New owner of a 2000 Porsche 911; what tires should I get?

I purchased a used 2000 Porsche 911 (2 wheel drive and 18" tires) quite some months ago with new tires. To my surprise I've put 12K miles on my tires and I just realized my right rear tire is about bald. Now I need new tires. What should I get? Read on if you want more detail... ************************************** I had the Dunlop 9090 series (N0). Apparently Porsche only endorses N rated tires (and there are only so many I've found). I tend to take on ramps to highways rather fast and corners fast, so I suppose N rated are necessary (I guess?) and I might track it once or so in it's life time. What do you guys do? Apparently it costs about 1 grand or so to get new tires that are N rated. If I don't want to fork out tons of dough is it safe to go with non N rated tires? If so which tires are best for plenty of miles and decent/safe cornering as I described? Which N rated tires last more than 10K miles? I don't want to ask too many questions but I'm sure you guys see what I'm getting at.

I am happy with my BFG KDW2, good value, high treadwear, good wet, i do 60-80 hwy miles daily so needed something that was going to hold up. They are not N rated. They are not as sharp as the pirelli asymet which came off, but i have not yet tracked the car. These are a nice compromise for daily driving. They will certainly handle the hard corners off track.

I purchased from tirerack. the N rating means that prosche has specifically blessed those tires for their cars.

No offense 42 but not many have said anything positive about the KDW2 on this board. As for the N rating, I would stick to those. The Michelin PS2 is probably the BEST street tire you can get for the car. Stay away from the Conti's.

My initial feel of these tires was that they were softer than the Assymetricos. If i were tracking the car, i would not use these. However, my primary objective was to increase life span and get more milage. I do almost 30,000 miles a year. About 6,000 with snows. My pirelli's were beyond bald when i took them off. They surface was completely uneven they were so bald. I definitely pushed them. To be safe, i am looking at 2 sets of rear tires every year. There is no way that a 300 tire is going to keep up with a 140 tire. That being said, the hwy ride is a little smoother than the asymetricos. Not as smooth as the 17 dunlop snows, but better for commuting than the asymetricos. The BFG are definitely a compromise. My other choice would have been the conti's because of the treadwear(280 i think). I was looking at $640 for two pirellis to keep a matched set, or 4 BFG for $800. For daily commuting they work for me. If my car was for track or limited weekend high spirited driving i would buy a better handling tire. As far as safety is concerned, after a few days with the tires, i am very comfortable with the handling of the car. Back to back, you can definitely tell a difference. As far as noise is concerned, not an issue for me. The bald one's were way louder, plus my new to me GHL stands out.

N rated tires are really only a requirement if you are dealing with warranty. If you have a Porsche under factory warranty or certified, then can void part of the warranty if you don't run N rated tires. Some dealers are picky about it and others aren't. I can only comment from here on the tires I have experience on a 911. I have Bridestone Pole Position S03's on my car and the only negative to them is they have stiff ride. They are extremely grippy in the dry and wet on the street. The feel very tight and react quickly, but break awya smoothly at the limit. Pirellis by comparison have a much softer sidewall and ride. They turn in softer and have less grip, but are probably the best compromise if you are looking for ride and noise quality. Stay away from the Continentals. They ride poorly, are noisy and don't have a lot of grip. A sport suspension car on Pirellis will feel softer than Continentals on a standard suspension car. For other cars, I like the Goodyear GS-D which is great all around. Good dry grip, phenominal wet grip, extremely quiet and a good ride. I also like the Toyo T1-S and T1-R. They are very similar to the GS-D at a better price. The only negative with the Toyos is they will tramline on some cars.

Hmm, my extended warranty is through Easy Care rather than through Porsche. From what I understand (and experienced with it so far), they'll use anything to try and get out of their warranty obligations. As for getting N rated tires (that give me the most miles per $$) I had been guessing that the Pirelli P Zero Rossos or the Michelin Pilot Sports might be good. I know someone who has gotten 20K miles using the Rossos on their Volvo (some sort of sporty Volvo; don't ask me). Would the Michelin PS 2 be better for miles per $$ spent than the Rossos (or any other N rated tire for that matter)?

michelin PS 2 is the ONLY way to go. amazing tire.

When I bought my car, I went through an extensive search similar to the one you are on. I discovered a few things: N rated tires are NOT necessary for the type of driving you describe. What is necessary is a quality tire with performance and grip matched to your driving style. There are many, many such tires that are not on the N rated list. The N rated list does not equate to saying, "any tire not on the list is unsuitable". The N rated list does equate to saying, "any tire on the list is suitable". As to your second premise above: it is my experience that ANY quality tire that matches the performance of the 996 will cost " a grand or so" for the set, whether or not it is N rated. Finally, there are many candidates, both on the N rated list and not. It comes down to your personal preferences: ride noise, wet & dry grip, tread wear, etc. I chose the Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3. Car & Driver rated it at the top, but there are many others of the same quality and price range that will serve you well. There is no single right tire, best tire, or concensus choice .... especially among this group. Good luck,

20K miles on the rears for pirelli is a fantasy

As for miles per dollar, The BFG KDW2 have the highest treadwear rating, and one of the cheapest prices. They also come in 285, which the continentals did not. I was also considering the goodyear GS. Go to tirerack and compare the specs on all the tires.

Hey mooty, how does the PS2 compare to the PS "RIB"... have you owned a RIB... I think the RIB carries the porsche N designation... does the PS2 carry it? just curious... both tires are well liked but I haven't heard from anybody who has driven their car with both tires...

What is the consensus on the Yokohama AVS Sport?

My so3s have served me well. Thought I would replace them with so2a.

Wow, 14 posts and counting and NOBODY has jumped on this guy for intro pictures Heh, heh, heh.

Well, I don't have pics of my car on me. I do have some shots of a GT car I took while having some work done on my car. By the way, I went with the Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 tires. I guess they're not N rated, but they're supposed to perform well and last (if you don't tear it up too much). Anyone have any opinions about the GSD3's?

I put on a lot of miles as well. Has anybody tried the BFG g-force sport? The customer survey data on tirerack.com seems to fall right in between the Pirelli PZero Rosso Asimmetrico N4 and Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 for significantly less.

As I stated earlier in the thread, I think they are a terrific tire. In their December issue, Car & Driver rated them #1 among high performance tires, with quite enthusiastic praise. Tire Rack has similar comments in their tire test section. Because my car is a daily driver and used for highway trips (with moderately aggressive driving on occasion), I was attracted to the quiet ride, good tread wear, and great grip in both wet and dry conditions. I have passed 10k miles with very little sign of tread wear. I have no idea how these tires would hold up or perform under track conditions, but I imagine that factored into the C&D rating. Here's their summary: First Place Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 As an all-around high-performance tire, you can't beat this Goodyear. It was the best performer in all three wet-track tests and was very competent in the dry. ..... The Goodyear gripped so well that you might not have been certain the road was wet, and it lost traction in a gentle, predictable manner. It held onto the wet track with 0.82 g of stick, an impressive figure considering the worst tire in that test made only 0.67 g.

My first set of rear of F1 GSD3's lasted me 16.5K I am on my second set now. When the fronts wear out I'll try a different tire. So far so good although I wonder about the tire roll factor when I am cornering hard and fast.

Thread reviver away!!!!

Did you ever post pics of your car? BTW I use the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's...just awesome grip but I am sure they won't last long but don't care the preformance of these tyres are great.

Good thread - in the interim - what are you guys using for winter tires n your 17" wheels ? Hey Demon - I'll get back to you soon.

I want to try the Michelin PS2's but for my 18" wheels, they are 30 in the rear rather than 35 which means my speedometer will be high and my annual mileage will be too high. Maybe if I go with 19" it would be more in my favor. I just posted some pics here. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/366423-2-years-now-and-i-am-finally-posting-pics.html

BS RE050A PP

My Michelin PS2 have almost 21K miles on them and that includes 1 DE and 4 Autocross days.

Give me a call, we'll talk differences. Thanks.

Have been using Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s in South Florida for the past 4 years and love them. Excellent grip in the wet, especially in high speed cornering. Has been great at the drag strip as well, though, I don't peel out before my runs. Rears are good for about 15-20K depending on your style of driving. Fronts have been lasting well between changes.

I posted a similar thread here: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/371024-talking-about-n-specs-tires.html I did a search and find this one. I used Good Year GSD3 in my BMW 320 Ci and think they are excellent tires. Good grip, incredible in wet conditions and a nice treadwear. Dou you know if Michelin Pilot Sport 2 are in 285/30 R18 and 225/40 R18 sizes?

No Michelin Pilot Sport 2 are not available in 225/40/18 and 285/30/18. I recently mounted PS2 tires in these sizes on my '04 C2 235/40/18 (N2) and 295/30/18 (N2) and I really like them! Over 9,000 miles on them and the rears are about 1/2 worn. My previous P-Zeros would have been almost to the wear bars at that mileage.

Hancook has a great bang for the buck tire.

Thanks guys. I couldn't mount these sizes 'cause I have to pass the Vehicle Technical Inspection (in Spain you are forced to every 4 years, and after that every 2 and so on).

Tim, whats up, I waited this one out. You guys are getting pushed over. BTW toyo proxes. Now

Michael, this thread was started over 15 months ago, so the statute of limitation for pics has expired so he has amnesty. Damn, that sounded pretty good, didn't it?

I like my Bridgestone Potenza Pole Position RE750's. Quiet, and great in the wet, so far.

Michelin PS2!!! I am on 2nd set on the rear with about 3k left after 23k. 1st set lasted 25k. Still on 1st set for the front (of course), 48k and about half-way thru. Let alone the grip, feel and the fact that I can really use 44psi in the back without rattling my windows out. Best tire so far. The new bridgesotnes are supposedly very good also, but in terms of goodness and longevity, I can vouch for the PS2. (original P-zero lasted 12k in the rear and were crappy after 8k)

But what sizes? PS2 aren't available in 285/30 R18...

265/36 r18 which are the OE size for 99-01 996. Model year 02-04 had 285/30 r18 and identical size front tire to the '01, but with a different offset on the front wheel and width (1/2 inch wider wheel). So your are right, 285/30/r18 not available in PS2 unfortunately.

Dems's is my tires. BEST wet performance I've had on my rear wheel driver. And they're $100-150 cheaper than the Michelin's or B'stones. They won the Car and Driver Tire shoot out last time they did one.

Slightly off topic, but related. Has anyone had their tires installed at Discount Tires? I do not need tires now, but have used Discount Tires for my other cars over the last twenty years. Thanks.

I've bought my last two sets at Discount Tire. No complaints. Good prices (if you ask, they will beat Tire Rack), good techs.