Non-XL tyres. Have I made a terrible mistake?

Had a search on the forum but didn’t see too much on this subject. Am aware that Porsche N-rated tyres are an XL fitment but tyres have come on a lot in the last twenty years. I’ve just ordered some new rears for my 996 Targa, to replace the 255/40/17s that are on at the moment. (Goodyear F1 Asymetric 6 going on, closer to the 5s already on the front - although these fronts may also get changed shortly to match). I have made two heretical choices. Firstly, going non-XL. The tyres as a consequence will be lighter, quieter, more efficient and ride better. Potentially at the expense of rigidity for very high speed cornering and autobahn runs. But I live in London so I’d rather have the former attributes. Question on this front: has anyone knowingly gone from XL to normal tyres and noticed any difference? Second heretical choice: going non-OEM with the tyre size. On my old 40 Jahre, I replaced the existing 285/30/18s with 275/35/18s. Car drove so much better as a result of having a bit more sidewall and a little less width. Secondary benefit of slightly longer gearing which helps noise and economy at a cruise. I wanted to try something similar on the Targa, but it’s slightly more radical in a smaller size. So have gone from 255/40/17 to 245/45/17. It’s only a 3% circumference difference so within tolerance. But again, benefits of ride, looks (at least from the side, especially with small wheels), wet grip and economy at the possible slight expense of ultimate dry grip and sharpness. But I’m quite sure that a 2024 tyre in this size will out perform anything available in 2003 in the OE size, and give more benefits besides. In any case, it’s not like the 996 is short of rear end grip. The added bonus was that I could actually get the latest model in this size - which wasn’t available in the OE 17” size. Feel free to tell me the error of my ways. I’ll be keeping the old tyres in case I’ve made a terrible mistake! Pics as the car was before changes. Have also added 15mm spacers front and rear since pic - will update when I pick it up tomorrow.

Nothing wrong with non N rated tyres, there are some good choices in the market, make sure the same brand and brand type are on the same axle and you keep to the same brand if not the same brand type on the other axle Whist N rated tyres seem to originally date from the car's era, they are actually updated for homologation reasons to keep them up to date. This is referred to by N0 updating to N1, then N2, etc etc as often the sizes are no longer available as a high performance tyre also remember tyres also have a 10 year shelf life, but longer if stored correctly

I thought it was 7 years?

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Depends on the life they’ve led. Lots of UV exposure will age / crack the tyres faster, and if you’ve properly ragged them (ie on track) then heat cycles will take a toll too even if plenty of tread left. 7 years / 10 years is a bit ‘how long is a piece of string?’

Just put some stock size, non N-rated PS5s on mine. They ride a lot better than the 10yo N-rated P Zeroes I had on. Quieter, more comfortable, better turn in. I did stick with XL (for availability reasons) & stock size (despite people telling me to buy 285/30 instead of 265/35).

i got the eagle 6's on mine and theyre a decent tyre - it was a toss up between these and the PS5's but have had eagles before and figured better the devil you know..........................

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265/35s will drive better in all scenarios bar a dry track IMO!

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F1 Eagle Asymetric 6s are probably better than PS5s on balance (look on tyrereviews) so I think you made the right call in any case.

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for high performance tyres used regularly Michelin state 10 years for normal usage and if they have been stored inside, the clock starts when they are out of storage

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yeah i couldn't find anything to separate them and in reviews the eagles edged slightly ahead and having had previously fitted to the turbo twists thought they are good enough for me, good grip in cold and wet and great grip in warm and dry. When fitting I got the same comments from the tyre fitter - you know these aren't N rated mate - the car is 30 years old, that doesn't matter!

My lad uses his car as a daily driver, about 50 miles per day, and he has gone through endless tyres (some burst in potholes, some screws in the tyres, but mainly just worn out pretty quickly). He's mostly used Pirelli Rosso and P Zero. Can anyone recommend a tyre that will wear slower but give good grip ?

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Michelin lead the pack on wear - so probably PS5 if they come in the right size. Primacy also good if not a sports car.

Rossos are the fastest wearing tyres I have ever experienced. I replaced the run flats on our 535d Touring (this was nearly 20 years ago now (can't believe I'm saying that!) with Rossos. I went to the Geneva Motor Show with them just fitted, and then a couple of weeks later went to Paris, and obviously did my daily duties inbetween too. But only put around 4000 miles on them, and a lot of that was on nice autoroute surfaces, but they needed replacing. Now, put two more on and again they were done with less than 4k on them. I can't remember what I put on next, probably Michelin PS2's, but they lasted far, far longer. The 535d had some serious torque going through the rear, it was DMS mapped, but the tyres that replaced the Rossos lasted twice as long, maybe longer. I think Geo makes more difference than tyre widths when we are discussing these differences. The latest Michelins lose a lot of steering feel, that sharp turn in is all but gone. I have them on my car and they are fine, comfy, last, quiet, grippy, but not that much fun. Hearing some very good reports on Conti Sport Contact 7s. But also really like the Eagle F1 assymetricals. I would never mix tyre patterns front to rear either, not quite as bad on a 911 because the weight is on the back, but drive an M3 with different tyres front and rear to see how much it can screw the handling up. Not always, sometimes the combination works, but when it doesn't it is scary.

I have Eagle F1 Asy 5 on the rear and 6 on the front (changed at different times) and really rate them. I have F1 Supersports on another car and they're epic - shame they're not available in our fitment. Regarding XL vs not, just make sure the load rating meets or exceeds the OE fitment. Not sure what that is for 996 tyres off the top of my head, but it will look like 99Y or 104W the numbers are load rating, the letter is the speed rating.

I have Asymmetric 5s on my 86, and a good friend of mine put PS5s on his. Both stock size & suspension. After spending a few hours as a passenger in his car, the PS5s sure ride comfier and quieter than the Goodyears. Even though I made sure to get the Goodyears in non-XL rating.