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

aramati · 03-06-2005, 09:08 AM

I purchased an 01 Boxster S. I need advice regarding tires. This is what's on it now:

Front: Dunlop SP Sport 9090 N-0 225/40 ZR 18
Rear: Dunlop SP Sport Super Sport Racer 265/35 ZR 18

I noticed the mismatch when I experienced a front wheel vibration at about 70 mph. A Porsche Dealer in Tucson (on my way back to Vegas) balanced the fronts. It moved the vibration point to 80 mph. The tires still have about 4K miles to go.

Here are my questions:
-Is the mismatch causing the vibration? Do I need a better wheel balancing job? Do I need new tires?
- If I need new tires what would you recommend for a combination performance for street/Auto-X?

Your advice will be much appreciated.
Regards,

jwocky · 03-06-2005, 09:58 AM

Michelin Pilot Sport 2... doesn't get much better than that.

Richard Truss · 03-06-2005, 10:05 AM

I will need tires soon as well. I have heard that Kuhmos (sp?) have good wear life. I am looking for something that will last over the "super stick that will wear out in a week" type of tires. What does everyone recommend for good tire wear, and hopefully a good price?

its good to see another member from Las Vegas!

RandallNeighbour · 03-06-2005, 02:49 PM

Richard, I have Kumhos and I like them... not expensive and seem to wear well. Just don't buy the cheapest Kumhos they make as I'm told they are noisy tires after six thousand miles and require rotation to stay quiet, which we can't do easily...

I will say this though. I'm going to knock off my rubber and have it moved left to right and vise versa on both the front and back here soon... I bet I can get more miles out of them by doing this.

larez2 · 03-06-2005, 04:12 PM

Using different model tires front and rear won't cause vibration you feel through the steering wheel. Out of balance tire(s) would, but since you already got them balanced, I don't think rebalancing them again will help. Are you feeling serious shaking vibrations, or are they road feedback type vibrations.

There is something called road force variation balancing; balancing the tire under load. Most Discount Tire stores have the Hunter 9700 which can balance using road force variation. It cost $80 for 4 tires when I got it done. This may or may not help.

http://www.sullivantire.com/xcessorize/hunter.aspx

Maybe you need an alignment? How does the tread wear look? I recently got a wheel alignment, but it was because of my tire wear, not vibrations.

Good Luck,
Larez2

Adam · 03-06-2005, 04:22 PM

I agree with Jwocky. PS 2's have the best combination of track performance and everyday driveability. I plan on getting them when when my original pilot sports wear out. I think the tires are one place where you shouldn't compromise. They will cost a pretty penny though.

Brucelee · 03-06-2005, 04:32 PM

My money is on a bent rim. Assuming your guys balanced the wheel correctly, you can still have an issue if the rim is bent.

Re: Tires, if you are running around the streets, I would buy the Yokohama AVS100. Very nice tire for all around use, affordable and decent durability.

Pilot Sports are overkill for many drivers, I think, and they are very pricey indeed.

Pilot2519j · 03-06-2005, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam

I agree with Jwocky. PS 2's have the best combination of track performance and everyday driveability. I plan on getting them when when my original pilot sports wear out. I think the tires are one place where you shouldn't compromise. They will cost a pretty penny though.

Another happy customer here with the Michelins. I did have a problem once with my 2001 Audi S-4 with the Bridegestones OEM. S-03. Tires would suffer from tramming real bad. I was wondering what would make the tires go all over the place then I read about tramming. Very interesting reading. Not going to go into it since this is not an Audi S-4 forum.

Lux · 03-06-2005, 07:50 PM

I've got Yokohama AVS Sport on mine right now. Not real pleased with them. They don't seem to do to well in the wet and don't seem to do too well in the dry either.

Best tires I've ever had were the Michelin Pilot Sport MXX3 on my M3. The Pilot Sport 2 looks to have a similar tread design. I'll definitely be trying those out as soon as I wear out the Yokos.

.

jwocky · 03-06-2005, 07:58 PM

The reason I suggested the Michelin PS2's was cause I run them and they truly at excellent. A slightly less pricey, but still great tire are the Goodyear F1 tires.

The top 3 tires (dry and wet performance) are probably:

- Michelin PS2
- Bridgestone S-03
- Goodyear F1

Bridgestone S-02's are also excellent in the dry.

By the way, also consider the weight of the tires. Many people only worry about the weight of their wheels, but tire weights can differ by several pounds between equal sized tires. For example, a 225 Michelin PS2 is 4-5 pounds lighter than the same sized Bridgestone S-03's (if I remember my #'s correctly). Theoretically speaking, adding/reducing the weight of the tire will have more effect than adding/reducing the same weight to/from a wheel because you're adding the weight to the outside of the spinning wheel/tire circumference.

aramati · 03-10-2005, 10:45 PM

I wanted to thank all of you for your input. I finally settled for the Michelin PS2's.
They will get mounted tomorrow and tested on 3/25 San Diego AutoX.

Brucelee · 03-11-2005, 04:41 AM

I am in Carlsbad. Can you provide more info on the 3/25 event?

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by aramati

I wanted to thank all of you for your input. I finally settled for the Michelin PS2's.
They will get mounted tomorrow and tested on 3/25 San Diego AutoX.

Perfectlap · 03-11-2005, 06:13 AM

If you plan on doing more than 10 autocross a year you may want to consider getting a set of Kumho Victor Racers. AutoX is very harsh on your tires, it will subastantially lower the life span of your tires if they are doing double street/autox duty.
on my old car I ran a set of Azenis for Summer and then went back to the inexpensive Kuhmo Supra's. The Supra's are adequate for street but absoulutely horrible for Autocross. Sidewalls way to soft, but a nice ride.
I have to change my worn out Conti rears now, I'm leaning towards the Pilot Sports.

jfmillr · 03-11-2005, 10:14 AM

I run the Michelin PS2's and they are great. I have 225' in the front and 275's in the back. Very nice gripping tires. They seem to respond very well in dry or wet conditions. The michelins will cost you a little more but beleive me they are worth it! The added cost should give you some additional lifespan on tires as long as you dont abuse the rubber.

I did have Continental tires on the car when the car was first aquired and it was like night and day, the difference, between a good and not so good tire on our cars.

When it comes to the rubber on your rims dont compromise unless you are going to abuse your rubber. Then you might want a less expensive tire since you will be changing them fairly often.

Perfectlap · 03-11-2005, 04:03 PM

Anyone have the Toyo RA-1?
They had a great review in Grassroot Motorsports. Not far from R compound peformance and very good durability/driveability on street.
(Strictly for Summer use)

aramati · 03-11-2005, 05:30 PM

The AutoX in San Diego is on Saturday 3/26. Please forgive me; it was senior moment!

Brucelee · 03-11-2005, 05:55 PM

Thanks! very much!

Quote:

Originally Posted by aramati

The AutoX in San Diego is on Saturday 3/26. Please forgive me; it was senior moment!

Adam · 03-12-2005, 09:44 AM

Is it possible to throw on 235/275 rubber on my 18" rims? If so, why don't more people do this?

NoElise · 03-12-2005, 09:46 AM

I have a 2001 S with standard 17s, 205-50-17f, 255-40-17r. I will be putting new tires on very soon and everyone has high regards for the PS2s. I have checked Michelin's site, but they don't show that tire in my size. Does anyone know if they do make them in my size? Thanks!

Perfectlap · 03-12-2005, 02:49 PM

check tiresavings.com you can check availble models by tire size.