Mixed Tyre Brands

[Mike(UK)]

My PZero Rossos N4 are trashed at the rear (8-10000 miles) the fronts still OK for a while. I want to switch the rears to Michelin Pilot Sport N1. Is this likely to cause massive handling issues?

I Intend moving all the way to Michelins when the fronts go.

[Westcoaster]

My PZero Rossos N4 are trashed at the rear (8-10000 miles) the fronts still OK for a while. I want to switch the rears to Michelin Pilot Sport N1. Is this likely to cause massive handling issues?

I Intend moving all the way to Michelins when the fronts go.

The Porsche tire guide does not recommend doing this, I would think that you should either stay with the same that you have or replace all 4 tires at the same time.

Depending on how much life is left on the fronts, you may be able to wear out another set of rears before the fronts are due, this way you stay way from a mix. But I also read in the same guide that 6 years was the maximum time the tires should be on a vehicle.

The 2006 guide is in the public download section.

[Izzy]

I have run different brands front and back with no problems, both on track and off. I may not be sensitive to the difference in handling or it really doesn't matter that much.

[Lee Quave]

Porsche recommends that all four be the same. The reasons being handling and more importantly braking. That be said, unless you track the car, it’s unlikely that you will get to the point where it will be a factor for “normal” everyday driving. Also if your rear tires are shot the front probably aren’t that far behind.

Personally I would change them all at the same time.

[tobias]

For me, one set of fronts lasts almost two sets of rears, it seems kind of wastful to ditch fronts with lots of thread left on them...

Are there any compeeling reasons to change them all at the same time?

/Tobias

[Izzy]

Tobias,

Most people I have talked to have the same wear on their street tires, 1 front for every 2 rears. I think that is normal. My track tires wear more even on 1:1 ratio. But I do the same as you, rears replaced twice as often as fronts. I also mix brands front or back to test them out. But living in the US, I would never be going European speeds.

[Richard Hamilton]

Some of us here in the UK get a bit 'twitchy' about the insurance implications. Insurance companies can be very pedantic about wheels and tyres, and if an assessor gets wind of the fact that Porsche recommend the same make and N rating on all four corners, they might use it as an excuse to reject a claim.

My daughter fitted some aftermarket alloys to her car, and (after an accident) the assessor took one look and said "we can reject this one" (his actual words to the bodyshop manager). What he didn't know was that she had informed the insurance company, and had it in writing that it was OK. They paid up.