound). BTW, there is no standard on the Treadwear Ratings, they are somwhat arbitrary. This is a number assigned by the Manufacturer and can't be used to compare Treadwear Ratings of another Brand of Tire, whose Manufacturer may have a totally different criteria for assigning the Treadwear Rating, although a 200 will not give as many miles as a 400. It is also an indicator of how soft the tire is.

One thing though, the wear on the Dunlops is not linear. Both sets I had exhibited virtually no wear for the first 12k mi., then they went downhill at what seemed an accelerated pace - I was at the Treadwear indicators by 19kmi. From about 15k mi. on, they lost some of their wet handling properties.

All these cars chew up tires so fast, relatively speaking, that for me at least, it's tough to go with the much higher priced brands. IMHO, they don't offer any more grip and they don't wear any longer, just cost more. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99

deliriousga · 09-30-2005, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Perhaps John (deliriousga) had issues with them because the 928 is so much heavier than either the Boxster or Lotus Esprit, 500lbs. more than the Boxster and 700 lbs. more than the Esprit. And of course, a lot of Tire feel can be subjective (both ways) as well. But, I agree with him on the Kumhos, they're excellent tires as well.

Great point. I didn't think about weight. It can also probably be attributed to the front-end engine (i.e. less weight in back). It has a tendency to fishtail when I take a corner in the rain. Some of this was due to me being unfamiliar with the power in the 928, but over time and experience it still does it. One other thing for you to consider that I did not mention in the first post. I have only had the 928 for a year and the Dunlops are the tires that came with it so I don't have anything to compare on the same car.

limoncello · 09-30-2005, 09:02 AM

delerious and MN - which Kuhmos do you use? How is wet traction?
thanks in advance!

deliriousga · 09-30-2005, 09:27 AM

I have Ecsta 712s on the front and Ecsta ASX on the rear. Wet traction is fantastic.

The ASX has "siping" along the outside track to wick water away and it works very well. It also has a 420 treadwear rating so I am replacing them soon with 34K miles on the rear tires. The ASX is W-rated (168mph) with AA traction rating. For the price, I have not found a tire I like better than the ASX for the rear.

The 712 is Z-rated (169+mph) and a 280 treadwear with AA traction rating. I like the 712 up front because it has a stronger bite with the uni-directional tread for steering. The 712 lasts about 20K miles up front for us.

limoncello · 09-30-2005, 10:08 AM

good info, and your driving climate is the same as SC. (car's yellow, too). Many of our local PCA/SCCA racers swear by Kuhmos.

Has anybody tried the Kuhmo Victoracers V700, regular or shaved? It's a track tire, and a more aggressive choice, but curious if anyone has tried them in a combo street/track mode on a Boxster. My concern would be how they do in the rain. Wear rate is not so much as issue, as finding a good track tire that is also safe enough for the trip home.

Agreeing with MN - my use patterns don't support $250/tire!