Replacing Tires 986S, please help!

[porschefan01]

I have a 2001 986S and I am in need of new tires as the present ones are originals and tire noise is crazy loud...

I'm looking for suggestions of tires that have the least tire noise, but still have decent performance as I do not race the car but still like to carve some corners from time to time. Any help is appreciated!!

Thanks,

Josh, IL

:renntech:

[ekam]

Any rubber, when they're new, are much quieter than when they're worn out.

Just get the best rubber you can afford.

And how could you still have the original tires when your car is a 2001?

[atomichead]

Ekam's right. If you're not racing, go with the best brand name you can afford.

[larez2]

I've usually just gotten the Porsche certified N-code tires, but you certainly do not have to. I've always felt better about using them.

I did once use some non-Porsche certified tires; Pirelli P-Zero Nero A/S tires on my Boxster. They worked great quiet and decent grip, really good wear life. Just pick a tire that has gotten good reviews and fits your driving style (if you need All Season tires or just summer tires, etc). Summer only tires are generally always going to perfrom better than All Season tires on dry pavement. I'd just stay away from a really cheap off brand tire. Also, in case you didn't know the wear rating of the tire 200, 300, etc, the higher it is the longer the tire is supposed to last.

Tires go bad and should be replaced every couple of years, so if you are still on your original you are past due and i think you will notice a huge difference when you get new ones.

HTH,

Larez2

PS - those are some NICE pictures if you click on ekam's signature!!

[mikefocke]

Bottom of link

will give you some insights.

Everyone loves their new tires...but that is often comparing worn to new and self justifying your choice. It is really hard to find good comparisons of tires in their worn vs worn or new vs new states.

You don't say where you live but be aware that there are summer tires and all/seasons and the summer tires are dangerous below 40 degrees road temps.

I use Michelin Ribs on my '01S after Pirelli and Yokohama. I live in NC and it is my daily driver in warm weather. It stays parked in the cold temps. The Ribs are Summer Ultra High Performance (S-UHP), expensive, very quiet, excellent.

If I had to save money in a tire, I'd look at the Kumhos knowing I'd be getting less than the best but at a significant savings (based on repeated recommendations from some Boxster owners I trust).

Link

[gerrygug]

Lots of good info and reviews at tirerack.com

[jmatta]

+1 on the Kumhos; great bang for the buck. Even if your tires are not worn, after seven or eight years, they've turned to hockey pucks.

[grover]

Sumitomo HTR Z III seem to be pretty popular right now- comparable to Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 in performance, and much much cheaper.

I race autocross and wanted the fastest tires I could buy. So, I just put Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Specs on my 04 Boxster S... and the grip is absolutely incredible! They're noticeably louder than my old tires, though. Which, honestly, is just music to my ears, especially when they're singing in the hard corners ;)

Edited March 25, 2009 by grover

[Topless]

A relevant tire thread.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=20098

[makler]

I just posted this to anouther forum. I would only add a suggestion to buy the most expensive tire you can afford. I bought really cheap ones for my Mercedes E-500 and was really sorry I did. Very loud, crappy construction, poor wear and dont ride as well.

The stock tire for my 02 Boxster is a Michelin Pilot sport N. I think they only make a N2 now. My rear tires are 245/40/17 and the N2's run about $280 a piece. The Pilot Sport PS2 are a bit less expensive ($250 +/-). I dont know what the tread life is supposed to be on the N2's but the PS2's are summer tires - 10K. For me, I dont drive terribly agressive, so I bought the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S plus. These are all season tires and are new from Michelin. They were about $220 a piece. What I liked about them is the tread life is 45K. I have not noticed much noise difference, but with the top down most of the time here in Florida, I probably wouldnt. The traction for my kind of driving is fine. The guy at Tire Kingdom reccomended getting sumitomo's, but since I was only getting the rear, I wanted them to match the front Michelins. Just my 2 cents.

[mikefocke]

How do A/S tires on the back and PS Ribs on the front match?

Not in tread design. And not in rubber compound. The name on the sidewall doesn't matter that much if the tread design/construction/compound differs.

You would have been better off swapping all 4 for Kumhos or Sumitomos IMNSHO.

You ought to have gotten more than 10k on your rears (I'm at 14k and have 1/3 tread left on the same tires) , get a good alignment from someone who knows how to set up a Porsche for even tire wear.

The stock tire for my 02 Boxster is a Michelin Pilot sport N. I think they only make a N2 now. My rear tires are 245/40/17 and the N2's run about $280 a piece. The Pilot Sport PS2 are a bit less expensive ($250 +/-). I dont know what the tread life is supposed to be on the N2's but the PS2's are summer tires - 10K. For me, I dont drive terribly agressive, so I bought the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S plus. These are all season tires and are new from Michelin. They were about $220 a piece. What I liked about them is the tread life is 45K. I have not noticed much noise difference, but with the top down most of the time here in Florida, I probably wouldnt. The traction for my kind of driving is fine. The guy at Tire Kingdom reccomended getting sumitomo's, but since I was only getting the rear, I wanted them to match the front Michelins. Just my 2 cents.

[soopster]

How would you compare the Michelin Pilot Sports to the Pilot Sport Ribs? I'm looking for a good all around tire, good performance but mainly fun street driving.

[mikefocke]

Michelin offers 3 tires for our cars (excluding winter/snow tires)

Pilot Sport A/S all seasons

Pilot Sport Ribs UHP Summer

Pilot Sport PS2 UHP Summer

And the PS2 has apparently just undergone a compound change (judging from the "new" tag on it over on www.tirerack.com) which resulted in retesting and a renewed N rating.

IIRC, there is a mid year deadline for all tires to meet rolling resistance targets. But that means few have the new compound tire and can compare. And it means you have to watch out for older tires at your local retailer.

I currently use Ribs and love them. I wouldn't hesitate to use PS2s.

[soopster]

Thanks Mike.

In Canada I am getting mixed signals about the Pilot Sport (not PS2). The Michelin.ca web site still lists them as an option for Boxsters. I ordered these from the dealer last week and they say that they have arrived from Michelin. I'm not comitted to buying them but have a booking for 2 weeks from now to have them installed. They insist these are Pilot Sport not PS2. Just trying to understand opinions on the difference between PS and Ribs (and PS2 for that matter).

[seafeye]

Thanks Mike.

In Canada I am getting mixed signals about the Pilot Sport (not PS2). The Michelin.ca web site still lists them as an option for Boxsters. I ordered these from the dealer last week and they say that they have arrived from Michelin. I'm not comitted to buying them but have a booking for 2 weeks from now to have them installed. They insist these are Pilot Sport not PS2. Just trying to understand opinions on the difference between PS and Ribs (and PS2 for that matter).

Had the Pilot Sports but these tires i am 100% happy with. Falken 615. Not great in the snow but....

[Jay H]

I have a set of Goodyear F1 All Season tires on my base Boxster in the 205/50/17 and 255/40/17 sizes. The rears are nearing the end of their useful life and are getting quite noisy. Traction levels are still very high and wet weather driving is still exceptional. However, you may wish to avoid the F1 AS's since they do generate a pretty good noise level after they wear a bit.

I'm running a set of Bridgestone 760's on my '84 911. Quite quiet, handle well and are reasonably priced. Due to their very quiet nature, they may be of interest to you. I probably will switch to those on my Boxster. They are a 3 season only tire.

Hope this helps,

Jay

02 986

90 964

84 911

[rob76turbo]

+1 on the Falken Azenis 615. I have had 2 sets on two different cars (Miata and Audi A3) and they are incredible for the price. They are very grippy:

An average tire has a treadwear rating of 300+, my Toyo R888 (R-rated track tire) have a rating of 100 and the 615's have a rating of 200. So they are softer than a normal tire, will wear faster too. But hey! I want the car to handle even when I am not on the track.

[eVoMotion]

I swapped from Pirelli neros to Toyo T1Rs. The dealer recommended N-rated tires, but after reading about how the N-rating was created I did not see the value for lack of selection.

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 rated the same for dry performance and similar for wet. I really needed wet performance living in Oregon.

As you can see from the tread pattern, wet traction is fabulous. I pound through puddles where I drove up them with the Neros. Breakaway is very smooth and dry traction is fabulous.

[dallison]

i just had a pair of bridgestone re960 pole positions put on yesterday. I only paid $440 b/c of a screwup in another set i was going to buy.

The only thing that alarmed me this morning was, the car seemed to sway more on the highway. I t made me nervous to hit 90.

BUT it was 35 degrees out this morning and i don't know if these cars hate the cold weather or if it was b/c i just completed the cv boot service.

[Jay H]

The only thing that alarmed me this morning was, the car seemed to sway more on the highway. I t made me nervous to hit 90.

BUT it was 35 degrees out this morning and i don't know if these cars hate the cold weather or if it was b/c i just completed the cv boot service.

Your tires require some break in before they deliver max performance. This article at the Tire Rack may explain why the tires performed like they did. I'd recommend breaking in these tires at moderate levels before going 90 mph at 35 degrees...

Breaking In Tires

[eVoMotion]

My tires drive dramatically different in cold temperatures. They feel like wagon wheels for the first few miles as they warm up in the morning. Have less traction and never seem to warm unless it is over 45F.

i just had a pair of bridgestone re960 pole positions put on yesterday. I only paid $440 b/c of a screwup in another set i was going to buy.

The only thing that alarmed me this morning was, the car seemed to sway more on the highway. I t made me nervous to hit 90.

BUT it was 35 degrees out this morning and i don't know if these cars hate the cold weather or if it was b/c i just completed the cv boot service.