Which Brand of Tire

[biopsea]

Hello all,

First of all, can someone please advise me on how to use the search function more effectively? There has to be threads on this topic, but when i perform a search, I get results that are, for the most part, unrelated.

I am looking to put new rubber on my '07 911 s. it currently has p zero rosso's, and the rears only have 5k miles. For whatever reason, they constantly feel out of balance. My take on it is that as these high performance tires wear (even at 50% tread), they become noisy and "out of balance".

There is plenty of tread left, but I am so displeased with the ride that I am willing to pay 2k for fresh rubber.

Thoughts on brand? i think i would sacrifice a little "at the limit" grip for a tire that was a bit quieter and didnt feel like it needed balanced every couple k.

Toby

[White987S]

Michellin PS2's are great tires. Not cheap. Porsche approved. Buy a high quality tire pressure gauge too, and check tires every couple weeks.

Also, how often do you drive your Turbo? Tires have a tendency to "flatspot" if left in the same parking location for a couple weeks. This is a temporary flatspot, and reverses once the tires come back up to temperature on a decent drive. Pirellis are know to be flatspot prone and become noisier with age.

Edited January 27, 2010 by White987S

[mikefocke]

Feel the tread. Is it worn evenly? Ever measure the tread in three places and compare? When was the last time you had the car aligned? When you did, was it aligned by a Porsche expert? Someone who thoroughly understood what you wanted in tire wear versus ultimate grip? Someone who set 911s up for racing?

Wide tires on a rear engined car are just different from rears on a front engined car. Different wear factors. And worn tires are noisy.

[porsche998]

Hi,

have the P-Zero N1 on my '05 C2S and they are handling well - rear ones lasted 4 years/20k miles. The front tires are still in good condition (4-5mm). They get a lot of german autobahn and handle well in the 150mph+ area as long as PASM is in sport mode. Noise is not an issue for me as the engine at 6000 rpm is the dominant sound source.

Good luck with your next set of tires, I recommend to use a set of the porsche approved tires as they get tested for handling by Porsche and are definitly the live insurance when your p-car travels at high speed.

Tobias

[Deanski]

Hi,

have the P-Zero N1 on my '05 C2S and they are handling well - rear ones lasted 4 years/20k miles. The front tires are still in good condition (4-5mm). They get a lot of german autobahn and handle well in the 150mph+ area as long as PASM is in sport mode. Noise is not an issue for me as the engine at 6000 rpm is the dominant sound source.

Good luck with your next set of tires, I recommend to use a set of the porsche approved tires as they get tested for handling by Porsche and are definitly the live insurance when your p-car travels at high speed.

Tobias

Sounds like flat-spotting of the tires. I had them on my C2S and they flat-spot easly. I had to use Tire Cradles to prevent this. Once warmed up, it starts to go away. Still, the Tire Cradles did the trick!

Once they got down, they get loud, lots of noise near end of life. I went with Bridgestone RE050A's since the PS-2" were too much for a tire. The RE050A's are a great tire, and handle quite well. A whole lot less than the PS-2's and yes the tread wear is a bit low, but still love these tires. Now, I think they are up to N1 by now.

Deanski

[AIB]

Every tire has its pros and cons... Personally I recently switched from worn out P zeros to Continental contact sport 3 tires and I'm very happy with them. Michelin and Bridge stone sports tires are good too.

Pirelli's were great sports tires however once they start to wear out they do become very noisy and don't perform so well....

[PAULSPEED]

Just put another set of Pirelli's on last week. They are hard tires but

that makes them last.

Michelin's are good but wear out fast.

Yokohamas are very soft and wear out even quicker.

Paul

[bolobar]

Just put another set of Pirelli's on last week. They are hard tires but

that makes them last.

Michelin's are good but wear out fast.

Yokohamas are very soft and wear out even quicker.

Paul

Where would Bridgestone fit in the above?

Also, there is a local Firestone/Bridgestone dealer very convenient for access. Would you trust

mounting/balancing to this type of store?

[White987S]

Also, there is a local Firestone/Bridgestone dealer very convenient for access. Would you trust

mounting/balancing to this type of store?

No. Never. Nadda. Zilch.

[bolobar]

Also, there is a local Firestone/Bridgestone dealer very convenient for access. Would you trust

mounting/balancing to this type of store?

No. Never. Nadda. Zilch.

Well then, who? I don't want to use a Porsche dealer unless I have to.

[number9ine]

Michellin PS2's are great tires. Not cheap. Porsche approved. Buy a high quality tire pressure gauge too, and check tires every couple weeks.

Also, how often do you drive your Turbo? Tires have a tendency to "flatspot" if left in the same parking location for a couple weeks. This is a temporary flatspot, and reverses once the tires come back up to temperature on a decent drive. Pirellis are know to be flatspot prone and become noisier with age.

I'm not a fan of Michelins; there's a set of PS2s on my 997 C2S now and the rears are almost at the wear bars after 5k miles (admittedly with one very wet track weekend). They're terrible in the rain and noisy as hell, even as new. And it costs nearly $1300 to replace them all 'round on my car.

Call me crazy, but I like a tire that has a little of everything I use the car for, with good economy and treadwear, even at the expense of some 9/10s grip. I've gotten 15k miles each out of two sets of Bridgestone Potenzas (S03, then RE050A Pole Positions) with a mixture of everyday driving, a few DEs per year, and a heavy foot. When I went to replace the rears on the S03s the fronts were still probably good for another 5k miles, but I replaced them all at once. I put a set on my wife's Boxster when she needed new tires and she loves them, isn't afraid to drive in the rain anymore like she was on her Contis. These tires aren't as cheap as some, but they're cheaper than Michelin and Pirelli and a better all-round performer. Dry grip at the limit is almost as good as the Michelins, and when it does break it breaks easy. Great tires.

Mark

[phillipj]

You can order the tires you chosse from just about any source such as "Tire Rack" etc. Find a "High End" tire and suspension shop in your area (someone who works on Porsches, Ferrari's etc.) and have the tires shipped there for mounting and balancing.

Those guys at Firestone, Discount tire etc. typically do shoddy work and tend to beat up your rims as well...

Edited January 29, 2010 by phillipj

[dphatch]

I have PS2's on my C4S and love them. Contrary to some of the responses you received I don't find them noisy on anything but grooved concrete. As for ware, I've got 10K spirited miles on em, no track time, and the rears are about ready to be replaced. Fronts will go another 10K miles. Price for the 19" rears for my car will run $ 1200 plus mounting. Have heard that Bridgestones are favored by quite a few folks on various boards and are a cost effective replacement. I'll be sticking with the PS2's when I replace only rears. Once they're all shot I'll look into the latest offerings from other manufactures as well.

[Darqangelle]

Buy a high quality tire pressure gauge too, and check tires every couple weeks.

Out of curiosity,

What would you recomend to be a "high quality gauge"?

[White987S]

Buy a high quality tire pressure gauge too, and check tires every couple weeks.

Out of curiosity,

What would you recomend to be a "high quality gauge"?

I like the digital ones you can buy at most auto parts stores. About $14.

[PAULSPEED]

I am not a Bridstone fan so I will not

go in that direction.

My favorite tire is Dunlop. Worked real good on the go-kart.

Paul

Just put another set of Pirelli's on last week. They are hard tires but

that makes them last.

Michelin's are good but wear out fast.

Yokohamas are very soft and wear out even quicker.

Paul

Where would Bridgestone fit in the above?

Also, there is a local Firestone/Bridgestone dealer very convenient for access. Would you trust

mounting/balancing to this type of store?