HELP!!...Time for new Tires!!
 

My Pirrelli's Pzero Nero have seen their better days and its time for some new shoes for my Box. I have been doing a lil research however I am at square one trying to make a decision on what tires to buy. I have read an article by Car and Driver and it led me to the Hankook V12'S and the Kumho Ecsta XS. I seldom drive my car in cold weather however I have taken it out to quench my need for speed when it hits me...I also do NOT do any racing at the track. But I do like getting a lil aggressive in the twisties and high speeds on the interstate. I understand that a Ultra Extreme Summer tires can be dangerous in the cold.
So my question is what other tire would you recommend for daily driving with occasional cold weather driving without sacrificing traction on dry as well as wet surfaces? Also I want a pretty decent tread wear..I almost went for the Mich's Super Sports but they are only a 30,000 tire...or is that the norm for tires lin this performance category? :confused:

I'm a fan of Bridgestone tires but to be honest every manufacturer out there makes decent tires. Look for summer performance tires with a tread wear rating around 280 and you'll be good.

Michelin Pilot AS
 

I just bought my 2003 Boxster basic with a new set of Sumitomo HTR Z II tires installed by the dealer. Today I had a set of Michelin Pilot All Season (it rains a lot here in Western Washington) installed in place of the Sumitomos. WOW! What difference. I noticed as I drove away from the tire shop that the low-speed steering effort was greatly reduced and as I hit the highway the ride, noise level and grip was much improved. I'm not interested in burnouts or track time, just safe, spirited street driving and these Michelins are great - should last a while, too!

I just bought a set of 4 Michelin Pilot Super Sports from Tire Rack. Very happy.

I have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus on my car. My criteria was the same as your when I chose them and I think they would be exactly what you are looking for. They worked very well for four seasons, and they still have lots of tread, but they have lost their stickiness during the last year.

I'm replacing them with Hankook V12's as I don't expect to be doing any cold weather driving in the future.

Have you done a search on this forum and read any of the vast amount of information that has been written on this topic?

The Hankook V12's have had good press. And the price is nice!

Yeah, I just got my set for $700 all in. Tire Rack would have been $826 delivered.

I'm going to go with slightly wider 225/45/17's on the front and the stock 255/40/17's on the rear.

Installation is free - got a buddy with a tire machine. I'm going to give balancing beads a try. If I don't like them it's easy enough to pour them out and put wheel weights on. I hope they work because the weights really ugly up a wheel.

the weights on my 986 are glued "inside" the wheel

The Kumho Ectsa XS is a very high grip dry weather tire - as such, it will wear fairly quickly. You'll be lucky to get 15K miles from this tire (I got about 7K), but you WILL have a grin a mile wide on your face the whole time because the grip really is addicting - thinking of slowing for a turn? Ah, screw it, just turn the wheel and hang on!

The Hankook V12 is good but not quite as grippy as the Kumho but will (of course) last longer. The V12 will definitely work fine for fun in the twisties and while you may not be able to lose that 'Vette that is on your tail on these tires, you will be able to scare the heck out of anyone riding with you if you so desire.

Ultimate grip or good grip with more longevity? Pick your poison. Just remember to drive it like you stole it.

Pro tip:

Tire Rack will honor Michelin's "Promise Plan" mileage warranty on the Pilot Super Sports for 15k miles. They are the only manufacturer to have a warranty like this.

I have twice now gotten a check for approx 65% of my total tire cost after roasting a set of rears in 5-6k miles (they didn't even ask whether it was tracked ;) when buying replacements.

The PSS is a totally top-of-the-line tire for high performance street and light track/AX use, and is the best I've ever driven in the rain. It does not seem to wear nearly as long on my cars as the treadwear rating would indicate (undriveable in rain after 6k on rears).

Thanks for the input guys, I am getting closer to making a decision. I think I am going to go with the Hankook V12's. I can get a set for the 18 inch option for $692 delivered.

When I was looking last year, I narrowed it down to the Michelin PSS's and the Hankook V12's. I ended up with the Michelin's and am very happy. They were a bit more, but not much. I purchased them at Discount Tire. The V12's get good reviews from the press and on here, so I am sure you will be happy:cheers:

V12's
 

I picked up a set of the V12's last year. FWIW my rears were pretty bald after 5 months (Jun-Oct) of spirited driving on country roads ~5000 miles. Fronts are still in good shape. The tires had no track time, no burnouts, and no drifts. Grip was good, but I'm not happy about the tread wear. I was able to get two seasons out of my last set of Toyo's. What mileage are you guys getting out of your rear Michelin PSS's?

I just ordered a complete set of 18" Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3 at NTB.com. The all in price was $925 plus a $70 rebate from Michelin. I compared the info at Tire Rack and these are very comparable to the Michelin Super Sports.

I have had hankook v12 on different vehicles. I would say they are avg with handling characteristics, better on price and below avg with wear.

I have had bf Goodrich kdw on my boxster for quite some time now >5 years and they wear really well with still plenty of grip. Highly recommended!

Good question F1GP...I also drive like you and treadwear is pretty important. I really don't want to be replacing tires every year.

I have heard a lot of good things about the PSS, but unfortunately they don't seem to make a 255/40/17 to fit the rears of the 17" Boxster wheel. The more expensive PS2 does come in that size, but the mileage warranty is less, and I thought I had read somewhere that the PS2 was an older technology than the PSS.

Edit: didn't realize how old of a thread this way :)

I think most folks are happy if they get 15,000 out of the backs and 30,000 out of the fronts of any decent summer tire. For extreme summer performance I think folks would be ecstatic :)

I am running Sumitomo HTR Z III and the fronts are shot after about 30,000 and the backs are down to around 6/32 after around 8,000. I figure that starting with a new tire at 10/32 and the wear bars at 2/32 I am around halfway though the life of the rears and could probably get another 8,000 out of them, but I am going with a set of Hankook RS-3. I have been happy with the Sumis but I don't want to buy another set of fronts and have to go through 2 more sets of backs before wearing out the whole set together.

The reason I am stepping up in tires is because I am starting to do more track days and autocross.

If I wasn't doing track days I would be happy to stay with the Sumitomo, or right now on tire rack the Kumho Ecsta LE 9whichever one is the max summer tire) has a $100 rebate so a set of 17's in 225/45 and 255/40 comes to just over $300.

Steve

I've had Michelin Pilot Super Sport's for 15 months and about 13k miles and they are fantastic. Will definitely be buying them again. Fantastic grip and surprisingly long life span (for me at least...). I probably have another 5k miles in them.