Need New Rear tires

I have been looking for 2 new 265/35 Conti Sport contact N2 for my rear. I like the Conti's because of their low noise with top down. The Tire Rack is out and won't have any till Sept. What do you guys think about putting on different brand in the rear with Conti's on front. I can't belive it would mess up handing that bad. Anybody have any experience mixing brands front to rear?

If you do, get S02-A's, great tire!

Try Costco they have or can get what you want

I really wonder what would happen. These cars rarely, if ever, get pushed to the limit. If you don't do a lot of true performance driving, like say consistently over 100 mph or driving on the track, and do mostly street driving or interstate at 70-80 mph, I don't think it would matter one whit if you used different brand tires front to back.

You might look on ebay - I think I have seen a lot of new takeoff wheels and Conti tires - you might call one of those guys (I think one is porschewheelguy, one is southern exchange, another in Fla.) and see if they have just tires. Also I bet Wheel Enhancement has them in stock.

I would hop on tire rack and get the Dunlop SP Race. They won't last as long but they will transform your car. If you don't like spirited driving and are interested in longevity primarily it's not your tire. But for about $125 per you cant do better for performance IMHO. I'd get all 4.

Agree with bowmanm98. The Dunlop SSRs are great and at a great price. They are a 10 on the street IMHO. The Contis are the worst tire I've ever had--maybe a 2 or 3 max. They are so bad that unless you put a comparable joke of a tire on the rear, you will upset the balance. I have not run anything that is that bad. TireRack doesn't even list it as a max performance tire anymore, and it does among the worst of ultra high performance summer tires. Do yourself a favor and put some nails in the front or any excuse to put some real tires on. It will completely transform your car. Using the above scale, I would probably put my S-03s about a 7 and my RE750s and PZeros about a 6. You might have to be the judge on the SSRs in MN since I'm in CA, and it doesn't get that cold here. With that said, mine were great in January on the street, although obviously I didn't try any circus stunts. If the SSRs are too wild for your climate, I would seriously consider the new Yoko Advan Neovas although those have a limit of 14 degrees F.

Thanks for the input. I am going to try something different on the rear. I'll let you know how they work with the Conti's on the front. If they are really incompatable I'll change the front later.

That's a good plan. You've got nothing to lose except a little time if it doesn't work out. Good luck!

I have had several sets of Contis. They are great when new but have a tendency to age rather quickly IMHO. Then I had a shot at mixing front and rears (had to for some reasons). I will never do that again. Car felt wobbly and not planted at all. Contis on front and PS2 on rear = disaster. I Tried PS2 (non N marked) and they did not do it for me. So the Michelin rep took them back and mounted PS1. Great tire. Would buy again. Whatever you do. don't mix (if you REALLY have to, get at least N marked)

Check that! The SSR's at Tire Rack {from what I hear} were a one time thing, and they don't have any more 265 or 285's left ... only the fronts. The price was an absolute Steal!! Half price! I have heard from Sasco tire {www.sascosports.com} that they may come back later this year {at twice the Tire Rack price} so I bought an extras set of fronts from Tire Rack in anticipation of this.

Ok I just ordered 265/35ZR18 Michelin Pilot Sport Rib N1 from the tire rack for the rear and will run the existing Conti's on the front until they wear out or prove to be unusable. My decision was based on the following: I want a quiet tire. I couldn't get Contis. I have always liked Michelin since I put my first set on my 63 Corvette in 1963! I don't drive the car to the limit on the street and don't track the car. I don't drive it in snow and hardly ever rain. The Michelin Pilot Sport Rib are Porsche approved N1 rated. Those engineers spend a lot of time testing so they probably know more than me. I'll let you all know what the results of my experiment is.

Michelin is great. I am currently running Pirelli Rosso on the rear and Michelin Pilots on the fronts with no problems at all (Michelins weren't available ANYWHERE when I needed them). I will probably stay with the Pirelli when these all wear out. As for Tire Rack, I will NEVER use them again after my most recent fiasco with them. VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE after screwing up my order repeatedly.

I have probably bought 10 sets of tires from the Tire Rack and have always had great service. They sent me an email that they already shipped my tires. I will wait awhile to put them on because the Contis are not quite to the wear bars.

I have contis on the front and bridgestones on the back and I don't have any problems. Car handles just fine for everyday driving. In fact, for a short time I had two different makes (a conti and bridgestone) on the back, again no problems in everyday driving. Should mention that I'm not an overly agressive driver though but even when pushed a little I didn't have any problems.