Good Economic Tire? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

vipola · 06-21-2007, 08:14 AM

Hi, I come from a motorcycle world, so I don't really know tire for theses cars.

I am looking for a tire that grips okay but that I will do a good mileage of, and that dos'nt cost too much. I am not a racer so I don't care don't having Track tires..

I am looking for tire on my boxster, tire that I won't need to replace too often, that will grip enough for everyday fun driving without being the best of the line.

What are your suggestions?

Example in the motorcycle world, Michelin Pilote Race is tire that burn out really too fast but they are really good tire for track days or really hard road driving. but they are to slow to heat up and wears up too fast for everyday tire. Michelin Pilote Power (the successor of Michelin pilote Sport) is a Great tire, that give a pretty god mileage and stick pretty well. but for mileage advantage, we often recommend the Batlax, that is a little but closer to a sport touring tire.

I wear Michelin Pilote Power on my bike (or find a good deal on used Tracks tire in hot summer days) but I am looking for something more comparable to Batlax for my car.

I don't need to have as good tire on my boxster that on my bike because I won't ride it as hard..

If you have any suggestion, link, or other thread, I would be fery apprecieated

Thanks

RandallNeighbour · 06-21-2007, 08:54 AM

Sumitomo HRTZII's are cheap and very grippy. I have a set for my track tires and found them to be quiet as well.

ChrisZang · 06-21-2007, 09:13 AM

Take a look at:

Yokohama AVS ES100
Kumho Ecsta SPT

I get about 12k miles on the fronts and 8k miles on the rears with Auto-X and track usage.

FrayAdjacent · 06-21-2007, 09:18 AM

I'd check out Kumho's offerings in the size you need.

Go to www.tirerack.com to check out information.

Usually traction and treadwear are inversely proportional (higher traction usually means lower life of the tire)

I went with some BFGoodrich GForce Sports for my rear tires. They were about the same price as the Kumhos. I like 'em, but they do get a little slick in the rain.

Perfectlap · 06-21-2007, 09:39 AM

I had mixed experiecnes with Kuhmos in the past. They came with a set of BBS wheels I bough barely used. Big flat spotting issues with the Kuhmos, VERY annoying. And they were maybe the worst street tires I autcrossed on. Parlticularly in heat, broke loose easily. Not so great in the wet either. I might by them for a corolla or Kia but certainly not a Porsche unless I was a newbie autocross driver. No sense in shredding an expensive set of tires through trial and error.

Unless you are going through more than one set of tires per year I don't think tires are an area you should be cutting corners on. Better to save $400 in some other area of your budget or sell some of that stuff we all have lying around the garage, attic or closet that you never use.
Tires are maybe the most important item on your WORLD CLASS sports car. The difference between a $500 set of tires and $900 set is HUGE. Think about all the other areas of your life where you will end up spending $400 during the course of the year. Putting $500 tires on this car is like buying a high end Nakamichi stereo and hooking them up to computer speakers.

If Michelin are too expensive try the Goodyear Eagle F1's. They are about $100 cheaper and are just as good, excellent in the rain. Some of Pirellis are also good as expensive but durability with that brand has always been a problem for me.
Great winter tires though.

vipola · 06-21-2007, 10:31 AM

Thanks for your answer, I just wanna clarify something here, I don't care if tire are Expensive to Buy, I just want some tire that will worn out too fast..

Good sport tires but I really don't need Track High end tires..

Perfectlap · 06-21-2007, 10:45 AM

I think that largely depends on your driving style. If you like to launch the car off the line at a red light or stop, trying to get from 0-60 as quickly as possible EVERY TIME then you'll severely shorten the life of your rear tyres.
If you take it easy you should easily be able to get 15000 miles or longer from a set of Goodyear Eagle F1's or equivalent Bridgestones in the back and longer mileageo up front.

Seems to me that $600 tires are inexpensive but will get loud sooner, $800 can buy you excellent performance, low noise and moderate durability and $1,000+ tires (and higher) are equally good on performance, noise and durability but more expensive for some reason, probably the business costs of doing testing with Porsche for N rating.

porschedude · 06-21-2007, 11:04 AM

I like BF Goodrich...I think it has the best bang for the buck....aslo quiet and sticks well.

insite · 06-21-2007, 11:09 AM

if price isn't too much of an issue, i really like the bridgestone potenza RE-960AS. it's an all season tire with a bit harder rubber than a summer tire, but they're really quite sticky. i put them on the G35 to replace the PS2's; much quieter and better in the rain, but still great in the dry.

Tool Pants · 06-21-2007, 12:46 PM

I also have 17" Sumitomo HTR Z II. I liked them enough that I am on the second set. Good bang for the buck. I can't get over how the Tire Rack prices have gone down.

First set was March 2001. Front was $101 each and rear $141 each.

Second set was in May 2005. Front $75 each and rear $97 each. It was a "special price" so I thought they were going to be discontinued.

Checked Tire Rack today and they still have them. Front $55 each and rear $72 each. You can't beat that price for a Z rated tire. No N rating but I do not care.

Picture of my first set.

Perfectlap · 06-21-2007, 12:51 PM

^wow you got all four for the price of one of my 18" rears.

Eagle F1

ChrisZang · 06-21-2007, 01:04 PM

does anyone have any experience/opinions about the Bridgestone Potenza RE050 Pole Position?

Perfectlap · 06-21-2007, 01:19 PM

I think its discussed here. Not sure if the tire has changed in its design recently because this test is a few years old but still good info inside

http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/tests/CandD_gy_f1_gs_d3/CandD_gy_f1_gs_ds.pdf

Topless · 06-21-2007, 01:47 PM

Another low budget long life tire is the Hankook K104. Decent traction wet/dry, quiet, V rated. Similar to the Sumitomo in price/performance. Not the first choice of dedicated track hounds. As a daily driver tire it might be just the ticket.

Paul · 06-21-2007, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tool Pants

I also have 17" Sumitomo HTR Z II. I liked them enough that I am on the second set. Good bang for the buck. I can't get over how the Tire Rack prices have gone down.

First set was March 2001. Front was $101 each and rear $141 each.

Second set was in May 2005. Front $75 each and rear $97 each. It was a "special price" so I thought they were going to be discontinued.

Checked Tire Rack today and they still have them. Front $55 each and rear $72 each. You can't beat that price for a Z rated tire. No N rating but I do not care.

Picture of my first set.

How many miles did you get out of your first set of rear tires?

djomlas · 06-21-2007, 09:06 PM

yeah id like to know that too, it sounds like a great deal

BTW, wold 275 be an over kill, or would it even fit? i have 255 on the back now

LowFlyR · 06-21-2007, 09:45 PM

I was in similar dilemma a 2 weels ago and I desided to try something different. I ended up buying a set of Falken FK452's. Local Discount Tire ordered them for me. A set of 225/40x18 & 265/35x18 ended up beeing (mounted & balanced) $653.80 + TX. They were a couple buck more than Kumhos, but I liked the reviews I found.

After a couple hundred miles I'm very pleased. I use to have 17" Conti Sports.

Just my 0.02

Tool Pants · 06-21-2007, 09:51 PM

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=4265&hl=Sumitomo

I did not remember how many miles I got on the first set. But I found the above message from May 2005 when I put on the second set. I got 20,000 miles on the first set. If you look at the pictures you can see the patched left rear tire that went 20,000 miles on the patch.

So far I have 10,000 miles on the second set that were put on in May 2005, so they are barely broken in.....

Some of the other local Boxster owners also have Sumis. Not the best tire in the world, it has been said, but you cannot beat the value.

insite · 06-22-2007, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisZang

does anyone have any experience/opinions about the Bridgestone Potenza RE050 Pole Position?

for the new bridgestone series, i've run the RE-050A pole positions, the RE-960AS, and currently, the RE-01R. the RE-050APP's are really good. their quiet, very sticky, pretty good in the rain, and FAR outlast their 140 treadwear rating. they still go quickly, but they last about twice as long as any other 140 i've tried. i really like those tires; crisp feeling, too.

now the RE-01R is a whole nother ball of wax.....strangest tire i've ever driven on. once you get used to them, they're FAST.....

mtl_hk · 06-22-2007, 09:08 AM

Ever consider the Advan AD07 ?? the grip on dry & wet are excellent. Stiff side wall, the noise was acceptable. Durability was also sufficient for 10K miles. (without autocross)

Strongly recommended. Till date, they are the best street tires i've ever used.

Also agree not to save money on tires, since they are the only four friction pts that sticks your ride on the road.

Just my 0.02 cents