996Outpost.com

Alrighty then, we need a tire thread.

Post up:

1. What brand and sizes you run.
2. Track, street, or both use.
3. Price and source.
4. Your assessment.

For the track Boxster:

I am using Bridgestone RE71-Rs. Track use and autocross use only, other than driving to and from the track. Discount Tire. Forgot exactly what I paid last time, roughly $750 for a set of four. I will check my records later and update the thread.

Excellent tire, very sticky, great feedback, and predictable response. They are very soft and wear out quickly and also heat cycle out quickly. Don't expect to get more than a few track events out of a set. I've been through about 10 sets of 'em so far.

For the 996:

Retired the car from track/AX use. Street driving only. Hated the Pirelli P-Zeros that were on it when I bought the car.

The last set were Dunlop Star Specs. They developed an EXTREMELY loud and annoying drone as they wore. Would not buy them again due to this.

A couple months ago I fitted it with:

285/30ZR-18 SUMITOMO HTR Z III XL: $136.42 each from Tire Rack, plus shipping: $15.00 per tire. Then, of course, mounting and balancing at the venue of your choice. So far, have been quite pleased with them. Very good performance, no road noise, great price.

I will be in the market for tires, probably at the end of this summer. I am an unfrozen caveman lawyer, and tires confuse and scare me. What's on the car now:

23535ZR19
295 30 zr19 with a small spacer.

I am leaning towards getting the same size, because as I've said, I don't know jack about tires. I had Contis on the old 928, and they seemed fine, so I am leaning towards these:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.js ... mpare1=yes

Or, for a grand more I could go for the Michelin's everyone raves about:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.js ... mpare1=yes

I appreciate any opinions either way.

I've been running Ventus V12 Evo2's on the 996 for the past couple of tire changes (except for the Vegas fiasco, where I wound up with f'n all-season radials for the drive home). The original Ventus V12's were a disappointment at AX; under heavy cornering, the sidewall rigidity wasn't great. The Evo2 corrected this...I've been really happy with the tire for street driving and the limited number of PCA and SCCA events I've used the car for.

225 /40 R18
265 /35 R18

I'd been running Nitto NT555's on the Corvette for a couple of years, but the size I need has been progressively harder to come by (255 /45 R17 and 285 /40 R17). I switched to ExtremeContact DW's in the same sizes; while Car and Driver didn't have very nice things to say about the ExtremeContactDW's dry performance, it's the only tire I've ever had on the 'Vette that can take the 1-2 shift at RaceLegal without blowing the tires off.

The Conti tires that came on it from the factory were crap. Ever since all it has had on it is PS2s. One of the more expensive options out there, but they have been an excellent tire for us since ~2001.

Heretic though I may be, on a C4 they aren't even terrible in sub-freezing temps with ice and snow.

I've run a bunch of different tires. Here goes with quick impressions for each.

Track (996 C2):
- Sumitomo HTRZIII - price performer. Crazy cheap, very predictable at the limit, loud on track, good in the wet. I call this the perfect "training" tire because you can easily find the limit of the tire and learn proper skills on track without too much grip masking bad habits.
- Michelin PS2 - N rated nonsense for track use. Good street tire, but underperforms the Sumitomo on the track in the wet and dry. Not for any track duty.
- Yokohama Advan AD08R - Great "streetable" track tire. Gobs of grip, priced similar to the RE-71r. Lasts a long time being abused. I bet only .5 sec slower than Nitto NT01s in my C2 on the home track. Directional so only flip them in the dry.

Street (996 & 993 C2):
- Sumitomo HTRZIII - perfect street tire. Gets noisy as it ages. Grip is crap below 40 degrees F.
- Conti Extreme Contact DWS - awesome all season traction...even in light snow. Great traction in sub zero temps. Super quiet, very forgiving, I run this in 17" size for street use and the added sidewall material, plus the "compliant" sidewall material really soften up the ride for highway/commuting duty. Would not push these tires hard.
- Bridgestone Pole Position S04 - A step up from the Sumitomo but not by much for street duty. Also have done one track day in these on my 993. I'd call these a mild upgrade over the Sumi's but for relatively too much money. Quiet on the street, good grip but not at all like a true high performance or track/competition tire.

Put Michelin PS2 on my Carrera Cab, but sold the car soon after. No surprise... Great tires that cost a major arm and leg for the name and performance. But my current 996 cam with Kumho on the rear and Pirelli on the front. After dismounting the tires to change out the brakes, I noticed the Pirellis were dry rotting pretty bad, but the rear Kumhos look relatively new. And so I matched the fronts to the rear tires.

Kumho Ecsta PS91

235/35ZR19 Front
295/30ZR19 Rear

C4S Bridgestone Potenza SO2-A. Stock sizes on stock wheels. Expensive. First and only set I've had so no comparison from me on other tires. Seems noisy to me, but then again...no comparison. Flat spots are "fun" to work out after sitting one+ week. Reduced the pressures a bit to make the ride better.

I just purchased a set of track tires from a new source and I'm pretty pleased with the price and service. They are called Simple Tire. No affiliation. They carry over 300 brands. They are in PA so no tax for me. Every tire is free shipping. So I ordered some Toyo R888R's. Price compared at Tire Rack and I save $236!

225 /40 R18 front and 265/35 R18 rear in the summer with Hankook Ventus V12s
225/45 R17 front and rear in the winter with Blizzak WS80s

1. What brand and sizes you run. [Pirelli P-Zero (old), Michellin P/S A/S 3(current)]
2. Track, street, or both use. [Street]
3. Price and source. [Very reasonable, $700ish a set]
4. Your assessment. [LOVE the P/S A/S 3s, excellent all-around]

mk2 c2 with regular suspension and OEM Carrera II wheels:

Used to have Pirelli P-Zeros on it, they did well in summer but are atrocious when the roads are wet. Basically unsafe at freeway speeds.

Currently have Michellin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ on (285/35 in rear, regular size up front). Good durability, great price, solid performance in the canyons and reliable traction in the rain. The sidewalls also fill out the fenders better than the /30 profile tires. Minor rub can happen when fully compressing the springs, but it's both rare and avoidable during normal use.