Summer Max Performance Tires

[MikenOH]

in a recent issue that tests 10 or so brands of performance tires. They tested in dry and wet conditions; if you live in a dry climate I'd think the wet performance would be less of an issue. The winners were:

Mich PS2--terrific all around tire
BFG KD--great dry weather tire
Falken 215--great all around tire, performance wise
Goodyear f1 GC D3 (?)--great dry and wet tire

I think those were the high points.

On a personal experience level, I like

Mich MXXX3
Mich PS2
Kumho MX---to a lesser degree

Don't like:
Continentals

On the low cost side, I've heard good things about BFG Force Sport, Kumho SPT
or BFG KDW2

[cyclocross]

Originally Posted by MikenOH

Don't like:
Continentals

Hi there. I had the Conti CSC2s on my old C43 AMG and I have them on my Boxster. I don't have any wet/dry problems with them on the street. What do you not like about them? Thanks for the info!

[Adam]

Here is a very good tire comparo I found in C&D.
http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=10252&page_number=1

The PS2's are always a sure bet but those new Yokohama's sure are impressive as they had the best auto-x time and by far the best braking. It's sounds like Ghostrider wants a track/auto-x tire though as Pilot cups are gumballs and horrible in the wet. I recammend this article to anyone seeking new high performance tires.

[MikenOH]

I guess my experience with a set on a E320 MB a few years ago really colored my view of the company and the products.

These tires were standard on the E320, wore quickly, had repeated belt failures and traction--dry or wet went south after about 20K miles and this was highway driving. I was mazed MB would put them on a $55K car--sort of like Ford and the tires on the Explorer, but not to that degree.

Anyway, other forums--Pete's, Renntech and the tireRack-- have lot's of comments on continental performance tires, probably the previous version, and none was good. IIRC, the consensus was not very responsive handling, average traction and loud after a they started to wear.

I understand the C2 tire is better than the one it replaced. Having said that the Tirerack comparison of Max summer tires has the C2 around 10 or worse. It may not be a bad tire but there are others out there that are better. A lot of it would depend onthe kind of driving you do; if you're just cruising, you might not notice much of a difference between the bunch except for noise and ride quality. of course, YMMV..

[Adam]

I checked out the Michelin Pilot cups here http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+Cup&partnum=24YR8SPORTCUP&partnum=635YR8SPORTCUP&vehicleSearch=true&place=7&index=7
just to see what these things cost for a boxster. They are not that much more than PS2's so that got me thinking. Why not get these instead of PS2's because I do auto-x events and I rarely if ever drive in the rain. Well then I found my answer. The Cups have a wear rating of 80 and the PS2's have a wear rating of 220. Does this basically mean then that the Ps2's will last almost 3x longer than the cups? I would love to have the dry performance that the pilot cups offer but I would't shell out that kind of cash for a tire that will only last 5-10k miles tops.

[MikenOH]

the PSC' are good, but they come shaved to 6/32 tread and are a softer compound than PS2's. You might want to get them heat cycled before hand to maximize their life.

I've heard these are a better track tire than auto-x because they take a while to heat up and are best when hot.

Victoracers are just he opposite; they get hot faster but can overheat at the track. There was a longish article on this either in Panorama or Excellence a few years back with lots of detail.

The PSC are different from a lot of other softcompund tires since they actually have tread on them, as does the Victoracer. Many R compound tires have no tread or just a groove or two around the tire.

If you're looking for a tire for both street and auto-x use, the Falken 615 has gotten some rave reviews as a good in-between tire; not R compound but better than a high [performance street tire. Also, Yokohama has new tire out which is suppose to be a s good or better than the PS2.

[mjw930]

Be carefull and consider want out of the tires. Everyone wants to jump on the PS2 bandwagon but for many, me included, they are not the proper tire for the Boxster if you want to maintain or enhance the balance of the car, especially at the limit.

The PS2 is part of a new breed of tire that attempts to increase the comfort level while still maintaining reasonable directional stability and precision. This results in a tire with a hybrid sidewall construction that can work very well in some applications and horribly wrong in others. I have found that the Boxster is very sensitive to sidewall construction and doesn't really like the PS2's in the 18" configuration (you didn't mention the sizes you are shopping). Although the highway ride was very nice and the absolute grip these tires produce is excellent the loss of precision upon initial turn in and when they are subjected to varying side loads within a turn makes the driving experience less enjoyable for me. I switched back to the PS Rib (Pilot Sport N1) and although the ride is harsher the handling and feel of the car is much more to my liking. The overall grip is still very high and I find that I don't lose anything on the track or at the autoX.

You might want to consider the tried and true Bridgestone SO3's. They have been the standard bearer for many P-Car owners who track their cars regularly for the last few years.

[steven]

Originally Posted by Adam

I checked out the Michelin Pilot cups here http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+Cup&partnum=24YR8SPORTCUP&partnum=635YR8SPORTCUP&vehicleSearch=true&place=7&index=7
just to see what these things cost for a boxster. They are not that much more than PS2's so that got me thinking. Why not get these instead of PS2's because I do auto-x events and I rarely if ever drive in the rain. Well then I found my answer. The Cups have a wear rating of 80 and the PS2's have a wear rating of 220. Does this basically mean then that the Ps2's will last almost 3x longer than the cups? I would love to have the dry performance that the pilot cups offer but I would't shell out that kind of cash for a tire that will only last 5-10k miles tops.

I also beleive that they have much less tread depth. That, and the quick wear will keep me away from them, although i would love to get them ($ issue is stopping me).

[MikenOH]

After chasing after every 987 tire/wheel set on ebay that I came across, I think the best deal I've seen is a set of Mille Miglia Cup1 wheels with either MX's or G-Force Sport tires from Tire rack.
The Wheels run about 3lbs heavier per wheel than the stock 18"s but an set of 4 with the tires mentioned shaved to 5/32, balanced and delivered runs $1400-1500.
I'd like to have lighter wheels but for DE's I don't think this will make much of a difference. Plus, with a 7.5 " front, I can put up to a 245 tire on it.

Ebay just had a set of 987 17" tire/rim takeoffs that sold with shipped for about $1250. Probably not a bad price but the 6.5" rim on the front limits what kind of tire you can use on the car. Look forward to hearing about the 615's.