tire choices are SO TOUGH!
 

so many good options.

I'm used to EXTREME SUMMER TIRES (street legal track day tires) on previous car and LOVED those, fast wear and bumpy ride and all. Got this Boxster due for new shoes, and pondering the MAX PERFORMANCE instead of EXTREME. Extremes are Falken AZENIS 615s that basically smear my face in the road with how much feel you get back. It's like Hands > Road. The MAX would probably be the Mich pilot Sport 4S for a great tire and perhaps a more gentlemanly ride.

I dunno.... always believed stiff sidewalls was my key to spirited driving pleasure... maybe you guys could chime in with your summer tire choices, experiences, and opinions? Price and tire wear is no object. What do you SPIRITED DRIVERS like to run? IE I like to TRY to take right hand turns at legal speed limits like 35 whenever I can. :)

Also pondered Pirelli P-Zero, but research showed them to be mediocre compared to others now days.

Don't need no all season or touring here

Have you looked at Nitto Invo tires? I run them on my SRT8 Challenger and am very happy with them.

no, but I'll check them out, thanks! I've seen the name around

Try the General G-Max, made by Conti in Germany, of all places! Very satisfied with them. Just returned from a trip to Texas of about 1400 miles each way. Gooo ride comfort, and no noticeable wear. Great grip dry, but haven't run in rain yet.
VERY reasonably-priced. Recommended to m me by Tire Rack folks.

What kind of oil are you running?

Always enjoyed Michelin Pilot Sport. Currently the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S have my vote.

Oil?? Mobile 1. How does that relate to tires?

Mich PS 4S are my current front runner choice

I have the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S on my wife's Lexus GS & like them.

I will need new tires to replace my Box's Pilot Sports soon. I can't remember if I ever bought tires that weren't Michelin.

Mobil 1?!?

Then it doesn't matter which tires you're running.

hahahah wow. what?? did I miss a memo? :D Thought that was recommended.

I haven't gotten to my first oil change yet. What is best in base boxster?

It's an inside joke. Nothing elicits more of a 'hot button' reaction than someone asking what oil they should use. #2 hot button topic is tires. Everyone has their favorite and can be passionate about their choice, leading to some epic 'discussion' threads. And one person's experience with a tire might be very different than another's (have you read the comments in TireRack?).

There are lots of items that factor into picking the right tires and everyone's needs are different. Tire performance is just part of the equation. Ride, quietness, long life, etc are also part of deal and can vary greatly. Some want performance on the street or track, some want high mileage or a nice ride, some want all season, etc. You mentioned you want street performance. If price is no object, there are a multitude of options but you generally won't go wrong with Michelin. They tend to be the top dog that all the competitors chase. Continental, Yokohama, and Bridgestone are quality competitors to Michelin. Bargain options may fulfill some of your requirements but may fall short in others. Maybe you're willing to give up something for a lower price (like ride or quietness), maybe you're not.

I just bought a set of Yokohama Advan V105s after having Conti Extreme Sports for several yrs. The Yokos have been excellent street tires. But one of my requirements is for my tires to also be good on the track. The Yokos were predictable but a little more 'goosey' than the Contis and howled more. However, I had issues with cupping on most of the Contis I had.

Nothing wrong with asking, but you'll need to parse thru all the 'answers' you get and figure out what's best for you.

:cheers: ;)

Ha! Thought an oil connection was a stretch, but I'm new at this. :D

"If you don't run AMSoil or Purple, you are too inexperienced to get anything out of good tires" :D :D

I understand the personal passions though.

Don't even talk tires until you talk IMSB.
Remember Baby Steps

I'll burn through tires a LOT faster than engines :D :D

I have had good luck....
 

....with Bridgestone S-04.

I currently have the new Pilot Sport 4s and it is spectacular.

Cool 4S is my top choice ATM.

WANTED Pirelli, but I know they wear fast, and seems like a hassle now days. :)

These help a little:





http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1570751419.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1570751436.jpg

aaarg! Now spirited reviewers say the S4 sidewalls are weak! Oh well. Back to the Falkens

The thing about tires is that they are wear items. If you buy a set and don't like them, drive harder and wear them out faster so you can get a different set! ;)

Agreed, but I've been narrowing it down to a very select few I enjoy driving, hoping I could find something newer as good or better.

It's down to do I want "race track on street" grip, or more comfort? I fear if I choose comfort, I'll regret NOT getting racetrack feel. Pretty sure I wouldn't regret not getting comfort. Maybe I just answered my question. It's a PERFORMANCE vehicle to me, not a daily driver. See? We just needed to talk about it. :D

Glad I could help! LOL :D:D

My experience....
 

.....with the Pilot Sport 4s has been awesome. I've driven the car from Savannah to the Grand Canyon on these tires and they are the best tires I have ever owned in my 52 years on this planet.

Just buy them.

:cheers:

I had Pirelli P-zero Neros on my 17 Mustang GT from the factory and got 30,000 miles out of them. Now I have Hankook Ventus V12s on the Mustang. I really liked the Pirellis, they rode ok, and held the Mustang to the ground. I went with the Hankooks because I got a really good deal on them.

The Box has Michelins on on it, They aren't Pilots, but seem to do OK. They were on the car when I got it.

On my 91 R32 GT-R I ran Michelin Pilot Super Sports for autocross, and such. I like them, and they held up to the horsepower and all wheel drive of the R32.

My autocross Miatas I ran Kuhmos, good autocross tire, I would get maybe 2,000 miles out of them tops :p

anyone here like really, REALLY stiff side walls? If you haven't run them, you don't know the feeling of that. Harder drivers say the Michelins roll a little on side walls... I really don't wan't that. I want GO KART feel of turn speed, zero slop. Comfort be damned! :D

For example, I just added 10 PSI to my tires for winter in the garage, and driving on them was amazingly better than suggested PSI, the tires were totally stiffer and much better instant feel of turning. That's what I am after.

I fear the Michelins wont compare well to my Falken Azenis RT615

I had a set of General GMax on one of my older Audi A4s...they were good when new, but after 1 season became hard as pucks and noisy. (yes my suspension was good...) Very cheap tires.

I'm running Hancook Ventus on my 2013 ..they are OK, price is really good, but sidewalls are softer than I like. Will run them out and replace.

I ran some Falkens on my 944S, which were decent...good price. The Potenzas that came off her were a really good tire...very sticky.

I think for what you want, likely the Pilot Sports will make you happiest. They are what I'll replace mine with when ready I think.

Oh the choices! :cheers:

Just bought my car last week and have not had a chance to really shake her out but it came with Pirelli P-Zero's and I take it they probably started their life with 10 32nd's and they now have 7 32nd's so it will be interesting to see how they wear and I like then after what you are saying about them.

And the sizes are Fronts/225's & Rears are 265's on stock 18" rims.

Yup, it seems the stickier and more expensive the shorter life span.

I tell you those Potenzas came off showing the belts in the rear tires and they still hung onto the road...I was impressed.

Maybe I'll look at them again...jeez. lol

Happy Thanksgiving from Canada!:cheers:

I have BFG Ultra High Performance tires for everyday driving (g-Force Sport Comp-2). I also have a set of Hankook Ventus RS4 track tires. I have to say that there is very little difference in street driving between the two tires as far as noise, ride, and handling go. Of course on track, the RS4's are much better, but I usually don't lean on the car that hard on the street; I get that out of my system on the track!

The BFGs are really great in the rain, but I have the feeling that the RS4's wouldn't be so good considering the small void area. Also, where I live (Seattle), the RS4's would be dangerous in the fall and winter because of the lower temps.

If you are running the Hankook Ventus V12 right now, they will end up like the General GMax - great when new, but will end up being hard as pucks and noisy as you've described it.

I've run Dunlop, Continenal, and Michelin on my Porsche and BMWs, and always end up preferring the Michelin tires.

When I bought my car and had the tires replaced America's Tire installed a set (4) of Yokahama somethingorother. I've about 7,000 miles on them and, when I took them in for a balance last week... guy told me they look brand new.

I may go with Falkens next time around. I've had them on my Edge and the bims and have never gotten less than 50K on each set. 70K on the last set (Edge). Love me those Falkens.

If you want stiff sidewalls.....
 

.....get the Bridgestone S-02. They are super stiff. They are also on sale at Tire Rack.

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.

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.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, Guys! Thanks for taking the time to post all this great detail. MUCH appreciated! Gives me a bunch of options to consider before spring.

These Falken's are so stiff sides the last place broke two of their mounting tools on them. I warned them first, but I dont think they were expecting it. :D

It’s virtually impossible to get everything from a brand of tires and every car owner’s needs are different. For summer tires, I look for performance and comfort, that’s I don’t want rubber that howls on the road. I’ve used and enjoyed Michelin brands such as Primacy MaxTouch and Defender LTX for several years and I can vouch for the tires for quietness. The maxtouch construction in the Primacy evenly distributes the pressure ensuring the cornering, acceleration and braking is smooth.

I think you are in the wrong section with your touring tires and SUV tires.
These are not tires for a Porsche Boxster at all.

As with Topless above, for street performance, you cant go wrong with Hankook RS4.
They are at the top of the list for me, unless you get heavy rainfalls and also care about longevity. If so, Michelins 4s is probably my second choice.

Track/DE and AX is another ball game.

Duplicate delete.

I'm a little schizo too.

RS4's wear like iron for a HP tire. They are a little slower than RE71's or NT01's, but unless you are at the top of your class, probably not a big deal.

For the track, I prefer NT01 and street, although I don't think they are available anymore Pilot SuperSports.

I havn't done AX in a while, and IMHO RE-71 is the way to go.

BTW, if you want a low cost pretty high performance street/back road tire, look at the Sumotomo HTR ZIII or the Hankook Ventus V12

I have been very happy with my Sumitomo HTR ZIII street tires.