Which Tyres ??

Hi All Very " newbie" post this but I just got my 996 & the front tyres are Continental Sports & the rears are Pirelli PZero' s I am keen to get them all the same - so the question is which are the best tyres to get ? I know new Porsche 996' s come with P Zero Rosso' s (?) but what do people reccomend. I want a good all round tyre - cost not important - but good in the wet too. suggestions ? Julian

New 996' s come with either Pirelli Rosso' s (red dot) or the Continental Sport Contact2' s. The one you get depends on the model, although both manufacturers make tyres to fit the whole range. Additionally Michelin make Porsche N-rated tyres to fit them as well. Yokohama also make some, but the are not N-rated, although I believe people like Gemballa use them. As to which one is best - this has been asked a number of times. The basic problem is that it seems no-one has tried them all on their own car. Each person seems happy with what they have. I' m happy with the Conti' s I have, and others have spoken equally enthusiastically about the Pirelli' s. In truth I doubt there is much in it. Michelin claim to be good in the wet, and Conti are good in the wet generally in various tyre tests I have seen, although when you look at the tread on the Sport Contact 2' s there are no lateral grooves to let the water out. I would imagine (based upon prejudice and previous non-Porsche experience) the Pirellis give the most dry weather grip, but are less good in the wet, the Michelin are good in both wet and dry but have a slightly softer side wall so may not feel as direct, and the Conti' s are good in wet and dry (possibly best in the wet) and have stiff sidewalls for directional precision. (Note the Michelin cup tyres will be the easy winner in the dry - but best for GT3' s). Personally I prefer Conti and Yokohama, but this is for no sound scientific reason that I have figures to justify. Edited to say: Since there is not much in it, why not look at the prices? If you can get a deal on one then that would influence my decision.

Stuart, I have never seen a comparson test between Pirelli Corsa' s and the Michelin Cup tyres, have you. Silverline recommended the Corsa' s as track day tyres for my C4S (they would they don' t sell Michelins any more). I' ll probably need to replace them at the end of the season and I' m unsure which way to go.

I' ve tried them both & to be honest not much in it, both the pick of the bunch, I think the Pirellis may just have the edge, but I would check prices & go for the cheaper option of the two, as you will probably only get around 10k out the rears !!

Are you talking the Rosso' s or the Corsa' s? I would be very suprised if you got 10K out of the Corsas!

Mark, Too right. I' d guess 2.5-3k depending on how far the track day is away from your house. The further the better as I' d guess actually no more than 1-1.5k track miles.

Sorry I didn' t think about the Corsa' s. What I meant was that if you want more serious grip in the dry then there are track oriented, rather than road oriented, tyres. The one that came to mind was the Michelin cup tyres since I was looking at some on a GT3 recently. The track biased tyres are softer, so are not really suitable for everyday driving since Julian wanted a good all-round tyre.

yeah - A good fast road all round tyre that most likely will not see a track day. Julian.

Mark & Kevin...I am talking Rosso, road tyres haven' t got a clue about track tyres, Julian how is the handling with mixed tyres, I have to say that I only mixed tyres once & the handling of the car went west !!!!!

Grant - handling seems a bit off however I have never owned a 996 before so not 100% sure how it should feel ! I never mix tyres on high performance cars so am keen to get them all the same. Julian.

Julian I think you are sensible although they say different tyres are ok on different axles Porkers are extra sensitive to these things. I go back to what I said in my original reply, they are so close in performance that I would go for the cheapest to replace (or probably Pirelli' s if the price is the same), check out Micheldever' s prices (they are in surrey /sussex I think) even if you buy locally, & make sure the quote is for proper Porsche " N" rated tyres. As I mentioned you will be freindly with your local tyre dealer in another 10k-ish miles !! You could always sell the part worn tyres you take off via Porsche Post. Just a few thoughts !!

Well ' they' must be mad.....[ ]

Nope, they are in Aaaaampshire, Oh Arrrr... Micheldever is just south of Basingstoke, a couple of plough furrows down the A303... Bracknell Tyres are veeerrry cheap too. Bracknell is at the end of the A329M off the M4. Junct 10.

Yep Bracknell tyre & battery just quoted me 125 for PZero Rosso' s N4' s

They are at Micheldever Station in Hampshire (Note - NOT in Micheldever itself, that is miles away!)

Dear Julian we have a 996 C2, which we brought last year, it came with continentails all round and we have recently changed them all to P Zeros. Allan lost grip at a roundabout and lost faith in the tyres at the same time! now he is happy with the new set and puts them to the test at every oppotunity!! [ ]

Just something to bear in mind. Tyre DO have a limited lifespan. After a couple of years they start to harden, dry out, and lose grip. For tyres made in the last few years the date that they were made is moulded into the sidewall of the tyre (week-number and year - 4 digits). Worth checking if buying a pre-owned car, especially a low milage example! Tyres that have started to crack are likewise well beyond thier intended lifespan.

I have only run on Conti 2' s so can' t comment except to say they have never let me down wet/dry or track - well OK maybe a little on the track!! However as far as pricing goes, if you do not want to trek down to Hampshire - Newdigate tyres near Gatwick offer as good if not better prices, and are quite knowledgable on N ratings as well. Gary

NEVER mix makes or ' N' numbers. Try Wraysbury Tyres at Chertsey -Steve or Kevin. 01784 490065. www.wraysburytyres.com Always competitive and wheels handled with great care. Mention my name. Melv