Survey - Where the rubber meets the road

[the_lonely_guy]

Thank you for the advice mee, 0586slb. I would have to redo the allignment sooner than I thought i guess. Regarding what 0586slb said .. I dont believe that I have a toe in problem as the surface of the tire is really smooth. No bump n' grind things. Correct me if I'm worng but I thought that if the toe settings dont fit the driving style then you should some "bumpy" wear instead of a smooth one. In my recent talk with the service dept at the dealership, they told me that the wheels are alligned for straight line highway driving (within 20min) so in my case that would explain the outer edged wearing slightly more than the inners. Since I didn't have such a high performance tire on my previous set of wheels (16" with kumho ecsta) I probably didn't notice it as much

[mee]

If you have too much toe in, it is said that the outsides will wear more, however, I never noticed this--at least not enough to be statistically significant. What I found, however, is that if you run too much toe, you are basically pushing your tires sideways down the road, and they will shred so fast that it will be impossible for uneven wear to build up. If you're getting only a few thousand miles out of your tires, then I would suspect excessive toe or you do a lot of burnouts. If you're getting the typical 9K to 15K miles, then the outside wear is not toe, but camber. At least that's where I'd put my money (my 2 cents' worth, of course).

[the_lonely_guy]

Judging by the wear on my rears (have about 50% left and about 3500mi) it should last me atleast till 7k or maybe even 9k. And wear on the michelin pilot sport rib is very poor anyways. I spoke with michelin about this and they told me that on an average these tires last about 10k or I am quite sure this wear is not toe setting related. and the difference in the wear is pretty small so I dont have to worry about. My only concern (coming from A4 and the like) was that uneven wear was bad. But from what I read here and other places, this is not the case with sports cars (atleast not all the time). I just wanted to confirm that.

ps. On the audi I had, which came with pirelli p6 all season, was supposed to last me about 30k miles and I wore it out in about 16k miles. So I guessed the life I predict I am going to get out of these michelins of about 8k is pretty good !!!!!!!!!!!! :) Just was hoping that I could find a set that had good performance, lasted real long and didnt cost as much. Just wishful thingking :unsure:

Edited May 23, 2005 by the_lonely_guy

[mee]

Depending on how demanding you are of performance, I would highly recommend RE750s. I have them on the front and S-03s on the rear, and I can tell you that the RE750s just won't wear out. I think S-03s are rated 220 and the RE750s are 340. Granted the rears last 1/2 as long as the fronts, but I'm still very impressed with their longevity. Also, to my surprise, they are able to keep up with the S-03s on the rear very well. Note, that, however I am running 235s on the front which puts a little more rubber up front.

[Tool Pants]

I considered all the tires that have been mentioned. I am not an "N" guy.

Maybe next time I will go with Kumho. I almost bought the 712s, as I wanted to try something different. Tom said there is a new super-duper Kuhmo tire that will be on the market.

A mid-engine car eats rears tires. The Box is my 3rd mid-engine. The problem with the Box is you cannot rotate from front to back.

The other problem is you have a 3,000 pound car and I want it up to speed as quickly as possible. :P

$344 for tires - good bang for the buck. $80 to mount and balance. Last alignment at Custom Alignment was $150 and I think it is now more.

Speaking of which, I need to hit on Joe Silva for another tech session at Custom Alignment in Mountain View.

[the_lonely_guy]

Toolpants, you still sticking with the sumitomo's. I actually kinda liked the kumho's. I got a set of ECSTA 712 when I had the 16" wheels. I had it on there for barely 1500mi. But for that period it was really good. Wet and dry. It was very quiet compared to the Michelin's I have now. Ofcourse you get what you pay for, but for $400 a set incl. balancing it was a steal. Even for a 16" wheel.

A quick question. I have a lot of people here say that they have gone wider than the factory recommended tire sizes. I have the 17" on mine. How wide could I go (front and rears)? Maybe that might reduce the wear on the rear, even if by a little bit?

[Tool Pants]

Toolpants, you still sticking with the sumitomo's. I actually kinda liked the kumho's. I got a set of ECSTA 712 when I had the 16" wheels.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep, second set was put on Thursday. Maybe next time I will go Kuhmo.

So now I have my N11 rating....

[Pilot2519j]

I went to WTC in NY and the manager suggested Khumos. When I got my car they were Marshall tires which Khumo supposedly makes. Well to make a long story short I almost got to the point of postal meltdown. Steering which was crispy started with a vibration. Brought it back discovered the shop did not have a high speed balancing, I was lied to. Then the mechanic, tire changer in this case- a mechanic is a fellow who knows what he does, says the alloys are bent since the wheels while rotating had a small bounce. I told him to check the alloy minus the tire. Voila no alloy deformation! ergo the tires were the problem. I emphatically told the manager that he can shove the tires and to get me 4 new tires. I ended up with Michelin Pilot rib. Naturally he screwed up the balancing again. Frustrated I went to Silver Star, my Porsche dealer, it was there that the correct balancing was done.

Tires were expensive but they are Porsche OE tires. If they achieve optimal performance as they are supposed to get I will be happy. Superior handling, braking in both dry and wet that is all I car about. Price is not an option since everything for a Porsche is expensive so that is the way it is.