Rear tires smell

[lucian95]

I have a 2005 997 Carrera coupe. I drive the car regularly. I've noticed that there is quite a bit of rubber-like smell coming from the rear end after I park the car in my garage. I had the car recently serviced (including the clutch replacement) and they did not see anything suspect going on. I attribute this to the smell coming from rear tires. I drive in a fairly spirited fashion and dependent upon how fast I go and the type of the road, the smell from rear tires can be pretty strong, but goes away quickly. Has anyone else made a similar observation. I had app. 12K on my Michelins PS2 and I just replaced them with Michelin Porsche approved winter tires and of course, I noticed a similar smell. Has anyone made a similar observation? I'm a bit concerned driving on an Autobahn this summer at higher speeds (130+ MPH). I did not have any issues during my long trips (400-500 miles/trip) last summer, however this was all done in the US, driving between 70-85 MPH. Any advice/opinion would be appreciated.

[AP 997S]

I've noticed (smelled I should say) the exact same odor from the rear of my car (funny happens to be a 2005 997S as well) as well. I've always attributed it to 'burnt tire odor' coming from my Michelin PS2's. Of course its much more pronounced when I pull the car into my little garage.

If you sniff your rear tire well(s) after a spirited or high speed drive the odor is much stronger. Don't let anyone see you doing this however or they'll think your some sort of pervert.

I've always thought it was tire smell so that's my story and I'm sticking to (unless someone has a better one).

:D :D :D

[00BoxsterS]

I've noticed the same on my 2000 Boxster S with Kumho Ecsta tires. I suspect the wider tires on Porsches attribute to additional scrubbing action with the road causing the tire to heat up more. Even when I drive my VW harder than my Boxster, I don't get nearly as much burnt rubber smell.

[phillipj]

If you sniff your rear tire well(s) after a spirited or high speed drive the odor is much stronger. Don't let anyone see you doing this however or they'll think your some sort of pervert.

:lol: :lol: :jump: :jump:

Edited November 12, 2009 by phillipj

[beauar]

I have the same smell on my car. Its a 2003 C2 with Michelin PS2 in front and Pilot sport AS plus in rear which I recently switched to. Great tires. I haven't found a better tire yet. The smell on these Michelin's I believe is the same as what you guys are experiencing. Nothing to worry about. I thought it was my clutch at first but its definetely the tires.

I've noticed the same on my 2000 Boxster S with Kumho Ecsta tires. I suspect the wider tires on Porsches attribute to additional scrubbing action with the road causing the tire to heat up more. Even when I drive my VW harder than my Boxster, I don't get nearly as much burnt rubber smell.

[lucian95]

I have the same smell on my car. Its a 2003 C2 with Michelin PS2 in front and Pilot sport AS plus in rear which I recently switched to. Great tires. I haven't found a better tire yet. The smell on these Michelin's I believe is the same as what you guys are experiencing. Nothing to worry about. I thought it was my clutch at first but its definetely the tires.

I've noticed the same on my 2000 Boxster S with Kumho Ecsta tires. I suspect the wider tires on Porsches attribute to additional scrubbing action with the road causing the tire to heat up more. Even when I drive my VW harder than my Boxster, I don't get nearly as much burnt rubber smell.

Many thanks to all responders. This puts my worries to rest. In the absence of any mechanical issues, which are nonexistent, the odor indeed appears to come from tires heating up due to their large surface and "roadholding". I assume the odor would be less pronounced with traction control turned off, but I do not intend to experiment any further. Thanks again.

[PDiddy]

I don't believe this is actually the tires that you all are experiecing - it's Cosmoline, a preservative that Porsche sprays all over the motor. See this thread from yesterday.

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/997/193...bber-smell.html

[lucian95]

I don't believe this is actually the tires that you all are experiecing - it's Cosmoline, a preservative that Porsche sprays all over the motor. See this thread from yesterday.

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/997/193...bber-smell.html

Thanks. Sounds plausible, however from what I can read in the enclosed tread it may be more applicable to newer engines. I have 43K miles on my car and I would expect the protectant to wear off after 4 years of driving. The car has been thoroughly checked and is in perfect working order, so at least I was able to eliminate any potential mechanical issues. It really appears to be related to the driving style.

[xpetit]

I have a 2002 boxster with Michelin PS2 and get that smell as well when I drive in a spirited manner. I actually enjoy it but don't find myself sniffing the wheel well. The smell when I park let's me know that I drove the way these cars are meant to be driven. I agree that it is probably due to the wide tire set up. I also noticed that my tires only last 14K to 15K miles when driving harder.

[jgriffin56]

From the threads, all of those that responded have Michelin PS2s. I too, had a smell from my PS2s like rubber burning, no smoke or anything. I also had a problem with my rims. They are chromed hollow spoke turbos, and they were slipping on the rim just a little bit, due to the chroming process. If you are running aftermarket rims, you might check to see that the tires are not slipping on the rim and are seating. What I did was to mark the rim and tire with an scripto and check periodically to see if they the line still lines up. It moved about an 1/8 inch in 2 weeks, that would cause some smell coming from the tire.