Tire ratings from PORSCHEUSA.COM

I don't know if this has been posted before, but PORSCHEUSA.COM has tire ratings for the 986 / 996 for Summer and Winter. Of particular interest are the Summer ratings. Given all the internet hooplah on the M3 forums and Porsche forums, I would have thought the Michelin Pilot Sport [PS2] N3 to have the God-like ratings, but they only got 2 star (very good) for both dry and wet handling. The Pirelli P-Zero Rosso N4 got the top marks, 3 star (excellent), for both dry and wet handling, while the Continental ContiSportContact N2 got 3 star for dry and 2 star for wet. Then again, these ratings are for the 8x18/11x18 wheels... check the tire ratings for your wheel size. Personally, I'm a Continental man myself. They were excellent value for my M3. ///Michael

Nice find, thanks.

Yes, nice find. I am totally amused that they list the performance rating separately for the front and rear tires.

Excellent posting. Thank you! Lots of folks are always asking which replacement tires they should pick. This will help them decide much better that 122 responses from folks with opinions rather than facts.

Michael, I don't disagree with the Pirelli P-Zero Rosso rating. I had them on my car originally and I loved the grip they provided. However, I got only about 9K to 11K miles on each set of rears so I was replacing them every 9 to 10 months. When I switched to PS2s I had 14K on them when I returned the car to the leasing company and still had about 60% tire tread remaining. I think they would have gotten about 25K miles on them.

No problem guys; there's been big debate in the past on the M3 forums on which OEM-supplied tire is better, the Michelin PS or Contis and almost every time, it's deadlocked between the crowd that can tell a difference w/ the Michelins and the crowd that can't. One thread even got one professional engineer, that did all the physics (and was against the Michelins), banned. It seemed that some felt that since the Michelins were significantly more expensive than the Contis, then it had to be equally more good over the Contis. It seems that the tire debate goes on here as well so I figured I'd post the "official" PCNA "statement." And Tim, 14k on the PS2's and you still had 60% tread left? I hope you are referring to the Honda... ///Michael

The PS2's did well in the Tire Rack survey. Number 1 http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ay.jsp?type=MP

A few of things to consider: 1- Those ratings are based on owners that buy them... which goes back to what I said regarding the M3 forum threads... some people think that since they cost $$$$, then it must be sliced bread. 2- If I had some seriously crappy tires that were also worn, then went to Michelin PS2, then I would be raving about the PS2 as well. Just like claims that people can feel smoothness after they replace the transmission fluid w/ Redline fluid... well, yeah, you're gonna notice a difference, especially if the old fluid has many miles on it. The real test is to replace w/ OEM for xxx miles, then replace w/ Redline for xxx milies, then compare, but I digress... 3- Last but not least, a Michelin PS2 isn't necessarily the exact same tire as a Porsche N-rated Michelin PS2. Personally, w/ my M3, I couldn't tell a difference on the street (and even on the track) between the OEM Michelin PS and OEM Contis, except that the Michelins made my wallet significantly lighter. YMMV. ///Michael

Tim: You know I never doubt your word, BUT...in this instance it appears that your memory might be getting a bit hazy.....60% left after 14K miles ?? Your car must have spent a lot of time on the back of a flatbed for most of those miles. You know that being towed on a flatbed doesn't count right??.....I drove conservatively, and never managed to get more than 14K out of a set of rears...no launches etc.

Tim: You know I never doubt your word, BUT...in this instance it appears that your memory might be getting a bit hazy.....60% left after 14K miles ?? Your car must have spent a lot of time on the back of a flatbed for most of those miles. You know that being towed on a flatbed doesn't count right??.....I drove conservatively, and never managed to get more than 14K out of a set of rear Michelin's...no launches etc.

Mmm, good thing my S-02As are getting worn out. Looks like they got the crap rating here.

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Chuck, Maybe I got better mileage from my tires because maybe my *** is lighter than yours! Seriously, the only reason I remember the 60% is because the inspector for the leasing company came out and took pics of the car and measured the tread depth and wrote something like "60% tread remaining" in the inspection form. However, the tread wear bar is probably 2/32nd above the bottom of the groves so I guess, technecally, there was only 40% tread remaining on the tires. I am pretty certain I could have gotten at least another 6K miles out of the rears.

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True, and that's what makes ratings like this so useful. They represent the opinions of those that have actually purchased and used the tires. I'm not sure why you think $$ factor into peoples opinions. If anything I'd imagine people would rate them more stringently because they are expensive. If something cost me more I have even higher expectations for that product (not lower). All of the tires reviewed would be subject to this potential bias True not all of the PS2's reviewed will be N-Spec. However, the same holds true for the Conti's and the Pirelli's. I certainly wouldn't consider a survey like this to be in any way statistically significant. However the user comments are interesting to look at. Personally, I have used the P-zero's, Conti's, and MPS's on my cars. I think the MPS is the best of the bunch. The Conti's weren't bad, but you couldn't pay me to put the P-Zero's back on. Their grip levels are good, but after they get some wear into them they get super noisy.

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I'm going to more weight on the ratings provided by a company that is built on and backed by years and years of racing. But that's not to say that I'm going to discount owner reviews. The money thing -- it's the psychology of it. Spending big money on a big brand, it's got to be the best, right? When the Nissan 350z first came out, quite a few people ordered the most expensive model, the Track model, which had lightweight wheels and Brembo brakes. What's the first thing those owners did? Replace the lightweight wheels w/ aftermarket wheels and the brakes w/ a BBK. When asked why they bought a Track model if they were going to bling it out, the popular answer was... because it was the top of the line model. ///Michael

I thought Michelin didn't make a 285 30 18 on the PS2 (N-rated nor non N-rated). But in checking the tire rack, its a new tire that's available in N-spec ($420-ouch). But its the first time I've seen Porsche do its N-rating on a tire for a car that is out of production (996.2) Interesting

Never mind, their weblink to the classic 911 tire recco. shows that they have done it a lot in the past

Adding fuel to the fire. Contisport Contact 2 ---- absolute ****e. They give up the ghost after they get hot. But they ARE predictable at the limit Bridgestone S02A ---- better grip, stiffer sidewall, harsher riding than the contis. They last a bit more and a little less gradual falloff at the limit but their limit is higher than the contis. Michelin PS2 --- softer sidewall, better steady state grip, more comfortable ride, less noisy than either of the above. They do cost more, but I find them noticably better on the street and on the track. Initially, I found them less responsive because of the softer sidewall. The car had to settle into the turn so it felt like I needed to look into the suspension for some blown shock or something. But once they do settle in, they hang on for a lot longer than either the contis or the S02A. In terms of mileage, I am getting about the same mileage out of all 3.

Personally, I have used the P-zero's, Conti's, and MPS's on my cars. I think the MPS is the best of the bunch. The Conti's weren't bad, but you couldn't pay me to put the P-Zero's back on. Their grip levels are good, but after they get some wear into them they get super noisy. +1 on that, mine were so bad i thought I had bad axle bearings, put some new ones on ( more toro rossos) and i was amazed because all the noise went away. But they stick, they do stick.