Quietest Tires

[sentipede]

Hello,

I know people have voiced their opinions regarding ride quality on different tires. My Pirelli tires are just about at the end of their life, and I've begun to look for new tires. I wasn't too happy with the ride quality that I have received from my Pirelli's (very loud..too many rattles). From what I've heard, the Contis, Michelin, and Yokos all provide better rides than those of the Pirelli. I don't track my car much, and the roads in Chicago make for quite an uncomfortable ride.

Thanks!

2000 C4

18" Sport Design Wheels

Fronts: Pirelli 225/40 ZR18

Backs : Pirelli 265/35 ZR18

[Loren]

I like the SO3s. The Contis worn too fast and never had good adhesion. The Pilot Sports had good stick but squealed too easily and had some road noise. I think the SO3 is good all-around tire. Great stick, low noise and reasonable wear.

[sentipede]

Do any of these tires handle better in snow?

It looks like the SO3's are favored, where is the best/cheapest place to obtain these, and what size would you recommend for 2000 C4 (most likely adding 7mm spacers in front and back).

Thanks Loren!

[Loren]

Ha ha... don't ask a California guy about snow... Porsche actually recommends the 17" wheel and a little narrower tire for winter. They recommend the Dunlap and Pirelli Winter Sports tires.

I usually recommend 285/30 x 18 rears and 225/40 or 235/40 fronts. In all cases you will want a wider front wheel if you go with wider tires. These tires will run fine on Porsche wheels (i.e. no rubbing) but if you have 7.5" wide front wheels you will see even more understeer -- not good. If your car is pre MY03 then you can upgrade the front wheels to 8" and put the car back in it's original balance. Your speedometer will have very little effect (< 0.5%) with these new tire wheel combinations.

I got my 8" fronts from Wheel Enhancement (with my S03s already mounted and balanced). They have an exchange program so it wasn't like buying new wheels outright. Another good place is TireRack.com and they can ship your tires to any local installed (on their list).

[JimPDX]

I like the SO3s. The Contis worn too fast and never had good adhesion. The Pilot Sports had good stick but squealed too easily and had some road noise. I think the SO3 is good all-around tire. Great stick, low noise and reasonable wear. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Loren...

You wrote this a about a year and half ago...how do you feel about the S03's today?

Up here we have a bit more rain than you do, so stick in the rain is important. Any comments here?

Were these N rated BTW...I'm just starting to shop now. I want low noise, good stick in wet and dry and at least 10K out of rears.

Thx Loren...

Jim

[Loren]

I still like the SO3's for wear and handling. They might be a little noisier than the P Zero or Conti's but so far they are meeting my expectations.

I also liked them well enough to put a set on my Mercedes CLK55 AMG. They are much better than the Michelin Pilot Sports in the rain.

OMG... no "N" rating! ;)

The specs on these tires exceed the specs on the N rated tires - Porsche just hasn't tested and approved them.

[Scouser]

Noise level greatly reduced and grip level greatly induced since I put Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's on my cab. Not N rated either but after 9000 miles they sure look like they had just been fitted!

[rattles]

Hello,

I know people have voiced their opinions regarding ride quality on different tires.  My Pirelli tires are just about at the end of their life, and I've begun to look for new tires.  I wasn't too happy with the ride quality that I have received from my Pirelli's (very loud..too many rattles).  From what I've heard, the Contis, Michelin, and Yokos all provide better rides than those of the Pirelli.  I don't track my car much, and the roads in Chicago make for quite an uncomfortable ride.

Thanks!

2000 C4

18" Sport Design Wheels

Fronts: Pirelli 225/40 ZR18

Backs : Pirelli 265/35 ZR18

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Porsche Australia runs regular drive days for likely buyers, usually about 300 km on counrty roads, I guess you have them in the US too, I have been on two of them. They have 6 or 8 Carreras and Boxters and during the day you get to drive each car. Its a good way to compare the cars and the tyres.

I found that the Bridgestone tyres were the quietest, my 99 C2 came fitted with them, the model numebr is probably out of date now but they are SO2's

Good grip wet or dry, long mileage and quiet. Cant say what they are like in snow.

[drpaulmarsh]

I was talking to some open cart guys at the last autoX I attended and they said the best bang for your buck is the Kumho MX from Tirerack... But, hands down the SO3's or the pilot's are the top overall performers if price is no object.

One good piece of advice was... "Independant of which tires you choose, make sure you get a Reeaaaaalllly good alignment done." This helps to correct some of the built in factory "push/understeer" so to speak... One of the racers said to take your 996 in and tell them you "want an auto cross style alignment." Not sure what exactly that means, but he said that it will improve handling and also have little to no affect on the wear/noise levels...

Hope this helps,

Paul

[Gator996]

I've run Sumitomo's the 5 years on my 1979 SC, 1999 996, & my brother's Boxster...couldn't be happier with the tire. Longest lasting, very quiet, best value. To be fair, I was prepared to buy S02's but my brother talked me into these tires and I'll never change since my car is only for the street.

Can't beat the deal at Tirerack 25 40 18 $99, 285 30 18 $177...I checked all of the Pcar boards & Tirerack for reviews...took a chance and have never regretted it. I've used Pirellis, Dunlops, & Michelins...Sumitomo's have performed better and are very quiet in comparison to all of the others.

To be fair, may not be the best wet tire performer out there, but they're certainly not bad at that either, just not the best.

Look at the reviews on Tirerack and at that price you can afford to put new shoes on every year no problem (you won't NEED to because they last for ever!)...also leaves some $$$ for other upgrades like better alignmment & lowering!

Edited January 26, 2005 by Gator996

[b-man]

I used to do a lot of highway driving and wanted quiet tires too. I aksed the guy at the Tire Rack what the quietest tires were (for my stock 17" wheels) regardless of price. He said the Kumho Ecsta ASX!?!? So, I bought them and have actually been very happy with them. It's hard to say how good they are without doing back to back comparisons with other brands with equally worn tires, etc. But, I have been very surprised (in a good way) about how quiet they are. I'd definitely buy them again.

b-man

[skymast]

I can confirm that the Pilot Sports are loud!