"N" tires

[hindswillrox]

I have read the information on "N" tires on the PCA website, the "N" designation represents Porsche approved tires. I live on the central coast, My car is not a daily driver. I plan on some track days this summer and I am looking for suggestions on tire choice. Tirerack ranks the Yokahama Advan Neova AD07 #1,I am also thinking about Michelin PS2. Any input would be greatly appreciated :drive:

[dphil66]

The numbers after the N designation (N0, N3, etc.) indicate which generation their tire is vs the Porsche test program. For example, if Pirelli gets an N designation on a new tire, it's N0. If they make some revisions to that tire and has Porsche validate the revised tire, then the revised tire gets an N1 designation. And so on...

But all this means is that Porsche has put these tires through their tests, and has approved them. Only insiders at Porsche might be able to tell you whether or not they tested any other tires that did NOT meet their test requirements, but my guess is that they test a couple of tires from their primary tire partners at the time, so they end up having at least one or two tires tested on a particular model that they'll designate as the OEM tires, and move on.

What I'm saying is that Porsche may have tested the Michelin Pilot Sport Rib and the Pirelli P-Zero Nero on the 1995 C2, and then purchased those tires from those manufacturers and put them on those cars when new. It doesn't mean that they ALSO tested Toyos, Yokohamas, Bridgestones, Goodyears, etc. and those tires did NOT pass the tests. It probably means they were just not tested. Most likely due to time and resources, they just need to confirm that a couple of sets will work on their car in their test, and leave it at that. It's just not practical to test every tire from every manufacturer on every model, when all they need to do is establish that there is at least one or two makes/models in the marketplace that work on their car.

There are most likely also exclusive agreements involved, like making a deal with Michelin or Pirelli to be the OEM supplier, and if you buy tires at your dealership, they can only sell Michelins or Pirellis, and recommend those tires only because of an exclusivity agreement. Kind of like when a place has an exclusive arrangement with one or two catering companies - if you want to use their facility, you have to use either caterer A or caterer B. That's not to say that caterer C would do just as good a job if not better, but they have arrangements with A or B, and that's what you're stuck with it you want to use their place.

So if they tires you like are available in the sizes you need and are the compound and tread type you want, then go for it.

If you're racing, then you may want to talk to some seasoned racers to find out what they use. You may find that the top winning guys prefer a particular type or model for some specific reasons. Or maybe they prefer tire A for dry tracks with no hairpins, tire B for oval tracks, and tire C for tracks with a lot of up-down grades or whatever.

[BigSquid]

For the best price/performance value, and since you're thinking of doing track days, I'd go with Falken Azenis (the 615's). They're very popular for track days and autocrossing with other vehicles, and I used them when I was autocrossing (not with my 996) a few years ago and they were sticky as hell. I decided to try them out on my 996 and although I haven't used them on a track, they feel sticky and I they're reliable for some weekend fun when warm. Not to mention they're easier on the wallet. You're in Carmel where the weather is fantastic and you can have some fun on PCH, so I think this tire would be perfect for you. I don't know anyone else besides me who has used them on a Porsche, though.

[wross996TT]

Go with the Yokos and don't look back!