2001 996 - tire choices - warranty effects.

OK, time for new tires. I bought my 996 early this year with 5400 miles on it. It has the factory Pirelli Asimmetricos on it, which aside from being a crappy tire, are now nearly 4 years old. The car now has 11K on it and the rears are just about done, so I need 4 new tires. I'd love to go with a set of Michelins, but no thanks, with their current supply issues (nice work, Michelin!). So, my next personal choice would be Bridgestone S-03 Pole Positions, and I'm going with 225/40-18 front, 285/30-18 rear. Here's a link to Tire Rack's Bridgestone choices in the sizes I want: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...peed_rating=ZR Note that it lists 2 different S-02 models (N2 and N3), which obviously have different tread patterns. Both are listed by Tire Rack as a "Porsche OE" tire. Then they list the S-03 Pole Position, but it's not listed as Porsche OE. So, three questions for those with experience: Are there any warranty issues with using the S-03? My car still has a year left on the factory warranty. Is there any reason to choose S-02's over the S-03 PP's that I have experience with? Which of the S-02's might be a better choice - the N2 or N3? Thanks in advance, all. Scott

No warranty issues with your tire choice. S-02 vs. S-03 will really depend on what your goals are for the tire (i.e. ultimate grip or wear or noise, etc.) These two tires have been discussed in depth. The consensus seems to be that the older S-02 compounds are better for ultimate grip but that the S-03�s wear better and are more daily driver friendly. Do a search for these tires (don�t limit the search to the 996 board as there were a lot of discusses of these tires on other boards like the 993 board that will apply). Viken had a couple of really good post regarding these tires when the S03�s first came out.

I had SO3s on a previous 996 and I hated them. I know that they get great reviews and all but I found them to be noisy, very, very heavy (yes, it does make a difference) and the wear on them wasn;t great either. If you must have an "n" rated tire, go with the Porsche specific SO2a otherwise if you don;t care about that "n" rating (for Porsche specific), I suggest the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 if you can find them in 225 and 285 for the rear. As far as the "n" ratings themselves, tirerack has a good explanation of what it means on their website somewhere but essentially, the higher the "n" number, the newer the version of the tire is starting at N0 and going up as high as N4 (from what I've seen). The Michelin is a great all-around tire (n-rated Pilots) but I don;t think they're worth the money.

I have the same p-zero's on mine, I love the traction, plus they have long life too. I got 14k out of the rears and am now at 24K on the fronts, now they are done. I run my car alot on the track as well as hard street driving. Maybe I just got lucky.

I've got about 10k miles on my S03s, I've been very happy with them. Much quieter then the P-Zeros that came on the car and those were toast at 10k miles. Also the grip in the wet on the S03s is incredible. Though, if I were to buy tires today I'd probably go with the S02As or Michelin Pilot Sports.

I had S-03's on my old 996 and they were ok, but not great. The PS2's on my GT3 seem much better, but they're the only tire I've had on this car so I don't have much to compare them with. I also like the PS's on my M3. If you can find the PS2's, that's what I'd go with.

Anyone have any experience with BFGoodrich KDW2's. I know, Japanese ricer tire, but I had them on the S4 and I cannot say enough about how well they work. I would also say, they have amazing wet traction. http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/catal...akdw_tire.html

Thanks for the input, guys. Good info. Bet - I did a search but did exactly what you said NOT to do - I limited it to the 996 forum. Here are some things I'm kicking around: 1. Putting on a set of Pilot Sport Cups. Great for track days, terrible wear. I don't drive the car every day though, and only in the rain when I'm caught out in it., Chances are I'll replace tires more by age than tread wear. Thoughts? 2. Good ideas on the Pilot Sport 2, but the rears are only available in 295 width, not 285. From searches here on Rennlist, apparently the 10" rears are not wide enough for the 295/30-18's. Plus, I'm concerned about the 30mm (I have 265 rears now) width increase while leaving the fronts at 225 (MORE understeer). But I don't think 235 fronts will work on my current front wheel widths either.. 3. Tire Rack has the Michelin Pilot Sport "Rib" in stock in 225 and 285. Searches here don't give glowing reviews. 4. Re: the three Bridgestone options - the SO2a's are backordered 'til Feb 05, so the only currently availables are normal S02's and S03's. So, would I be insane to throw on a set of Pilot Sport Cups? I didn't say it before, but keep in mind coilovers/GT3 sways are coming soon, along with 15/18mm spacers....and the car will see a decent amount of track time (I instruct for BMW CCA)......or PS Ribs?......or one of the 2 avail. Bridgestones? arrrghhh......tires.......

Sounds like you answered your own question.

IMO, the Bridgestone RE750 are the superior Bridgestone tire. I have yet to find street tire that has as much traction.

With that intended use, go over to the GT3 Forum and read about the Dunlop SSR. Someone posted a link to a place that has them for a very cheap price (Tire Rack also recently had them at that price too). I know they make a 285, not sure about 225 though. Mike (996FLT6) has them and really likes them as well as a number of other GT3 drivers. Also, they're good in the rain. edit: Found it..."sasco sports at VIR is selling dunlop SSR race tires 235 / 40 / 18 and 285 /30/ 18 for 130 US per tire" www.sascosports.com

Holger....interesting.....all the track driving I've done and I've never heard of that tire. I searched on it and found this Viken quote: Not as extreme as the PSC. Assume that means slightly better wear and a slightly harder compound (a nice compromise between a hardcore DOT-R and a street tire)? And $130 per tire? Maybe I just found my tire!

I'm not sure if it comes in the sizes you want, but if you are considering MPSCs, you may want to consider Toyo RA 1s. Good rain tire, good grip for the track, and should get as good as or better wear than the PSCs. A little cheaper, also.

Remember, if you want a better wearing tire, you WILL sacrafice traction. The softer tires will wear faster, but will give you the best ride comfort as well as traction. By definition, the harder the tire compound is, the longer the wear but at a cost to traction.

I drove on Toyo RA-1s (r-compound) on the street. They are fine when its warm & dry. On a cold, damp morning they are very slippery. I believe the MPSCs would be even more slippery in the cold. But if this is just your "toy" car and you have something else to drive in the wet you should be fine. I am looking for new street tires as well. I heard good things about both the S02A's and the PS Ribs. Now that tire rack is getting the Ribs back in stock (12/22) I believe that is the best option. If you want PS2's they also have a 275/35 -- might be better compromise than the 225 & 295 combo (that I agree would make the car understeer even more). Its slightly larger in diameter than the 265/35 or 285/30 options....maybe it will make our 911 speedometers read more accurately though

My P-zero's lasted 14,000 miles, 10 open track days, and 3 autocrosses. They got very noisy after the first track day. I was very surprised that they lasted as long as they did given the poor reviews that they receive. I bought S02's and I am happy with their performance (very good turn in response and level of grip) but very unhappy with the amount of road noise (tread noise) that intrudes even during city driving. They are noisier than my MPSC's. The MPSC's really shine on the 996. You will spend an equal amount of energy trying to stay in your seat as you do driving the car so you really need to consider investing in some competition seats (GT3?) and restraints. I would not waste money on them if I were going to drive them on the street too. Why wear out expensive R compound tires on the street? I'd either go with aggressive street tires (BFG KD, S02, etc) for dual use or get a second set of wheels for the R compound tires.

earlyapex - are you referring to the S02 or S02A being very noisy? I had heard the SO2A with its more traditional tread pattern was quieter. thx John

I've got the S02 and they haven't gotten any quieter after a few hundred miles. I don't expect a Lexus level of sound, but I didn't expect a tire that is nearly as loud as my P-zeros after they had been worn down to near slicks. Hopefully, Michelin has figured out their production problems by the summer.

As far as warranties go with porsche, the tire must have the appropriate N rating for your car, check it out before you puchase. I also saw the dunlop thread, I'm going to get a set. I was under the impression they were a racing/track tire, not street.

Regarding the Dunlop Dot R tire in that thread...the place linked now shows prices MUCH higher than $130 per tire, and according to Tire Rack the 285/30-18 size has been discontinued and is no longer available. If anyone has any luck finding the 225's and 285's post here......if I can get them at $130 each I'll buy TWO sets and bag one set in the garage!