Mixing tire brands?

Hi, I found out why my tires are so noisy, the center tread on the rears are on the wear bars and after only 10k miles. I'm not that excited about the Continental OEM tires and was considering another brand. Is it a problem if I keep the front Continentals and go to anoher brand for the rears or am I stuck unless I buy all 4 tires from the same manufacturer. Thanks for the help.

I don't believe that it is ever recommended to mix brands and models but it's up to you. It sounds as though the current rear tires may have been over-inflated, causing the middle to wear before the edges.

I have done it for several 10's of thousands of miles, on both P cars. Now, I only use them for playing and commuting.............I have had no noticable negative experiences. The closer you match the durometer the less adheasion issues you should have.....but again, i don't really drive my cars to anywhere near their limit. (Exception: When I go vette hunting with the GT, I run hoosier track tires). You are gonna wear out rear tires twice as fast as fronts (on a 996), so even if you started with a complete new set of matched sneakers, they will not match after a few thousand miles......

On a C2, you could get away with it, though I would never recommend it. On your C4, I wouldn't even think about it! You're going to put stresses on the center differential that it was never meant to take. The wear pattern on the rears was due to overinflation, and that definitely could have contributed to why you didn't like the tires! Replace them with another set of Conti's and make sure they're at the correct pressure this time.

Def don't mix and match brands, asking for trouble, esp with a c4.

Porsche recommend you don't mix brands or N-ratings.

Thanks for the help guys, I may stick with Conti's to save money, the fronts look excellent I hate to throw them away

You'll find some really good reading on mixing tire brands in this thread: https://rennlist.com/forums/993-forum/103509-tire-experience.html

the rears wore before i sold my 996 and i mounted falkens (cheap a plentiful) and kept s-02 bridgestones upfront. the subjective difference of around town driving, was like mixing old/new tires of the same make/model. definately not a dangerous thing to do...

From Tire Rack: ------------------------------------------------- Sports cars are often described as vehicles that "stick to the road." Sports car tires make a major contribution to this phenomenon. These tires are very complex products meeting numerous, largely contradictory demands. Finding the proper structure that balances these demands for any given application is the great challenge in tire design. Porsche designs and manufacturers some of the highest performance vehicles in the world. Because of the integral role that tires play in vehicle performance, Porsche has integrated tire development throughout their process of vehicle development. To be an Original Equipment tire provider on a Porsche vehicle or be approved by Porsche for the replacement market requires the joint product development efforts of the tire engineers working alongside the Porsche vehicle engineers. The focus in recent radial tire development for Porsche vehicles has primarily included optimum handling on dry surfaces and the safest possible behavior on wet surfaces, even at high speeds. Tires developed by various manufacturers, in concert with Porsche, offer a specific set of wet grip properties which few, if any, other automobile manufacturers demand in equal measure from the tires they use on their vehicles. Tires may be specified for a particular vehicle or range of vehicles and must successfully pass the tire company's laboratory tests to assure that they would be capable of adequately supporting the Porsche vehicle while allowing it to reach its top speed on the German Autobahn. Additional laboratory, test track and race track tests are conducted to confirm that the prototype tires meet Porsche's noise, hydroplaning and handling requirements. Prototype tires will also be evaluated to assess their high-speed durability, uniformity and serviceability. Upon test completion, the tires will be released for production. Production tires that have passed all of the tests and received the engineering department's release can be branded with an N-specification. The N-specification brandings include: N-0 (N-zero), N-1, N-2, N-3 or N-4. These markings on a tire's sidewall clearly identify them as approved by Porsche for their vehicles. The N-0 marking is assigned to the first approved version of a tire design. As that design is refined externally or internally, the later significant evolutions will result in a new generation of the tire to be branded with N-1, N-2, N-3, etc., in succession. When a completely new tire design is approved, it receives the N-0 branding and the succession begins again. It is recommended that only matching tires be used on Porsche vehicles. Since many Porsche vehicles are fitted with differently sized tires on their front and rear axles, this means matching the tire make, tire type and N-specification. If a vehicle was originally delivered with N-specification tires that have been discontinued and are no longer available, it is recommended to change all four tires to a higher numeric N-specification design appropriate for that vehicle. Mixed tire types are not permissible. It is also important to know that while Porsche N-specification tires have been fine tuned to meet the specific performance needs of Porsche vehicles, the tire manufacturers may also build other tires featuring the same name, size and speed rating as the N-specification tires for non-Porsche applications. These tires may not be branded with the Porsche N-specification because they do not share the same internal construction and/or tread compound ingredients as the N-specification tires. Using tires that are not N-specific is not recommended and mixing them with other N-specification tires is not permissable. Tires should be replaced no less than in pairs on one axle at a time. Only tires of the same tire make and type must be used. However, in case of tire damage such as cuts, punctures, cracks or sidewall bulges that cause a single tire to be replaced for safety reasons, the remaining matching tire on that axle must not exceed 30 percent wear. If the remaining tire has more than 30 percent wear from new, it should also be replaced. Handling inconsistencies may result if this is not done. Initially, new tires do not offer their full traction. Drivers should therefore drive at moderate speeds during the first 60-100 miles (100-200 km). If new tires are installed on only one axle, a noticeable change in handling occurs due to the different tread depth of the other tires. This happens especially if only rear tires are replaced. However, this condition disappears as new tires are broken in. Drivers should adjust their driving style accordingly. NOTE: The last two paragraphs are excerpts from recent Porsche vehicle owner's manuals.

Dont mix brands.

Thanks everyone, I'm clear on my options now

Def don't mix and match brands, asking for trouble, esp with a c4 On a C2, you could get away with it, though I would never recommend it. On your C4, I wouldn't even think about it! how is a c4 different than a c2 re different tires on the front axle vs. the rear? i would question porsche's explanation about mixing or non-approved tires. the changes guys make--with aftermarket suspensions, agressive alignments, 19s or non-standard tires sizes--impact road worthiness (safety?) by an order of magnitude greater, than mixing diferent brands of tires. i fail to see why 'mixing' would be a bad thing.