Best Tires?? Recommendations!!

[23109VC]

I am buying my dad's boxster and will be picking it up next week.

His car has PZeros. I don't know the exact one. i will have to check on exact sizes...i know he has 265-35-18 on the rear. fronts are a bit narrower... 235 or 245?? anyway... his tires are "okay" but I now I'll be buying some new ones soon.

On my last car I ran PS2s and loved them but it was a large heavy sport sedan....

I will drive the car 5k / year or less. I want something that sticks like frickin glue. I dont' care if it wears out fast. I will NOT track the car. I live in so cal where I get hardly any rain, no snow. I want sticky super summer tires.

Any recommendations? I have to admit that right now, the way it is setup, I have to say it's one of the best handling cars I've ever driven....but I suspect that these tires are nice, but not the best. I'm not a tire expert...

what is "the tire" to get for a weekend driven boxster where I want to terrorize the turns and grip hard enough to pull mega lateral Gs...

I love the PS2's on my Boxster.

[pbanders]

My picks:

Best cheap tire: Nexen N3000
Best balanced (wet/dry perf, wear, noise, price, etc.) tire: Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3
Best no compromise dry performance: ?? (Pilots have been the standard)

[RandallNeighbour]

There are many, many threads on this on the forum and you should search them.

My box wears Michelin PS2's, and these are considered to be very good tires for our cars. However, there's a LOT of opinions about rubber and oil viscosity on this forum.

You, my new friend, have opened up a pandoras box!

My advice? Check your budget and realize rear tires last 7500-12000 miles or so. If you only have about $500 or so to spend, the Sumitomo HRTZ III's are a good tire for the money. If you have $1300 to spend, you can buy PS2's or other top of the pile tread.

Pirellis wear very fast, but are soft and sticky for cornering, by the way.

I've had Kumhos and others swear by them but I found them to be out of round and noisy after just a few thousand miles.

Let the games begin... others will probably disagree with some or all of what I've shared with you.

[23109VC]

I *think* the current tires are PZero Nero Assimetricos.

That was what was on the car when my dad bought it, and that is all he has ever put on it. part of his issue was - fronts or rears never needed replacing at the same time, and he didn't want to buy all 4 when he only needed two, nor did he want mismatched f/r.

so he stuck with what it had. they are NOT bad tires. if that was all i put on it, i'd be smiling ear to ear around every turn. i just wondered if it could get even better.

part of why i think his car handles so well is the combo of 18's + M030. i test drove some "base" boxsters w/out this suspension upgrade and they have substantially LESS performance in the turns.

the car will proably handle great w/any GOOD tire. I just want it to be as good as I can amke it.

[Adam]

I have the PS2 michelins on the car and I've been happy with them. I would like even more dry grip though for auto-x. They are just about worn out and I think the next set will be Yokahama Advan Neova's. I've heard good things about them.

[kabel]

Ah, another tire thread...
I shall quote myself quoting Randall

Originally Posted by kabel

I simply love the Pilot Sport PS2s, they are an amazing street tire. and to quote Randall from this thread: Which tyre is best?

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

I have PS2's on my car now and unless I am flat broke, I'm going to keep putting them on my boxster. Excellent traction in all sorts of weather...

[Ofishbein]

I swear by PS2s, but if you really don't care how long they last, get Michelin PS Cup tires. They will only last a season but you should be happy with the grip. Just stay away from wet spots.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Ofishbein

I swear by PS2s, but if you really don't care how long they last, get Michelin PS Cup tires. They will only last a season but you should be happy with the grip. Just stay away from wet spots.

Yeah the Pilot Cups are a good tire, but there are others out there that perform as good or better for significantly less. R compounds are tempting, but I would like something that lasts longer. The Advan Neova's are a bit stickier than the PS2's and I should be about to get two seasons or more out of them so they seem like the best compromise.

[Frodo]

I, too, am getting close to the point where I need new rubber.

A quote from Tire Rack regarding the Goodyear Eagles:

"Like all summer tires, it is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice."

They say basically the same thing about the PS2s.

While I don't drive my Box in the snow (or even if there's visible road salt still on the road, after the snow's gone), I do still drive to some extent year-round.

What are the consequence of driving such tires when it's cold? Is it dangerous? If so, is that still true even if you're not "pushing" your car anywhere towards its limits, traction-wise? Is it detrimental to the tires? Just curious.

Originally Posted by Frodo

Is it detrimental to the tires? Just curious.

Frodo, it is mainly detrimental to your sheet metal!

[edevlin]

PS2's rule,

Ed

[23109VC]

For PURE dry traction - what is the BEST gripping tire that is street legal?

I am not going to drive my boxster in the rain. It is a third car, in so cal - for weekends and ripping around twisty roads.

screw wet traction. Dry GRIP, money no object - what is best?

If there is some kind of tire that is really a street legal track tire - how much do they cost and how long do these things last on the the street? I do NOT want a tire that will wear out in 3 months or something insane.

PS2s are a good blend of dry traction, comfort, etc. but are there tires out there that are BETTER in the dry at the expense of wet traction - b/c I don't give a rat's a$$ about wet. this car wil never see rain.

[mts]

Originally Posted by 23109VC

For PURE dry traction - what is the BEST gripping tire that is street legal?

I am not going to drive my boxster in the rain. It is a third car, in so cal - for weekends and ripping around twisty roads.

screw wet traction. Dry GRIP, money no object - what is best?

If there is some kind of tire that is really a street legal track tire - how much do they cost and how long do these things last on the the street? I do NOT want a tire that will wear out in 3 months or something insane.

PS2s are a good blend of dry traction, comfort, etc. but are there tires out there that are BETTER in the dry at the expense of wet traction - b/c I don't give a rat's a$$ about wet. this car wil never see rain.

In the tests I've seen the Yokohama Advan Neova and Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R, test out ever so slightly better than the PS2's in the dry only. If you want more traction than that you'll have to go street legal competition tires like the Pilot Sport Cup or Yoko Advan A048. They'll last longer than 3 months on the street, but not certain how much longer.

[mtch]

Originally Posted by Frodo

What are the consequence of driving such tires when it's cold? Is it dangerous? If so, is that still true even if you're not "pushing" your car anywhere towards its limits, traction-wise? Is it detrimental to the tires? Just curious.

I was wondering about this very issue just last week. I'm thinking of replacing the all seasons with summer rubber and wonder if cold temps damage the tire or simply degrade performance.

Like you, I drive when it's cold, but not if there's any precip or salt on the roads

[RandallNeighbour]

I'm no tire expert, but I did find that my ultra high performance summer tires flatspot badly in cold weather (40 degrees and colder) and feel like wagon wheels for the first few miles after taking the car out of the garage. The Kumhos were the worst in this regard. Sumitomos were better, and Michelin PS2's much much better.

Wheel spin, especially on wet roads when its cold, is prevalent with many ultra high performance summer tires.

I don't think the temperature drop hurts the tires in any way... they just don't perform well. But I could be all wrong on that.

[Cloudsurfer]

If you're talking about running R Compounds on the street, I'd be more concerned with accumulating too many heat cycles in them before before they wear. Those tires are designed to last a few track days, not several thousand miles with hundreds of heating cycles.

And yes, most compounds used in any dry performance tire do not work well when cold, hence the significant grip tradeoff when the temps come down.

Patrick

[renzop]

Real R compounds (Hoosier R6 or Kumho v710) are not gonna make it on the street for four reasons:

1) With only circumferential grooves thay look like slicks to most cops who will write you up regardless of the fact that they are DOT tires.

2) They tend to be poor at resisting sidewall damage. Just a stone thrown up can slice those suckers wide open

3) They will heat cycle top stones pretty quickly.

4) No resistance to standing water aquaplaning. Regardless of your beautiful SoCal weather, a little rain falls into every life.

A more practical R-like street tire is the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup or the Pirelli P-Zero Corsa. These tires sacrifice almost everything for pure grip (price, longevity, comfort and noise).

Another possibility is the Toyo RA1 - a great track tire with enough groove and heat

However, I would caution you against this quest for ultimate grip. You may think you want a race car with race tires but the sacrifices will quickly make the driving experience old.

Good luck,
Alan

[vincesf]

By and large Porsche is more frequently equipping new Boxsters with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires, cheaper to replace than the PS2's and longer tire life, as they have a stiffer sidewall which is really advantageous for the Boxster. I had the Michelins on my '06 and found that they were a good tire, but replaced them with Bridgestones. Fortunately my '08 with 19" wheels came with the Bridgestones, and enjoy the crisper turn in. You may wish to check the Bridgestone Pole Position tires, as they are rated even higher, but make sure they are suitable for your needs. Some reviews can be read at:
http://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyComments.jsp?additionalComments=Y&commentStatus=P&tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE050A+Pole+Position
vincesf

[Lil bastard]

Flat spotting on modern tires is much myth. Unless your tires are steel belted, it's not much of a concern. With modern high-tech cords such as Kevlar and the increasing use of silica compounds and such, any flat spotting will disappear as soon as the tires are rolling and heat up.