I drive a 2007 porsche cayman with TPMS. I have exhaust the rubber on my rear tires. In the past it really would not be a problem with through 4 new tires on. Put things are a bit tight financially at the moment. The car is out of warranty, and the fronts have about 5k miles left.
So questions
Do I need a tire with the special porsche rating?
If I replace the rears do I need to match them (brand/model) to the fronts? (because of traction control)
Am I limited to Michelen PS2, Continental Contri, Potenzas etc. I ask because my local Les Schwab suggests some Toyo that I don't even think are Max Performance Summer tires?
Obviously I would like the best tires I can afford but at this very moment I need to be as conservative as I can, without hurting my car, and still have fun driving it.
help
N-spec (Porsche-approved) tires are what Porsche recommends for their cars - whether you "need" them is really something you have to decide for yourself. I'm sure there are many owners who don't run N-specs.
As long as they are the stock sizes, I don't think it would necessarily affect the ABS/PSM to have different brands front and rear; however, if they are significantly different in construction/design/traction, etc. then you might get some squirrley handling.
Have you checked on Tire Rack to see the various tires available (both N-spec and not)? BTW, I believe several members have been happy with the Hankook Ventus V12, which is pretty reasonably priced (but not N-spec).
How could a 2007 car with a 4 year warranty be out of warranty? Was if revoked for some reason?
More importantly, how does the warranty or lack thereof effect tire replacement?
You don't say what your budget is so the Tire Rack suggestion would be most helpful. I just replaced the OEM Pirelli P Rosso tires on my Boxster with the Sumitomo HTR ZIII. They are not "N" rated but do have the high speed classification (150 mph+). I researched tires for weeks and asked around at every AX I went to and the Sumis came highly recommended. They cost me a little under $400 delivered and the first thing I noticed was how much better my car rode. It is actually comfortable to ride in and my AX times have improved as well as the handling capabilities on twisty roads. I recommend these tires they are a bargain.
I just replaced my rears only last week...went with Hankook Evo V12's. I still have the PS2's on the front and they have quite a bit of tread left. I did go with orignal factory size. The car is handling horribly on corners...PSM kicking in if over 40 mph. I started a thread on it the other day and folks said new tires are very slick and that I would need to get them scuffed up first. I'm hopping that is the problem. I have never had my PSM go on before (unless intensional), so either I do need to get them scuffed, or having different front/rear tires is the problem.
I read a number of posts where folks really liked the Hankook. You may want to consider it. If you only have 5K left on the front, go for a full set and eliminate the possibility of mismatch tire issue. You can get a complete set with replacement warranties for less than $850 installed (the price of 2 new PS2's for just the rear).
It states in the manual that tires of the same make and type must be used. I would highly recommend not running different tires front and rear. The tires on any car (especially our cars) play an important roll in, braking, cornering, accelerating and over all safety. Different tires have different adhesions, different tread patterns, evacuate water differently, etc. This is one area where I would not be cheap about spending money.
Just my :2cents:
I would be wary of mixing tire types, especially if you'll be running high speeds. On my prior car I had mixed manufacturers and had a real nasty surprise when i needed to do an evasive maneuver at about 80 or so. Car went seriously oscillatory. After matching the tires front to rear, the behavior was eliminated.
