Tires for 2002 Boxster S - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

mikedivincent · 09-20-2006, 09:36 AM

Well, the time has come to get some new skins for the car.

I hope I am not opening a can of worms, but any suggestions on tires?

Has anyone gone up in width and has it made a difference?

Thanks in advance.

TriGem2k · 09-20-2006, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikedivincent

Well, the time has come to get some new skins for the car.

I hope I am not opening a can of worms, but any suggestions on tires?

Has anyone gone up in width and has it made a difference?

Thanks in advance.

There was a previous thread that discussed every tire you can think of. Just do a search and im sure it will answer a lot of questions. Mostly everyones opinions on tires they've used. I personally liked the Bridgeston S-03s....Too bad they are now discontinued.

The only way to go up in tire width is to get a wider wheel. What size are your wheels? I run 285/30/18 (same size as the 911) on 10" wheels in the rears.

Hope this helps.

Wintermute · 09-23-2006, 09:22 PM

Kumho Ecstas are good tires (have them on my 02 S), but they can be loud. Just stay away form Potenzas. They are overpriced for what you are getting.

Has anyone tried Federal tires? I read about them in some car mag and they got high marks for performance and noise.

Adam · 09-24-2006, 06:47 PM

Pilot sport 2...nuff said.

kabel · 09-24-2006, 07:13 PM

+1 on the PS2

vijen6 · 09-24-2006, 08:02 PM

One vote for the Falken 452s.

I had st115s on the cars before, and they were discontinued. The replacement was these 452. Paid $140 / tires for them on the front (225/40/18). Can not complain. Great grip, quiet, agressive design.

Read the comments about them on tirerack or discounttiresdirect and decide for yourself.

oversteerdawg · 09-26-2006, 10:30 AM

It really depends on what you're going for. Here are a few of my favorites:

ALL OUT PERFORMANCE: Falken Azenis RT-615, Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R, Yokohama Advan Neova AD07, BFG G-Force T/A KD, Michelin Pilot Sport 2.

Budget All Out Performance: Falken Azenis RT-615, Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212, Kumho Ecsta MX.

Budget Performance with decent life: Kumho Ecsta MX, Falken FK-452, Yokohama AVS ES100.

The best all-around tire for the Boxster is probably the Michelin PS2. It grips well, has decent wear, is reasonably smooth/quiet and does well in the wet. However, some people a little more on the fringe may want something a little less compromised.

The best performance tire is the Falken Azenis RT-615. AMAZING stick and very progressive at the limit. AWESOME steering response. However, some may find them a bit loud and stiff. Also, they wear quickly. Not the best in the rain because of the high rubber/void ratio, but not bad...fantastic grip in damp conditions, just avoid standing water. Good grip even after the tire starts to slide...HUGE usable slip angle. This is my personal favorite...basically a race tire carcass with a streetable compound. Low price is a huge plus as well.

The best budget performance tire is the Kumho Ecsta MX. Very good grip, not quite up to the Azenis or PS2, but still very good. Excellent wear characteristics and VERY progressive at the limit (for a max performance tire). I managed 8 track days and 7000 miles of street driving and still had just under half tread left...and this was on a 3300lb M3. Amazing treadlife considering the grip. Only downside is that they are a little soft in the sidewall (bad for steering response, good for ride quality).

-Tom
'01 986 S
'94 Miata Track Rat

rodsnhawgs · 09-27-2006, 06:12 PM

I'm running Dunlop SP Sport Maxx - so far so good...good handling, quiet and smooth. Rated well on tirerack's review and they have a special on them right now....

oversteerdawg · 09-28-2006, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodsnhawgs

Rated well on tirerack's review

Take those reviews with a grain of salt. Most of these people have no idea what they're talking about because they only have crappy oem tires to compare to.

-Tom
'01 986 S
'94 Miata track rat

Sammy · 09-29-2006, 07:26 AM

I put Goodyear F1's on my car and for everyday spirited driving they have been very good. Noise is good, wet traction is great, tire wear I don't know about... On the track they are okay, but I decided to purchase a set of wheels and tires specific for driving events.

oversteerdawg · 09-29-2006, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sammy

I put Goodyear F1's on my car and for everyday spirited driving they have been very good. Noise is good, wet traction is great, tire wear I don't know about... On the track they are okay, but I decided to purchase a set of wheels and tires specific for driving events.

Eagle F1 GS-D3's are good street tires. However, I managed to cord one in one track day. They don't like heat. Stay away from the track with those.

01boxster · 10-02-2006, 11:28 AM

i might suggest the general UHP tires...their good for the $...check out the reviews on tirerack.com, suppose to be the best rated tire....i don't really think you can go wrong....witht at price

but back on topic..i m running PS2s in the front and falkins512 on the rear...the stick like glue....i love em...but after i m done with these i m think i m gonna give the generals a try.

oversteerdawg · 10-02-2006, 05:48 PM

If you are a budget minded enthusiast, try the Kumho Ecsta MX (NOT the Ecsta Supra 712's). Way cheap for our cars and offer great performance. This is from past experience, not reading some review in cyberspace.

Adam · 10-02-2006, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 01boxster

i might suggest the general UHP tires...their good for the $...check out the reviews on tirerack.com, suppose to be the best rated tire....i don't really think you can go wrong....witht at price

but back on topic..i m running PS2s in the front and falkins512 on the rear...the stick like glue....i love em...but after i m done with these i m think i m gonna give the generals a try.

Ps2's in the front and falkins in the rear? I've heard it bad news to have unmatched front/rear tires. Have you exprerienced any spooky handling traits?

racer_troy · 10-07-2006, 12:25 AM

Hey there, I'm currently running 225/40 and 265/35 Kumho MX and am having goodluck...after 15K miles they are still holding up well...compared the the RS2-Z212, these were initially softer but seemed to stiffen up a bit once a few heat/cool cycles completed...

I was initially surprised the first time i had to stop relatively fast in wet conditions, the abs kicked in before i was used to...

so...besides seeming a litle soft and giving up a little wet performance, i'm very happy with the tire...just take it easy in the rain and you should love them...

cheers,

--troy

www.tirerack.com will have the ecsta mx at a decent price
www.edgeracing.com will have the rt-615 at a decent price