What tires ar you using - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

SoCalKen · 07-12-2010, 06:38 AM

I know this has been discussed before but tread patterns change and such.
I presently have P zero Rosso tires on the box. I need new rears and am debating weather to buy 4 less expensive tires or just the 2 rears. I was not that impressed with the rosso but I don't want to mismatch rubber.
So what are you running and what do you like about them and dislike?
I don't autocross but do enjoy the curves in the roads. I'm not sure we have any straight roads around here anyway except for the out of town trips to vegas and such.
thanks,
Ken

landrovered · 07-12-2010, 06:57 AM

I just put Yokohama S. Drives on my 2001 S and I am very pleased with them. The price was close to half of that of the Michelins that I was running.

Overdrive · 07-12-2010, 08:38 AM

Just bought my car not long ago, and it came with Continental Conti SportContacts on it that are a little older than I'd like and a little more worn out than I'd like, but the car sat for quite a while before I got it. That being said, I can't really complain, cause they seem to still do their job pretty well, even had a brief stint in the rain one night, and my 986 is not one equipped with traction control. The car still takes some coaxing before the tires complain even a little bit.

As for what I'd like to put on there next, that'd be a set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS, as I live in New England and can sacrifice neck-breaking grip for making sure the car behaves in inclement weather. While I don't expect it to ever really drive in the snow, if I find that it has to be moved around in the driveway in winter, that's what I'd need 'em for.

jcb986 · 07-12-2010, 08:53 AM

I put the Falken 912's on mine and I am very pleased with the ride and handling. These are very good every day radials. Smooth ride, excellent dry/wet road handling. Not for track racing or snow country. The photo attached to my email are them...they are 18's and the cost installed with lifetime free balance from Discount Tires was about $650 for all four.

Mike_Yi · 07-12-2010, 09:56 AM

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrics. I really like them. They are the best wet tires I've ever driven. The traction is amazing in all levels of wet and drying conditions on the track and the street. In the dry, they're damn good too. They could be the best dry tire I've driven (haven't ever driven slicks). They're pretty quiet. I highly recommend them.

chris97boxster · 07-12-2010, 10:40 AM

Michelin pilots ps2 would the choice for hot / warm sections of the continent....but since I live where I do...the most obvious choice was the pilot a/s + for here. Yah I priced value vs wear vs grip vs road noise ....these tire r very quiet & have not let me down as I torture them with my agressive driving tactics. As I do drive a sport bike .... michelin also make excellent tires for the gsxr1000....also called pilots Shop around for prices. I glady pay a little extra for excellent traction...because its cheaper than paying for bodywork or a new rim. Especially more so on the the bike ...because its only got 2 tires. My 2 cents. Cheers

fatmike · 07-12-2010, 01:26 PM

I have Perelli pZero's on my car and I have the same decision point as you.

I will NOT be putting pZero's on my car again. They are very expensive, and very loud and they wear out very fast. I have remaining tread, but they are loud and I feel the car is riding rough.

I have winter tires, so I am really looking for a sticky summer tire that will last and not be overly loud on the highway. Does it exist?

Let us know what you decide and give us a comparison if you make the switch.

ChrisZang · 07-12-2010, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatmike

I will NOT be putting pZero's on my car again. They are very expensive ... and they wear out very fast.

+1 om that. I have never seen a tire wear that fast, it's insane
I believe even my Michelin Sport Cup (track tires) wear slower

ekam · 07-12-2010, 07:48 PM

Dunlop Z1 Star Spec. Warms up quick, very hard to break loose.

j.fro · 07-13-2010, 02:08 AM

I've got the Falken 912's in stock sizing on my "street" rims and Kumho ecsta XS in 275 35 18 rear, 235 40 18 front. I've been very impressed with both for their designated purposes. Despite having lots of camber, the Falkens last reasonably long, have low noise, and drive well in wet or dry conditions. The Kumhos stick unbelievably well and are quite predictable at the limit. The rears are wearing a bit faster than I expected.

Bradster · 07-13-2010, 03:12 AM

I just installed Kumho ASX's ultra high performance all season on my 97 base. Great so far. Quiet.

Bladecutter · 07-12-2010, 02:55 PM

When I bought my '98 back in Feb '09, it had a brand new pair of Falken Ziex 912's installed on it in the stock 17" sizes. They were really good for normal and aggressive around town driving. Great in the rain, and they actually got me up most of Squaw Pass here in Colorado during a snow storm, when I chickened out, and turned around.

Then I got greedy, and started taking the car to HPR.
I just about instantly shredded the outer edges of both front tires, due to the tires being pushed harder than they were capable of.

After 10k miles, I replaced them with Falken Azenis RT-615 tires.
I also switched up the front size to 225/45-17.

This increased the front grip at the track, decreased the understeer, and now the outer edges aren't being destroyed by track abuse. After 10k miles, the center of the rear tires is worn out, and they need to be replaced, but the fronts still have a lot of meat left on them, and will stay put.

The one thing I have noticed is that the rear end of the car is easier to swing around under track abuse, when you are going into a corner hot, and lifting off the throttle abruptly. Don't really know if its the rubber compound, or the tread pattern, but if you commit to full throttle, it comes back under control right quick.

BC.

Banana S · 07-15-2010, 06:41 PM

My car came with new 17" Falken FK452's when I bought it 10,000 miles ago. I wouldn't have given these tires much thought if the car had needed tires when I bought it, but I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised. Nothing unpleasant about the ride, plenty of "stick," and they've worn well.

Specifically, I was really surprised about how well they held up after a 2-day on-track HPDE event... I noticed very little "tread roll" to the outside of the tire. (FAR less than I noticed on the Eagle F1 GS-D3's on my VW GTI after a track day at the same track a couple years ago.) I can honestly say that I've never been in a situation, on track or off, where I was wanting for more traction. At $522 for a set of four from Discount Tire, I'm going to have a hard time coming up with a reason not to buy another set once I wear these out.

SoCalKen · 07-15-2010, 08:21 PM

Ok, today I told Discount Tire to order me a pair of Falkens for the rear.
$414 out the door for the 2. I'll get the front tires next month.
The 40K mileage / road hazard warranty sold me.
Ken

SoCalKen · 07-26-2010, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCalKen

Ok, today I told Discount Tire to order me a pair of Falkens for the rear.
$414 out the door for the 2. I'll get the front tires next month.
The 40K mileage / road hazard warranty sold me.
Ken

For whatever reason discount never called that they have the tires so I went Saturday to inquire. Since they had a special for July 23-24 buy 4 tires and get $100 rebate I ordered the fronts also @$128 each to get the $100 back. had to pay on Sat and will wait till the fronts are in stock to get all installed.

Ken

jcb986 · 07-26-2010, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCalKen

For whatever reason discount never called that they have the tires so I went Saturday to inquire. Since they had a special for July 23-24 buy 4 tires and get $100 rebate I ordered the fronts also @$128 each to get the $100 back. had to pay on Sat and will wait till the fronts are in stock to get all installed.

Ken

I have the Falken 912's on mine and I like them very much. The warranty is nice touch and they stand behind them. Nice smooth ride with great handling, wet or dry.

favino1006 · 07-27-2010, 05:20 AM

Let me preface this by saying, I have no interest in drawing fire here. I don't post much, but I read a LOT. I've learned so much valuable information in this forum that has helped me immensely with my box. Any issues that ever come up, I come here and Rennlist first before I do anything. Consequently, I generally trust most guys that take the time to post have a legitimate opinion that has come about via an experience and is therefore worth while to share.

That said, if you run staggered fitment, the Falken warranty is void. Period. After a week and a half of runarounds, from a Falken rep's lips to my ears, there is no warranty if you a running staggered fitment. The warranty only applies to tires that can be regularly rotated. I am speaking from experience here. I did finally get some reimbursement in my situation but from tire kingdom, who in turn pursued Falken after the fact. If Falken's policy has since changed, I am unaware of it. Consequently, I'll never buy 912's again. Ever.

However, I must admit, I'm super curious about the FK452's Banana S has been running. Man, if he's gotten even 10k out of them with track use in there as well, they seem like they may be well worth the money.

I sincerely hope this is informative and helpful.
-ian