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

Mark_T · 07-12-2010, 11:48 AM

+1 on the Pilot A/S. I put the car away as late as possible and bring it back out as soon as the ice is off the roads, so the chances of getting caught in a shoulder season snowstorm precludes the use of summer-only tyres. Also, the tread seems to be holding up very well, especially considering the way I like to burn 'round corners,

Eventually it would be nice to get another set of rims with summer tyres to use June to September, and keep the rims with the all-seasons for late/early season use and winter storage. I'd probably go with Hankook or Yokies if I did that.

Mark

Scbrindley · 07-12-2010, 12:02 PM

I have Yokohama S. Drives on my car and love them. Great price and great performance. I had my car on the track this past weekend and the grip was great.

Ruby · 07-12-2010, 12:50 PM

Great price and very pleased with performance.

chaudanova · 07-12-2010, 01:00 PM

I've run Nittos, Continentals, Michelin PS2s, Pirelli PZero, etc... Currently running a set of Sumitomo HTRZIII and they get the job done... For my next set of tires, I'll most likely be sticking with the Sumitomos.

Quickurt · 07-12-2010, 01:20 PM

+1 on the Sumitoma HTR Zlll's. They are not quite PS2's, but at less than half the price, I can replace the rears twice and still be spending less than just 4 PS2s.
They are more quiet than the Michies, but not quite the traction, especially when you first nail the brakes, they seem a bit "squishy", but as soon as they settle down, they do fine.
I'm also going from low tread depth tires to full tread depth newbies, so a brand new set of PS2's may feel very similar. I destroyed my PS2's at a track event, so they weren't old and hard before being replaced.
Overall grip and balance seem about the same without a stopwatch.

RandallNeighbour · 07-12-2010, 01:26 PM

My buddy (who infrequently visits this forum and has an 07S he tracks frequently) swears his new Hankook Ventus V12's perform just as well as Michelin PS2's at less than half the price.

That's what I will be putting on my 18's when I find $600 for new rubber.

A friend in the tire business said we should all enjoy this pricing on the Hankook's for as long as we can because when everyone finds out they're just as good as Michelins, Hankook will jack up the price. He said he's seen it time and time again with tire manufacturers.

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.

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.

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.

The Radium King · 07-13-2010, 04:41 AM

j.fro - those kumho's are wider than spec - do they fit without any rubbing? if not, what year is your box and what is the offset on your wheels (also, any mods - lowered, rolled, etc.)? thanks, trk.

Johnny Danger · 07-13-2010, 04:51 AM

I run Goodyear Eagle F1's. They perform well, however, the ride is stiff enough to knock your dental work out. Also, on two separate occasions, I had problems getting the rears to road force balance properly because they were out of "spec". Consequently, both had to be changed, and Goodyear would only warranty one of them.