tire choices are SO TOUGH!

[SCCA_AX]

I don't think there's a street tire with a stiffer sidewall out there than the Bridgestone RE-71R. They're hard to mount a lot of times the sidewall is so stiff. If you want razor sharp response, I haven't found an equal.

They're so loud is sounds like you have a dying wheel bearing, they're scary in standing water at anything less than full tread, they ride like crap, and they wear super fast. But they're one of the stickier tires you can buy if you can deal with the tradeoffs. Only thing they're not great performers at is track work, they tend to overheat and get out of their happy zone in 30 minute sessions.

I have the PS4S on my daily driver and they're fantastic, very few drawbacks to that tire. It's quiet and rides well, but is very sticky when you need it to be. 99.5% of sporty car people would consider the tire perfect. For competition I pull the Michelin off and pop the Bridgestones on.

FWIW, the RE-71 is too responsive on my 911. I prefer the BFG Rival S on that car. Similar grip level, but a little more bandwidth and slip angle tolerance. Not sure if that translates to a Boxster or not.

[Topless]

There are no perfect tires and all are a tradeoff between dry grip, wet grip, temp tolerance, comfort, noise, price, and tread life. Figure out what your priorities are and choose the best fit for your personal needs and driving style.

I am kinda schizo so I need 3 different sets of tires for different applications. My car essentially never sees temps below40F so I don't need an A/S tire.

1. Bridgestone RE71R > AX competition tire that has very high dry grip, some rain capability, and comes into best grip quickly. They are pretty uncomfortable on the street, don't survive a lot of heat well, and wear out very quickly.

2. Nitto NT-01 > DE/TT track days. A similar grip level to the RE71R but hold up much better to the heat of continuous lapping, generally lasting twice as long. Very high dry grip but death traps in standing water. Uncomfortable on the street but ok going to and from events.

3. Hankook RS-4 > A pretty good compromise street/track tire with good dry grip, decent wet grip, stands up to the heat of continuous lapping well, and they last surprisingly long for a 200tw rating. Noise and comfort levels are better than the comp tires above but not as nice as PS4s or Bridgestone S0-4s.

These suit my needs pretty well but heavily favor competition and track days. Completely the wrong tires for a daily driver or casual canyon carver.