Conti Sport Contact 7s - Page 3 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

It’s fast approaching new tyre time for my 987.2 Cayman and I wondered if anyone had an experiences of the new Continental Sport Contact 7s. They seem to get great reviews online but I can’t find anything on how they wear. Previous versions of the Sport Contacts were apparently terrible for wear so despite being cheaper than equivalent Michelin Pilot Sports, they didn’t represent better value, hence I’ve always gone for Michelins. Has that changed now? My car is on 19s with 235s on the front and 265s on the back. No track use, just road, so wet weather performance is really important to me.

I used Conti SC 2s and 3s on BMWs years ago which were excellent for wear, then tried the 5s which were terrible. Is there no Michelin which will fit? I've had faults with both Pirelli and Goodyear on my 981, on PS4S now which seem fine for grip and wear.

I'd be interested to hear how these wear as well. I put conti sport contact 5 on the GLE400d and they only lasted 3 months/6k miles. So I can't say that I rate them very highly at all in fairness. As a comparison the MPS4S lasted 15k miles, and the Pirelli P Zero lasted 20k miles. So I wouldn't go anywhere near a conti tyre now to be honest for sure(I never rated the contis that were on the Z4M or the E92 M3 to be fair either). For me personally I'd go Michelin all day everyday, however I also really rated the Pirellis too though. Contis are massively overrated in my opinion.

No recent Continental experience, and I am more than ready to be crucified for saying this... Most of the Michelin sport tyres everyone loves on their Porsches aren't that great in the wet. Pirellis are definitely not as good in warm/dry conditions, but they are to my mind a fair bit better in the wet. To the point that I left a set of P Zeroes on my 981 GT4 for a predicted wet track day at Silverstone earlier this year. I was really glad I did, as I could drive really confidently in very wet conditions. It dried out later in the day, and you know what? They were alright! I'm sure I would have gone faster in the dry if I had my Michelin Cup 2s on the car, but that would have involved not having any monumental "offs" in the morning when it was wet. I also ran P Zeroes on a 718 Cayman for 17,000 miles, because it was what it came with, and was really happy with them as an all-round summer road tyre. Also for consideration, Goodyear Eagle F1. My second 718 came with those. Better than the Pirellis I think, but pretty similar in being a good all-rounder. Only kept the car for about 8,000 miles, and did the only long winter on Pirelli Sotto Zeroes, but no issues with the tyres it arrived with. And finally, the latest is a Cayman 4.0 GTS, that came with Michelin PS4S. In the dry, on the road, they are everything everyone says. In the wet, less so, but OK, at least predictable I think (/hope! So far so good.). A very good dry weather road tyre, but probably not the best in the cold and wet. No issues with aquaplaning so far at least. I'll be changing over to some 18" wheels with Pirelli Sotto Zero when the weather gets just a little colder. Winter tyres are better for winter weather, and it doesn't matter all that much who has made them for that to be true. Liam

LiamH66 said: No recent Continental experience, and I am more than ready to be crucified for saying this... Most of the Michelin sport tyres everyone loves on their Porsches aren't that great in the wet. Pirellis are definitely not as good in warm/dry conditions, but they are to my mind a fair bit better in the wet. To the point that I left a set of P Zeroes on my 981 GT4 for a predicted wet track day at Silverstone earlier this year. I was really glad I did, as I could drive really confidently in very wet conditions. Liam Pirellis better in the wet? The P Zero is the worst cold/wet combo tyre I've experienced on a number of cars including 997, 987, 991, 981 and on a number of other performance cars. When new they are OK in the wet but the wet grip dops off like a cliff edge, especially in cooler temps. My ex and I had a 991 C4S which came on P Zero N1s and bad doesn't even come close to how I'd rate them. The were swapped for PS4S and the wet weather performance was night and day better - this wasn't just as the Michelins were new; the Pirellis were ditched with about 5mm of tread left as they were so bad (still in the garage if anyone wants them - I tried to give them away before and got no takers). If you want to drift in drizzle then the P Zero is a great choice, but as the OP says they want wet grip I wouldn't go near P Zeros. On track the P Zero may work better as you'll be able to get them hot, but on the road the only positive I can say about them is they are predictable.... in never having any wet grip. In fairness, the Pirelli winters I have for my Cayman are actually pretty good and better in the wet than the P Zeros were. We all have our opinions and I respect that but having driven a pile of cars on P Zeros I cannot understand anyone recommending them. On the 9X7 cars, N rated PS2s work better in my experience.

I haven't tried the Conti SC7's but a friend is running them on his E92 M3 and has been impressed so far. I'm running PS4S on my R, and whilst they are a great tyre, they are also a nearly 7 Yr old design. If you watch the UUHP test on Tyrereviews.com, they thoroughly recommend the SC7 and also the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport as having moved the game on from the much loved PS4S. In particular the SC7 was super strong in the wet, as well as excelling the the dry. From the wear ratings on the site, the Michelin is still the best, but the SC7 is noticeably better than the SC6. The Goodyear is slightly behind the SC7.

Thanks all, some great insights there. I've always used Michelins as a rule, I have two sets of wheels for the 987.2, a set of 19s with Cup 2s on and a set of 18s with MPSS. The 18s came with the car when I bought it in 2020 and were brand new at the time; they currently have loads of life left as I only do 3-4k miles per annum. The 19s are an extra set of wheels I bought a couple of years back and came with the Cup 2s which I've run in the summer months. They've been great, even in the wet but they're now due a change which is why I'm looking at all the options. I was going to go for a set of MP4S but I thought I'd do a little research before committing. I can't believe they've been around for 7 years, seems like only a couple! It was the the tyrereviews video that highlighted the Conti SC 7s being better in the dry and the wet than the MP4S tyres. They're also a bit cheaper so it seemed a win-win if they didn't wear like the old Colti SC 5s did. IanB_76 said: I haven't tried the Conti SC7's but a friend is running them on his E92 M3 and has been impressed so far. I'm running PS4S on my R, and whilst they are a great tyre, they are also a nearly 7 Yr old design. If you watch the UUHP test on Tyrereviews.com, they thoroughly recommend the SC7 and also the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport as having moved the game on from the much loved PS4S. In particular the SC7 was super strong in the wet, as well as excelling the the dry. From the wear ratings on the site, the Michelin is still the best, but the SC7 is noticeably better than the SC6. The Goodyear is slightly behind the SC7. Thanks Ian, that's useful. I'm in no rush as the MPSS are on the car right now but it sounds like the SC7s would be worth a punt to see how they wear in the longer term. Hopefully Black Friday will produce some good deals

Running the Conti 7s on my F80 M3 - the MichelIn Pilot Supersports that were on it from new are truly shocking in the wet, the Contis have at least matched the dry weather performance if not bettered it whilst adding a gread deal of surefootedness to the wet/cold experience to the point I actual enjoy driving it in the rain now wheras before it was a very nervy affair at best!

Following as I also have a 987.2 on 19's that needs new boots soon. Currently running Potenzas which were on the car when I got it. They're ok but not brilliant. Always liked the PS4s which is currently on the i30n. That said, I'm interested to try the conti 7's so any more feedback would be ace !

No info regards the Conti's but I agree with the post about the Pirellis. I had them on my 986 S and they just let go on me. I then read up about them and towards the latter part of their life this sort of thing is well documented. I went down the Goodyear Assymetric 6's and they have been fantastic. They aren't any cheaper than the PS4's but have fantastic reviews and putting them on a par with them.

“Better” in both wet and dry and cheaper on paper than PS4Ss is what I’d read. Seemed like a no brainer so I stuck a set on my 997 a few weeks ago. I’m no tyre reviewer but honestly they feel extremely comparable to the Michelins which is no bad thing - they’re fantastic.

PaulD86 said: <snip> We all have our opinions and I respect that but having driven a pile of cars on P Zeros I cannot understand anyone recommending them. On the 9X7 cars, N rated PS2s work better in my experience. Rather than an opinion, I’ve currently got a 981 GT4 wearing a set of P Zeroes (because it turned wet, and Cup 2’s don’t feel safe to me in the wet, even less so if it’s cold), and a 718 GTS 4.0 wearing a set of PS4S. My experience tends to agree with most of the objective reviews, that the Pirellis have a little bit of an edge in the wet. I know most forum opinions tend to disagree with the objective data as well as my opinion. Not that the PS4S’s are particularly bad, and certainly more progressive than Cup 2s. I honestly don’t see why everyone gives P Zeroes such a hard time. They seem more than alright to me, and objective reviews seem to agree. E.G. from tyrereviews.com: Wet Handling [s] Looking at data from three tyre tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during two wet handling [s] tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was 0.15% faster around a wet lap than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. Wet Handling [Km/H] Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during two wet handling [km/h] tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was 3.23% faster around a wet lap than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. Subj. Wet Handling Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during one subj. wet handling tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 scored 12.1% more points than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. Wet Circle Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during one wet circle tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 had 1.28% higher lateral wet grip than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. Liam

LiamH66 said: PaulD86 said: <snip> We all have our opinions and I respect that but having driven a pile of cars on P Zeros I cannot understand anyone recommending them. On the 9X7 cars, N rated PS2s work better in my experience. Rather than an opinion, I’ve currently got a 981 GT4 wearing a set of P Zeroes (because it turned wet, and Cup 2’s don’t feel safe to me in the wet, even less so if it’s cold), and a 718 GTS 4.0 wearing a set of PS4S. My experience tends to agree with most of the objective reviews, that the Pirellis have a little bit of an edge in the wet. I know most forum opinions tend to disagree with the objective data as well as my opinion. Not that the PS4S’s are particularly bad, and certainly more progressive than Cup 2s. I honestly don’t see why everyone gives P Zeroes such a hard time. They seem more than alright to me, and objective reviews seem to agree. E.G. from tyrereviews.com: Wet Handling [s] Looking at data from three tyre tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during two wet handling [s] tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was 0.15% faster around a wet lap than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. Wet Handling [Km/H] Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during two wet handling [km/h] tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was 3.23% faster around a wet lap than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. Subj. Wet Handling Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during one subj. wet handling tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 scored 12.1% more points than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. Wet Circle Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during one wet circle tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 had 1.28% higher lateral wet grip than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. Liam The Cup 2 is never going to be the tyre choice for the wet so the P zero being better in those conditions is what would be expected. I've driven my Cayman on Cup 2s in the wet and I certainly wasn't inclined to push it hard. They do not deal well with standing water. Damp/drying conditions when they are warm they were better than expected. I had a chat with the guy who does the tyre reviews videos about the P zero results in various UHP tyre tests as I don't think they match "real world" experience. I wasn't the first person to have said the same to him. I have a feeling there are a few factors in the P zero tests which make them appear better. Many, though not all, of the tests are conducted in much warmer countries and I think the higher temps help the P zero. A couple of years back the P zero won an EVO mag tyre of the year award. The test was conducted in Italy. At Pirellis testing centre. The tests are also all carried on with new tyres and in my experience the P zero suffers far more from a drop in performance when worn than other tyres. When we had the 991 C4S it arrived with P zero N0s on it (car bought with 700 miles on the clock). They were OK at first but didn't take long to be unpleasant in the wet. The car replaced a 997.2 C4S which has been on PS2s and which was phenomenally sure footed in the wet. The decision to change the tyres was made even though the P zero N0s had plenty life left. We were convinced the N1 variant was a big improvement so a set of those went on. The improvement was massive over the N0s but it didn't last. By the time they had some wear on them they were just like the old set and these are the tyres I still have in the garage with 5mm of tread on them as they were ditched for PS4s. The car was sold with PS4s which were fairly well worn and still doing better than the P zeros in the wet. So whilst I agree that there is plenty of test data which makes the P zero look good, I question whether the reason for the strong showings is the tyres being new and the temps being high. I'd be interested in a test of the same tyres with 20% wear and at Millbrook in autumn rather than summer in Italy, the states or the south of France. The chap from tyre reviews said that while good to do, testing of worn tyres is extremely expensive and logistically challenging.

I bought a Cayman earlier this year with Conti 7s on it. They had clearly had some hard track driving done on them and looked pretty well worn - indeed I was worried about getting them through the MOT. Since then I have done about 600 track miles, 50 hill climb runs and a couple of thousand road miles and they are still comfortably road legal. They were sticky when it was hot and dry, much more so than I expected. And they have been great in the wet. Progressive handing in the dry and wet, with no snappiness. I will be replacing them with Conti 7s when they finally give up.

I recall it was the PZero N0 which got stick (mine were awful) but the later N1 version was better received. Not sure if there's been another update, N2 etc? I had GY F1 A2 on my 981 for a while but the fronts split all the way around the inner sidewall (MOT fail). Current PS4S seem fine.

I replaced wheels and tyres on a. 997.2 and did the same research to establish which is the better tyre. I had MPSS but 3 out of 4 were 10 years old, so not a fair comparison but now running 9x19 and 12x19 with 235/35 and 305/30 My impression is nice road feel with a lot of bite and grip (I disliked MPS4S on a BMW F10 M5, it lost all the steering feel and turn in, so I have avoided MPS4S ever since, although I think the heavy fronted M5 is not a fair indicator) Great dry grip and really feel 'grippy' and tactile. In the wet they are very confidence inspiring and have grip and feel, so no longer that dreaded disconnected greasy slidy problem that can happen from time to time. I'd definitley buy again. I cant provide a direct comparison but they are a good tyre even if non N rated

Great stuff, thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm going to give the Sport Contact 7s a go, I meant to say given the car is now over 10 years old, I'm not bothered about them being N rated, just how well they perform overall. So I'm just waiting for the wheels to get back from being refurbished which should coincide nicely with Black Friday to hopefully get a good deal on a set of 4

AndrewGP said: Great stuff, thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm going to give the Sport Contact 7s a go, I meant to say given the car is now over 10 years old, I'm not bothered about them being N rated, just how well they perform overall. So I'm just waiting for the wheels to get back from being refurbished which should coincide nicely with Black Friday to hopefully get a good deal on a set of 4 Look forward to hearing your thoughts. Definitely good to have other options than PS4S... just need the PSS5 to come out for non-OEM now.

IanB_76 said: Look forward to hearing your thoughts. Definitely good to have other options than PS4S... just need the PSS5 to come out for non-OEM now. That's not how they are replacing PS4S, "new product" Read the end of this - https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/Exclusive-The-...

PaulD86 said: The Cup 2 is never going to be the tyre choice for the wet so the P zero being better in those conditions is what would be expected. I've driven my Cayman on Cup 2s in the wet and I certainly wasn't inclined to push it hard. They do not deal well with standing water. Damp/drying conditions when they are warm they were better than expected. <snip> So whilst I agree that there is plenty of test data which makes the P zero look good, I question whether the reason for the strong showings is the tyres being new and the temps being high. I'd be interested in a test of the same tyres with 20% wear and at Millbrook in autumn rather than summer in Italy, the states or the south of France. The chap from tyre reviews said that while good to do, testing of worn tyres is extremely expensive and logistically challenging. Well I did say I was expecting to be crucified, so well done for your acceptance of the mantle! Agree that Cup 2 are not great (AKA crap) in the wet, but my only genuinely scary experience in the 981 GT4 was with well worn Dunlop Sport Maxx in cold/wet “greasy” conditions not long after I got it. I ordered my first set of P Zeroes before driving much further in the car. On the track, in the dry, with the right pressures, I can see why people rave about Michelin Cup 2. Amazing tyres, just have to b a bit careful if it rains on the way home. Clearly last few days has been experience of wet weather here in the UK, and the PS4S definitely has some benefits over P Zero in the wet, particularly in standing water on the motorway. My gut feel is that they clear water a bit better, but it takes a special sort of bravery to risk aquaplaning on the M65 when it has rained heavily, so I remain circumspect on the commute. The Michelins are pretty much brand new, on a car with 1200 miles on it so far, and I am more impressed than I expected to be after today’s very wet commute. I honestly can’t remember if my P Zeroes are N0 or N1, but I’ll maintain my position that they are alright. Like you say, on a warmer day, and scrubbed in, they’d make a great intermediate race tyre. Under-rated on the internet, so they are never terribly expensive or hard to get hold of either. I’m relatively comfortable with them when it gets colder, but I can see why others might not be. If I say much more than that I’ll get unlucky and stuff my GT4 into a roundabout barrier in the next couple of weeks… But so far I don’t feel that’s terribly likely. From specs and objective reviews, Conti Sport Contact 7s look pretty amazing. I’ll be impressed if they feel as good in the dry as Michelin PS4S. Haven’t had much dry weather with the Michelins, and I suspect they’ll get very hot very quickly on track. But, however old the design might be, probably the best summer road tyre I’ve used to date. I’ve had a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 for summer use. In my opinion, great (definitely better than the Pirelli’s in pretty much all “road car” circumstances), but Michelin PS4S most definitely a nicer summer tyre. Liam

On our 981 GTS, we've used PZeros and PS4S (both N-rated). The PZeros were a great tyre - just as grippy in the dry and more direct steering when compared to the PS4S (which have very soft sidewalls). The PS4S felt much gripper in the wet. However, the biggest disappointment with the PS4S was wear on track. They really can't withstand much abuse: we only got 2 track days out of the PS4S before the outside half of the rear tyres were graining and delaminating - really poor! That's compared to 10+ track days from the PZeros. The PS4S seem to be great road tyres but only excel in the wet, add steering sponginess, can't withstand track days, and are very expensive. In my experience, after a few heat cycles, Michelins also tend to go hard and lose their grip before the tread wears out. So on the 981 GTS, given the choice between PS4S and PZeros again, I'd go for the latter. Regarding Conti SC7s, they are comprehensively outperforming the PS4S in all tests. From what I can see, they're matching Cup 2 dry grip and exceeding PS4S wet grip, so it's a bit of a no-brainer IMO. I had Conti SC6 on my previous FK8 Civic Type R, and much preferred them overall to the Cup 2s I also used on it. SC7s will be going on my CR as soon as its warranty expires.

GT03 said: On our 981 GTS, we've used PZeros and PS4S (both N-rated). The PZeros were a great tyre - just as grippy in the dry and more direct steering when compared to the PS4S (which have very soft sidewalls). The PS4S felt much gripper in the wet. However, the biggest disappointment with the PS4S was wear on track. They really can't withstand much abuse: we only got 2 track days out of the PS4S before the outside half of the rear tyres were graining and delaminating - really poor! That's compared to 10+ track days from the PZeros. The PS4S seem to be great road tyres but only excel in the wet, add steering sponginess, can't withstand track days, and are very expensive. In my experience, after a few heat cycles, Michelins also tend to go hard and lose their grip before the tread wears out. So on the 981 GTS, given the choice between PS4S and PZeros again, I'd go for the latter. Regarding Conti SC7s, they are comprehensively outperforming the PS4S in all tests. From what I can see, they're matching Cup 2 dry grip and exceeding PS4S wet grip, so it's a bit of a no-brainer IMO. I had Conti SC6 on my previous FK8 Civic Type R, and much preferred them overall to the Cup 2s I also used on it. SC7s will be going on my CR as soon as its warranty expires. I’ve recently put PS4S on my 992S and I agree the steering feels less direct than the previous tyres (NA0 Goodyears). I’ll not buy them again but of course they’ll be replaced soon by the NA0 PS5S.

AndrewGP said: It’s fast approaching new tyre time for my 987.2 Cayman and I wondered if anyone had an experiences of the new Continental Sport Contact 7s. They seem to get great reviews online but I can’t find anything on how they wear. Previous versions of the Sport Contacts were apparently terrible for wear so despite being cheaper than equivalent Michelin Pilot Sports, they didn’t represent better value, hence I’ve always gone for Michelins. Has that changed now? My car is on 19s with 235s on the front and 265s on the back. No track use, just road, so wet weather performance is really important to me. My 987.2 is on 18s - and according to Blackcircles PS4 are the only option for a matching set. I wonder if I should be looking for a set of 19" rims.

Old Trout said: I bought a Cayman earlier this year with Conti 7s on it. They had clearly had some hard track driving done on them and looked pretty well worn - indeed I was worried about getting them through the MOT. Since then I have done about 600 track miles, 50 hill climb runs and a couple of thousand road miles and they are still comfortably road legal. They were sticky when it was hot and dry, much more so than I expected. And they have been great in the wet. Progressive handing in the dry and wet, with no snappiness. I will be replacing them with Conti 7s when they finally give up. Really useful feedback, thanks. I've been considering a set for my car and am going to do it.

A new tyre review in this months EVO judging these with the usual suspects on a GR86. CSC7s came first

PaulJC84 said: CSC7s came first They did and won fairly comfortably, although I'm not sure the differences between most of the tyres were huge. It was also conducted at Continental's test facility, FWIW. They do seem like a good choice though.

IroningMan said: My 987.2 is on 18s - and according to Blackcircles PS4 are the only option for a matching set. I wonder if I should be looking for a set of 19" rims. I’m not familiar with 987 tyre widths, but with any Cayman/Boxster that’s not a GT4/Spyder, I think 18” are the best choice for all round road tyre if you can find something that will work. (And I sort of agree about matching, but within limits. I seem to recall my GT4 P Zeroes have more rim protection on one end than the other.) Lots of talk about differing grip levels between tyre brands here. I’ve used Pirelli, Michelin and Goodyear on the 4 Caymans I’ve owned so far with good results. The only tyres I haven’t liked was a set of Dunlops on a GT4. They were well worn, probably on the track to some extent, before I bought the car. So it’s hard to know if a new set might have been better, within the limitations of typical track oriented road tyres. I’d make sure my tyre search was broad before considering another set of rims in your position. Liam

Try Yoko A052s if they are the right size. Wear more quickly but they are excellent in dry and the wet and very quiet.

LiamH66 said: IroningMan said: My 987.2 is on 18s - and according to Blackcircles PS4 are the only option for a matching set. I wonder if I should be looking for a set of 19" rims. I’m not familiar with 987 tyre widths, but with any Cayman/Boxster that’s not a GT4/Spyder, I think 18” are the best choice for all round road tyre if you can find something that will work. (And I sort of agree about matching, but within limits. I seem to recall my GT4 P Zeroes have more rim protection on one end than the other.) Lots of talk about differing grip levels between tyre brands here. I’ve used Pirelli, Michelin and Goodyear on the 4 Caymans I’ve owned so far with good results. The only tyres I haven’t liked was a set of Dunlops on a GT4. They were well worn, probably on the track to some extent, before I bought the car. So it’s hard to know if a new set might have been better, within the limitations of typical track oriented road tyres. I’d make sure my tyre search was broad before considering another set of rims in your position. Liam Appreciate the input. 987s wear 235/40-18 (95Y) front and 265/40-18 (97Y) rear; mine’s currently on the three-year-old Bridgestone RE050As that the previous owner fitted: they have life left in them, but they’re nothing special and the road noise is tedious. I’m sure PS4s would be a safe choice, and it looks like PZeros might also be available, but it would be nice to have the option of something newer. The car doesn’t have PASM, so 19s would probably hurt the ride quality - never mind the cost.

LiamH66 said: I honestly don’t see why everyone gives P Zeroes such a hard time. They seem more than alright to me, and objective reviews seem to agree. I suspect it's because they produced, and kept on producing the P Zero Rosso for far, far too long. The Rossos were awful from just about every perspective, added to which they suffered with horrendous sidewall cracking, something the later iterations of P Zeros also suffered with in the early days. Reputations stick, both good and bad, and Pirelli's Rosso well and truly cemented their reputation for producing poor quality tyres. I've not bought their tyres in over 20 years, and I probably won't buy them again. The issue with the Michelin PS 4S is, it tries to be all things to all men, and whilst it's an excellent all-rounder, it doesn't excel at anything, "jack of all trades, master of none" springs to mind. Michelin I suspect are aware of this, and so have developed the Cup further and in the process made it more track focused, which leaves the 4S well placed to fulfil the needs of the other 90% of the performance market. What's clear is the "jack of all trades" 4S is now a relatively easy target for the likes of Pirelli, Continental etc to better its performance from some perspectives, but rarely all of them.

Seems the Conti 7's are on top at the moment at least of the car in this test the PS4s some way behind. This is from the latest EVO

IroningMan said: Appreciate the input. 987s wear 235/40-18 (95Y) front and 265/40-18 (97Y) rear; mine’s currently on the three-year-old Bridgestone RE050As that the previous owner fitted: they have life left in them, but they’re nothing special and the road noise is tedious. I’m sure PS4s would be a safe choice, and it looks like PZeros might also be available, but it would be nice to have the option of something newer. The car doesn’t have PASM, so 19s would probably hurt the ride quality - never mind the cost. Conti Sport Contact 7s are available in those sizes, but you could also try Michelin Pilot Sport 5 or Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric

IanB_76 said: Conti Sport Contact 7s are available in those sizes, but you could also try Michelin Pilot Sport 5 or Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric You’re quite right - I hadn’t looked beyond a handful of retailers’ sites, but Continental themselves list them.

I’ve done 5k miles on a set of Continental SC7 Very happy with them, good grip in the wet/dry and About the same wear rate as the Mich 4S Did a trackday on them in the wet, in a heavier car than car than the cayman. And was very impressive on the brakes pulling 1.1g

IroningMan said: You’re quite right - I hadn’t looked beyond a handful of retailers’ sites, but Continental themselves list them. You could always get a set and tell us all what you think! If I needed tyres (and I will need some for track days next year, but I’m thinking some more PS Cup 2) then trying a set of the newer Conti’s would be my first port of call. Still need to wear out 2 sets of road tyres before the money is burning a hole in my pocket. I’ll do my best. Liam

Tyres will be due on my GR86 soon. Rotated them to wear evenly so I can go for a 225 as it's more rubber and cheaper. Was going to go PS4 again but want a change. My only concern with Conti's from past usage is once they get to about 3mm they drop grip considerably. Whereas with the Michelin's they'll grip to the markers.

I wonder why the Pilot Sport 5's have not been tested ? For comparison my GT4 on MPSC2's regularly reads 1.34g under braking ... and at Cadwell Park recently peaked at over 1.5g laterally ... The day was dry and coolish ... herewith the last two trackdays ... Edited by ChrisW. on Monday 13th November 15:43

ChrisW. said: I wonder why the Pilot Sport 5's have not been tested ? For comparison my GT4 on MPSC2's regularly reads 1.34g under braking ... and at Cadwell Park recently peaked at over 1.5g laterally ... The day was dry and coolish ... herewith the last two trackdays ... How about in the wet? I think the g-force comment further up was in relation to a wet track day.

A good point which I missed ... I don't have equivalent figures from my PS4S in the wet ... the problem is there is wet, Wet, and WET .... This rather boring video is the best I have in the wet ... on Pirellis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-5LTaoat4I&t=... Edited by ChrisW. on Monday 13th November 22:05

On the Pirellis; I mentioned in a previous post I still have a set of N1 P Zeros in the garage that I removed from a 911 we used to have which have lots of tread if anyone wants them. Off the back of this thread I got a PM asking about them which I responded to with pics and tread measurement (fronts are just under 6mm tread left). Not had a reply but if anyone wants N1 P Zeros for a 991 then let me know and they can have them if they can pick them up in Aberdeen. If not they will go to the tip.

I have Conti 7's fitted to my Jag XFS, I know it's rather bigger than a Porsche though. I've run these now for a few thousand miles. I was going to fit Michelins but I read the tyre tests and these came out very well overall, so as I was replacing all 4 tyres I thought i'd give them a go. In general they're ok, I do find that they seem to be VERY sensitive to tyre pressures, they're horrible at the manufacturer recommended pressures. They also tramline quite a lot. They seem to be wearing pretty well. As for performance, well, they don't particularly fill me with loads of confidence, I guess because of the above issues? Well I have hustled it along, I haven't had any major issues that have caused me concerns, but there's just that niggling doubt in the back of my mind. Would I buy them again? They're not bad tyres but they probably wouldn't be my first choice in the future. I'd still like to try the Michelins.

What are the latest Goodyears, and what are they like? Anyone have them? I found the Eagle F1 A2s to be good in dry, wet, and for wear but switched to PS4S when the Goodyears split around both front rims. Had them on my TTS before the 981. The Goodyears had a softer side wall to the Michelins which gave a slightly more comfortable ride, no doubt at the expense of on the edge handling, but I don't go mad in my Cayman.

Pretty sure the 18” Eagle F1 on my 2022 model Cayman were A2 still (new car Nov 2021). Only did about 5000 miles on them (was on winters for the rest of the time). Didn’t own the car long enough to find out if they would split, but I liked them. Good all rounder. I thought they were really quiet, but after a bit decided maybe no better than P Zeroes. The problem is that after stepping out of the 981 GT4, pretty much anything seems really quiet and refined, whatever tyres it has on it. I thought the same about the PS4S’s on my recent Cayman GTS 4.0 when I first drove it. They are really refined, but I can hear them now. I think a GT4 summer had battered my ears into submission again. Liam

Resurrecting this thread... I need a new set of tyres for my 981 BS. Currently on Michelin PS4S but the Conti SC7 does look better and significantly cheaper. But what is the wear like on the Contis? One of the most impressive things about the PS4S was the longevity, I have a set on another car which has done 20k+ miles and not even down to 3mm yet.

How many miles a year do you do? I only do 6k miles a year, if I have to replace my rears every 2 years it is worth it to get a tyre that has decent feel. Something the Michelins are sadly lacking.

Might be reviving an old thread here, but I had a TT Quattro (2016) a few years back. I fitted 4 Continental Sport Contact 7s to it after watching "Tyre reviews" channel on tests etc. They had a good deal on them as well. All I can say is.....what an absolutely rubbish tire! I kid you not, I had them on the car from October till April the following year, drove 2.5k Miles on them and there were borderline "bald" at the end of that time. I will never buy SC7s again after that, they weren't cheap to begin with and I was absolutely shocked to see the wear so quickly, before I sold the car, I took it to have a "digital" 4 wheel alignment done, and was told there wasn't much point as the car was within tollerance. This compounded my thoughts that the wear on these tires is abnormal. Just my two pence worth. PS I also found the Potenza S007 the same, wearing a crazy amount in a short space of time. Currently running SC5p as they were already on the car when I bought it (Audi S3). Will be changing to PZ5s when they come time to renew.

So you found them too expensive? Gotcha.

I needed some new rubber for my 997.1 C2 and its 19“ Sports Design wheels. I ordered the PS4S again, as I was very happy with them since I put them on. Only that I went for 245/35 at the front instead of the 235/35. Lets see how it turns out.

Not sure if they are available in your sizes or, less importantly, N-spec, but just been doing some research for my own purposes, and the new Pirelli P-Zero PZ5s seem to come out really well in all the tests and subjective reviews. https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product-group-tests/...

The issue I've always found with P-Zeros is that their wet weather performance drops off a cliff edge with a bit of wear. Whilst a Michelin with 3mm left will surprise you with how good it is in the wet, a P-Zero will be the opposite after only moderate wear. I have long suspected this is why they do so well in reviews, but why myself and plenty others I've spoken to find them to be poor in the real world. The new one may have changed that, but I'm not holding my breath or about to buy a set to find out.

Mr_super said: Might be reviving an old thread here, but I had a TT Quattro (2016) a few years back. I fitted 4 Continental Sport Contact 7s to it after watching "Tyre reviews" channel on tests etc. They had a good deal on them as well. All I can say is.....what an absolutely rubbish tire! I kid you not, I had them on the car from October till April the following year, drove 2.5k Miles on them and there were borderline "bald" at the end of that time. I will never buy SC7s again after that, they weren't cheap to begin with and I was absolutely shocked to see the wear so quickly, before I sold the car, I took it to have a "digital" 4 wheel alignment done, and was told there wasn't much point as the car was within tollerance. This compounded my thoughts that the wear on these tires is abnormal. Just my two pence worth. PS I also found the Potenza S007 the same, wearing a crazy amount in a short space of time. Currently running SC5p as they were already on the car when I bought it (Audi S3). Will be changing to PZ5s when they come time to renew. 4th post in 199 months, from an audi owner on a Porsche forum; looking for any thread to criticise SC7s. Troll post.

I've done over 12k miles on SC7s on my 2.5 GTS and they've been great. Think the rears are down to about 3.5mm now. Have noticed the traction light coming on once or twice in the rain but they're still miles ahead of the P Zero in the same condition. In Scotland where it's cold and wet for most of the year, they're very assured. Edited by jeebsy on Wednesday 15th April 11:25

braddo said: Mr_super said: Might be reviving an old thread here, but I had a TT Quattro (2016) a few years back. I fitted 4 Continental Sport Contact 7s to it after watching "Tyre reviews" channel on tests etc. They had a good deal on them as well. All I can say is.....what an absolutely rubbish tire! I kid you not, I had them on the car from October till April the following year, drove 2.5k Miles on them and there were borderline "bald" at the end of that time. I will never buy SC7s again after that, they weren't cheap to begin with and I was absolutely shocked to see the wear so quickly, before I sold the car, I took it to have a "digital" 4 wheel alignment done, and was told there wasn't much point as the car was within tollerance. This compounded my thoughts that the wear on these tires is abnormal. Just my two pence worth. PS I also found the Potenza S007 the same, wearing a crazy amount in a short space of time. Currently running SC5p as they were already on the car when I bought it (Audi S3). Will be changing to PZ5s when they come time to renew. 4th post in 199 months, from an audi owner on a Porsche forum; looking for any thread to criticise SC7s. Troll post. And the only gripe was they were expensive. Haha

jeebsy said: I've done over 12k miles on SC7s on my 2.5 GTS and they've been great. Think the rears are down to about 3.5mm now. Have noticed the traction light coming on once or twice in the rain but they're still miles ahead of the P Zero in the same condition. In Scotland where it's cold and wet for most of the year, they're very assured. Edited by jeebsy on Wednesday 15th April 11:25 How do they compare with PS4S’s?

TrevorHill said: How do they compare with PS4S s? Had PS4S on my Audi TTS which i traded in for the Cayman, but the cars are so different dynamically it's hard to compare the tyres. I didn't really have any strong feelings about the PS4S during ownership. They seemed a solid tyre.

Long time Michelin pilot sport customer here, had MPSS, PS4, PS4S and PS5 across most recent cars Ive had from e92 M3, 320d, Audi S6 and 330d. Been most impressed with PS5 overall due to mix of comfort grip and life, they lasted a lot longer than the PS4s but dont have the response of the 4S. When the PS5s on my 330d ran out earlier this year after 35k miles (most motorway sadly) I decided to give Conti Sport 7s a go... but couldn't get them in the fitment I wanted so I went for Conti Prime Contact 7s and I have to say on the F30 330d on Birds B3 suspension they are absolutely perfect. Definitely softer and more comfortable than the michelins but definitely dont have less overall grip and they are witchcraft in the wet, can drive like its dry! Definitely a smoother and slightly slower response to inputs but I have to say I think they are a much better daily tyre than MPS at soaking up undulating roads and potholes. They track really nicely too and tramline less. If you're in two minds about putting sporty tyres on a car where secretly you want a bit more comfort they are a great choice. So now I have taken a weekend toy in the form of a 987 Boxster (and finally on topic) it has come with an old set of Michelin Pilot Sport 2s on! N4 rated as designed for the car. They have loads of tread left but are getting pretty hard given they are 5 years old on rear and 7 years old on front, the car has been sat in garages a while before I bought it. Compared to the new contis on my 330d these feel like lumps of wood with very little compliance in the sidewall and compound. The grip and response is still good however but combined with old shocks and some creaking joints its definitely not riding as nice as i want but to be expected on a 20 year old car. Ive ordered the koni/spyder springs kit for the car to refresh the shocks and improve the stance, ill see how that improves everything before changing the tyres last. I'll see if I can get CSC7s on the Cayman S 18 wheels but if I can't I wouldn't look past PC7s for that extra tyre compliance with the stiffer suspension that have combined so well on my 330d. That said the only thing I dont like about the CPC7s is the sidewall design, the PS5s are still the king in that dept. Edited by tenmantaylor on Sunday 23 August 23:09