Tyre choice - I know, it's that old chestnut again but....

I've had a good search around the forum and, as expected, the choice is very subjective. There are a number of posts which refer to the FAQ in the General section but this just links to the Porsche homepage and a search on there reveals nothing! I need to replace the fronts for sure but will probably swap the rears at the same time because they are close to the end. My car is a MY99 996 C2 with option 030 (Sports Chasis - 10mm lowered) on 18" Sport Design wheels. Whilst i drive the car hardish occasionally, I rarely go anywhere near it's limits and don't intend to track it, therefore comfort/noise/wear rate are probably more important to me than balls out performance. I seem to be drawn to the Pirelli Pzero Rosso N4 based on what I've read so far and the fact that there appears to be some good deals on these at the moment ~£500 for all four fitted which is a lot less than I'd expected Without boring everybody who is sick of reading 'Which tyre threads' does anybody have a take on this or have any links to any good info resource on this choice before I go ahead. Many thanks. Paul

Hi Paul, I've just replaced all four of my tyres, and I also have 18" GT3 wheels. I went for the Pirelli Assimetrico N3's all round at £529 inc VAT for all 4. They are much quieter than the Continental Sportcontacts that were on before. They feel much better, especially as I've done a full geometry now too. £500 is a very good price, so I'd say go for it.

Paul - I'm in the same situation although on the 18" turbo-look wheels that come as standard on the 4S. Can I ask where the £500 quote is from? [ ]

The Rossos (N4) are designed for the 996 and they are specifically intended to be quieter and more compliant than assimetricos.

Thanks for the replies. The local dealer I've uased for years have quoted me £550 for the Assimetrico N3's, I was considering those because of Hasan's comments (glad to see you 'love' your 996 by the way, I remember seeing your for sale pics of your 993 which looked fantastic!) Believe it or not, kwikfit.com are quoting £516.50 for the Rosso N4's, their quote is made up as follows Make Model Tyre Size Price Quantity Total Pirelli P zero Rosso N4 Porsche 225/40Z18 £146.00 01234567 x2 £292.00 Pirelli P zero Rosso N4 Porsche 265/35Z18 £173.00 01234567 x2 £346.00 25% Pirelli Tyre Discount £159.50 Valve and Balance £8.50 x 4 £34.00 Tyre Disposal Charge £1.00 x 4 £4.00 Total £516.50 I'm going to try a couple of other places for the Rossos before I decide. Thanks again

I went for Rosso, but another choice comes in relation to sizes, I have GT3 wheels and not all the siazes are available in N5 or N4. The size was available as a matched foursome in N3.. Very happy with them, although I found the Conti's to be quieter !! garyw

Also to add check the Pirelli web site as they had a cashback offer if you registered and bought tyres within a certain period... I won a free driving experience at Thruxton from it.[ ] garyw

I've got Contis on the back at the moment with Falken (I didn't buy them) on the front. I was hoping for something quieter[ ]

I'm glad this thread came up as I'm due a set shortly, and the most surprising thing was the prices that have been quoted, I thought they would be more expensive bearing in mind that my S-Type tyres came to a £1000 (inc. vat) - I will look for a better deal on the 996. Just out of interest, what does the N number stand for? Simon Hill

i'm looking for a couple of rears (285x30x18) (Michelin pilot sport 2) for mine but mytyres.co.uk doesnt seem to list them?? I like the rim protectors on the PS2's! anyone know where to them without getting robbed in the process?

Hi Paul, Thanks for your comments....will try and post pictures very soon! I used a website called www.blackcircles.com and they were very efficient indeed and the prices were very good too. Chillo, I would check the above site as you may be in luck.

Sometimes its worth paying the little bit extra to get a specialist to fit the tyres, cheap tyres and wrecked rims can go hand in hand...[:'(] garyw

No one above is talking about fitting 'cheap tyres' as in brand!...N rated Pirellis, Conti's are recommended by Porsche. We just want to save a bit of money without compromising on quality. I'm sure everyone is in favour of that [ ] My Pirellis were fitted by JZ machtech...so an excellent specialist. You can order from the internet companies mentioned as a tyre is a tyre, no matter who sells it and then you can get it fitted by an outfit you trust [ ]

Hasan, your have slightly missed my point... shopping around to save money on tyres is worthless if you buy the "expensive tyres" from a cheap er supplier who then wrecks your rims. I'm sure no one is adversed to saving money on the tyres, but buying on price alone can work out costly.. garyw

I understand your point Gary....so what I am suggesting is that you can still buy tyres from these places but have them fitted by someone you trust and not the supplying company.

I'd never considered them damaging a wheel..... I know Kwik Fit aren't considered to be top drawer but how hard can it be to change a tyre when you are doing it all day? Does anybody have any experience of them cocking up? Thanks

YES! I would be very careful who I trusted with my wheels. These are stiff tyres and considerable damage can be done (to the wheels and tyres) if they are not removed and fitted with great care. Also, ideally, weights should not be fitted to the outer rims.

Oh yes ... took my previous BMW in to have its third set of tyres, and the fitter pointed out a neat circular scratch around the inner rim. Sharp intake of breath .... "look at that mate ... caused by letting the tyre lever hit the rim while the wheel is rotating .. where did you get the last set done then?" "Errr ... here as a matter of fact!" [ ]

Yes, and was my reason for the above post... a well respected garage local to me..I had a puncture and couldn't get the car to Warwick for my usual guys to do it. It was still inflated somewhat when I arrived. They drove the car on a flat tyre and when they refitted the tyre, not only did they drop it face down and scratch the rim, they tightened the nut up with an air gun[ ]. they then wondered why I wasn't asking them to supply a new tyre as "they could get them next day" garyw

If your wheels aren't scratched up, I would recommend documenting this with the fitter before they are taken off the car and the new tyres fitted. That way, if they accidentally scratch a wheel, they won't be able to tell you it was already like that, which is what once happened to me. You'd be surprised how careless some fitters can be; either scratching a wheel on the machine while putting the new tyre on, or just putting the wheel face down on a rough cement floor, like garyw mentioned.

Just as mbrands says, go round your car first with the fitter and you check with him the condition of the wheels then watch them change them, even kwikfit let you stand in the bays, it only takes 20 mins or so.

Well I nipped in this morning to 'order' the Rosso N4's. It was actually so that I could have a look at the place before deciding whether to go ahead. They had the front tyres (the guy I'd spoken to had gone ahead and ordered them anyway) so I decided to bite the bullet and get them fitted. Saw the manager, checked they were going to balance on the inside not the outside and that there was no risk of them damaging the wheels, pointing out that they were all fine now! They fitted them with no problems, using a torque wrench rather than an airgun, overall a perfectly satisfactory job. Just hope the back ones are OK when they do them next week! Thanks for all the replies. Cheers Paul

Cool. Sighs of relief all round.. I'm glad the first tranche went OK. And good choice on getting the Rossos.

Just about to change the rears on my 996 which as the moment has 285/30/18's on it. Does anyone know if a 265 will fit as my theory is with a bit more side wall it will help ride comfort? Anyone got and opinion?

Depending on the aspect ratio, I think 265s might stiffen the side wall as they would be 'stretched' further. You would need to take advice on the options available to ensure that you maintained the same rolling circumference and adhered to the recommended N ratings. To improve ride comfort (and arguably road handling) you would really need to go to a 17" wheel configuration. On the standard suspension the 996 rides quite well on 18" Rossos, and it is permitted to reduce tyre pressures by around 10%.

Paul, Can you report on the Tires once you have run them ? My 996C4 came with Dunlop N0 d9000, now the interesting bit... the car has now covered 35,500 miles and the ORIGINAL fronts only have the inner edge blatted and the rest now down the wear nobble. The rears are on the 3rd set, so these last about 12,000 a pop, even with abuse from lights BTW my car is a tip. I will buy my tires from Elite, they seem to know what they are doing and were the guys with Red thing car on their stand at Porsche Fest. Andy. Thanks Andy

Got the rears fitted a couple of days later so they've been on for a couple of weeks now. Overall I'm happy with them. There is much less understeer than there was. Basically they are as grippy as a very grippy thing. Pressures were a couple of PSI light so I've just put them up to 36 and 44, can't say I've noticed much difference though. Road noise is probably a little quieter than before but I don't notice any difference in the ride comfort. The jury's out as to whether I like the P ZERO being printed on in Red though[ ]

It's interesting that you say you are experiencing less 'understeer'. More grip at the rear usually increases understeer. I thought the recommended tyre pressures were too high for UK road use and was advised that 33 front and 39 rear were fine.

I mean less understeer when comparing the 4 new tyres to the old ones. The old rears were still OK but probably didn't have that long left in them, the fronts were virtually on the wear marks and I think there lay the understeer issue! I've read lots of different advice on tyre pressures so just stuck with those in the book. I;d be interested in different people's views. Cheers

Well not of cocking it up, conversly the opposite. I popped in to my local KF centre yesterday as they had done a good job of replacing the rear tyres of my old Boxster, so was looking for them to fix a slow puncture on the 996 rear wheel. The manager came out when the fitter was taking the wheel off and came out with the obligatory " it's worn away on the inside and is flat on the shoulder", however I advised him thats as its still legal acros 2/3 of the middle of the wheel, so not quite a panic situation yet. The long and short of it was he wouldnt repair the puncture as in his opinion, it should be replaced due to some markingcreasing on the inside, indicating that the tyre has been run underinflated (which it has by about 4psi). However a chat with the fitter after the manager had gone confirmed my suspicion that he was trying to fleece me for new tyres a bit early, as he said it would have repaired it. He quoted me what I think is a good price of £210 each for Michelin Pilot Sports 285/30/18 ZR N1 fitted, which is by far and away cheaper than anywhere else. He showed what me their buy price is on the computer screen, and what is there recommded price (£267). Obviously desperate for the business!!

i'm looking for 2 michi ps2 same size.... is that price availble at all kwikfits??

Mines arent just Pilot Sports, so that prices isnt for PS2's and I believe they are more expensive, but that price should be acheivable if you say you can get them 'somewhere else' at that price[ ]

i've done a bit of digging and ps2's arent actually available at the moment? not sure why or if anyone else has heard this? so pilot sports it is! especially at if i can get them for £210 each!! but i tried my local kwik fit and they said they can do a pair at £500 but will 'price match' is £210 correct? if it is can you pm me the number of the glasgow branch[ ]

Gary, I had a look could not see anything, was it hidden and you just found it, or was it on the home page ? Thanks Andy

From Elite Horsham, with PCGB discount, I have been quoted £610.10p, exactly the same config as above.[:'(]

Andy, it was on the home page, I only noticed it as I was looking for tyre sizes on the site, I think I may have linked to the Pirelli performance centre link... garyw

Thanks Gary. Well for a set of Rosso N4's .. £488 inc VAT etc etc , from an alloy refurb place in kent Email me and I will provide the details Andy

I dont have PM access, perhaps its a 'full member' feature only! Kwik-Fit Anniesland - 0870 999 7227 ask for Robert (manager) My advice is probably to advise him that "your a friend of the guy with the 911 that came in with the puncture late on Monday night, that he wouldnt repair.", rather than just ask outright for his best price over the phone.

I picked up a nail in the rear tyre of my last Boxster and had it repaired as the tyre was only about 2,000 miles old. A bit later in it's life I picked up another. I called the KF local to where I happened to be working at the time, agreed a fitted price for a pair of Conti Sport Contact N1's (as replacing just one would have been out of the questions) and turned up to have them fitted. Fitter took the wheel off and said "there's nothing wrong with this tyre - I can repair it without any issue. Z rates tyres can be repaired 3 times without a problem". So... he did a perfect job and charged me £12 or something rather than the £4 - 500 I was expecting to shell out. Result! But generally...go to KF to have your Focus tyres fitted and somewhere a bit more savvy for your sports car.

thanks, will give em a try![ ]

Well I am so upset, only just had my N4 Rosso's nearly one month and I have screw in the rear just at the sidewall, so it is unrepairable[:'(] Anbody need a display tyre

Gutted for you, but I already have some tyre tables...[ ] [:'(] two in two months...now I think that was taking the P*ss... garyw