Would you use Sumitomo on your 996?

So my rear tires are just about done after 3 summers. The fronts are still very good. I started researching tires again and reviewers are giving the sumitomo htr z good reviews. I want to know what the 996 world thinks of them. Please comment on these tires!

Ran on my C2... Fun tire. Not PS2 but not PS2 price. My 295 18 30s on GT3 RIMS

I've had them on my C2. They are a good tire for the money, but I had trouble keeping them in balance during the last third of their life.

Different car but I tried these on my Subaru STi and hated them after about 1K miles. I ran advan ad08, re070, hankook rs3 and direzza star spec on that car and preferred the rs3. The summi were put on when I had decided to sell it as they were cheap. I only put on around 2500 miles but couldn't imagine running them down to 50% or lower tread depth. This was a 255/40 17" on 9" wide rims on all 4 corners. I have wondered if they would be better on a smaller car but would not purchase them again regardless. They do seem to be popular here though.

I'm on my second set of rears, and I like them. Good bang for the buck. I hated the Michelin Pilots I had on before. (I wish the fronts would wear out!) My ONLY complaint is they seem to flat spot quickly. First couple of miles in the morning can be a little bumpy, but not bad. They warm up quickly. I live in South Carolina, so it's not like we have a lot of cold weather. (However, they suck in snow! Got caught this past February in a Pennsylvania snow storm, and I was all over the road. How I didn't wreck is beyond me, and I grew up driving in the stuff.)

If your using them just for street driving, I can't think of a better set of tires for the price, ride, wear, rain traction, etc. I have them on my 996 as its street tire. Have them on several other cars too.

I got a set for my C2 and they are fine for the street although I find them a little noisy. I've used them on the track and at an autocross event and have not been particularly happy with the grip in those conditions. If you're thinking about going with the Sumis, I would give some thought to how you expect to use them. If you need the grip, I'd look at other options...my $0.02.

I have them on my C2 and aside from being noisy they are fine. Tire Racks website shows there noise level to be better than average so maybe it's just me.

I would use sumitomo tire UNDER my car to sit on in storage if I didn't have jack stands

I installed a set on my 996 because my ps2s were totally shot and needed a street tire temporarily. They're okay, do just fine for driving around, but you'll hate them if you race as they're so much worse than the rs3, rivals, star-specs, etc it's just depressing. If I never raced or drove hard I'd be fine with them. If you were local I'd sell you my set with 3k on them for a good deal.

I liked them on my '99.

I switch back and forth between a set of the Sumi's and a set of PZero's, same size, both on factory 18x10 wheels but different style wheels. The PZero's are stickier but a lot pricier. Note that the Sumi's are a LOT narrower than the PZero's. So if you are used to and like the way a PZero extends past the edge of the rim you will be disappointed in the Sumi's. My first though was that I had mistakenly received a set of 265's instead of the 285's that I ordered. ('02, 10" rear wheel, 285 width tires). As someone else noted, the Sumi's do flat spot quickly and take maybe half a mile to re-round. For normal daily driving the Sumi's are fine. For anything where grip really matters you probably get what you pay for.

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Don't hold back Joe. Tell us how you really feel!

Have them on my C4S, they were put on new when I bought the car. I've owned the car now for a little over 7 months now (all street driving). No real complaints with the tires, other than the flat spotting mentioned above. I don't have anything to compare them to, since I've never driven the car with another tire. When it comes time to replace them, I'm pretty sure I'd stick with them. Seem to be a great value for a car like mine that never sees a track.

On the noise issue, they seem quieter to me than my previous Mich PS. What, in that price range, would give similar performance with less noise?

had sumitomo until last month. They are okay but very noisy especially when they are worn. Definitely not for DE but it's the cheapest tire for the size.

locally our P club runs (DE events) on an old airport strip and the sumis do quit well. The concrete really tears up all tires regardless of brand or compound. so price is the great equalizer. daily use I wouldn't be ashamed one bit!

I tried a set of Sumitomo HRT ZIII tires on my C4S. They were not good. I will never buy them again. They were noisy, the ride quality was poor and they were really stretched on the wheels, offering little to no rim protection.

I have Sumi 3s and have no noise and like the way they handle on the road. They are 18" and this will be my 3rd summer on them.

The dealer I bought my 996 from put new Sumis on before I took delivery. I like them and you can't beat the price.

I do not have confidence in them.

I went thru several sets of the Sumi 3's when I had the 996. I sold the car with them too. In a pinch for a new cheap set of tires you can't go wrong.

I ran Michelin Pilots Sports PS2s on my M3s and they were not in stock when I needed to replace the tires on my C4S, so I thought I'd get a cheap set of Sumitomos until the Pilots were back in. I'm pleasantly surprised by them, and while louder than the Pilots, I don't feel like I've given up grip. I may be a repeat buyer of these when time comes.

OK for a street tire, usual 2 to 1 wear, not a good track tire. Have one of the BF goodrichs on now.

Depends on your budget . Michelin is the best. Sumi is low cost and I am happy with them on the street and have even done occasional ax and track with them - driver was the limit not the tire if you still can't make up your mind perhaps go with something in between like Conti dw ?

My car came with a new set of ZII's. They felt "squirrelly" so at the end of the summer, I replaced them with a good set of all season tires and sold the ZII's to my buddy. The all season tires actually performed better. That being said, I think the ZIII is a much better tire - no personal experience, just from reading.

Asking Porsche people about non-N-rated tires is going to generate a wide range of comments. You will get some useful comments from people who have actually tried them. Sometimes these folks are frugal; other times, they're track junkies who want to try a bunch of different tires, and sometimes even frugal track junkies. You'll get some useless comments from people who haven't actually tried them because they're cheaper tires. Because if it costs more, it HAS to be better. These are the same people whose kleenex boxes actually say Kleenex and would actually be more tempted to buy a specific model because it comes with Porsche luggage. And you'll get some douche-scented comments from people who can't possibly fathom using a tire not blessed by Saint N, rater of all things round and rubbery, who will accuse you of heresy for even considering this transgression. Interestingly, most people who would disembowel their own children before using a non-N-rated tire also tend to shift < 3K and generally have a V1 in the door bin because they got tired of the beeping when parking near the sliding doors at the laser-treatment hemorrhoid clinic. Regrettably, we haven't seen much from the latter two groups in this thread yet, but I remain hopeful.

I've been using them for years. They performed with confidence in a few bad rain storms and one freak snow storm. Street dry traction is on par with PZero although I've never tracked these. I have an aggressive setup and they have about the same rear 2-3k mile life for the rears as the PZero. Fronts could be a good 10k + for wear. I've used Sumi's on other cars with bad experiences but these are solid.

Never tried Sumitomo but I love my Yokohama AD08R's for street and track.

I have them and love it so far!!!!

trying to add something to this thread that hasn't been said..... I love the Sumi's. I haven't tracked in a few years but I keep the super cheap Sumi's on my car for riding around and spirited driving and expensive (to me) Mich PS Cups for the track. I don't think it's fair to compare street and track use on one set of tires. Especially cheap tires. I lost a tire driving from Dallas to East Texas on the 4th. Cruised over to Tire Rack in Shreveport LA, threw the tires on at NTB and was back on the road with four new tires looking good. Also I used the spare for the first time. Worked great for a bicycle tire.

I have the HTR Z 3's on my 993 c4s now. It's my second set. They are fine for spirited street driving, and based on my skill level, acceptable for limited track and autocross. I am no professional so I stay within my limits. I do maybe 3 DE events a year. I stopped worrying about the N rating decades ago. Like all tires they can get noisy when worn. However compared to optional Michelins I can wear the Sumis down to half thread and replace them twice for the price of one Michelin set if I so choose. I picked up a 996TT in December and it came with new Continental A/S tires. I'd prefer summer tires on the TT but don't see the benefit in removing a new set of tires. They do somewhat limit my acceleration and braking (just not enough grip). However when it's time to replace them, I'll put Sumi's on the 996 as well.

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+1 Same as Southern Man except the snow part as I live in Florida . They are good in the rain, I just slow down. I'm on my second set of rear tires. I got two rears recently for less than $600. The most wear I had on them has been the inner side even though I check the pressure often. I'm due for an alignment soon.

"Two rears for $600"? You should be able to find them much cheaper. I think Tire Rack is under $300 for a set. Add shipping and mounting and you should still be around $400, give or take.

Two weeks ago from Tire Rack: $545 for all four tires. Picked them up so no shipping but had to pay sales tax of $42. The $545 includes that. NTB charged $44 for the mounting so I was in for less than $600 all in. For the driving I do (have Mich PS Cups for the track) I notice no difference in performance or noise level. Even if I did it would have to be significant to overcome this price. .....and on a 16-year old car. ROI

I have had them on my 986-s and my current 996. I like them, but they do tend to flat spot when sitting for a while. I don't think the noise is that bad, but i haven't had any other brand on to compare it to. I have 10k on the rears and can probably get another 5-10k out of them.

i have the HTRZ IIIs and think they are suitable for their price.

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+1 They're good, not great, but they work very adequately for the 2k miles of street driving that I put on my car every year.

^^ 2K /year .. damn must be nice!

I have a very "loose" front-end alignment and as such, I am 40k miles into my first set of front ZIII's and they still have a lot of tread left. I think I might have them adjust it and make it a little tighter, but i have bigger fish to fry. Of course, the rears wear faster with the engine weight and traction coming from them. I am on a second set of rears right now. They do not seem as sticky as Michelin or BFGoodrich but I am happy with their predictability. I think I would prefer something stiffer because I can feel a bit of slip due to sidewalls moving. The other day some idiot tried to move into my lane and i did an emergency move that caused a 4wheel micro slide. The car recovered immediately so there was no panic at all. Good value tires. Would buy again.

I have a set of 18" sitting in my garage. I used them for about 1000 miles to break in a new motor from Jake before going full track car. Lots of life left. If anyone wants them, they are welcome to come pick them up. Not interested in shipping. Just PM me.