Tyre advice please

I am a newbie as you can see and am in need of some tyre advice please. My 996 currently wears Dunlop SP Sport in 225/40/18 on the front and 265/35/18 on the rears. The rears have around 2 mm left so will be needing some very shortly, whilst the fronts are like new. 1. Are these the correct sizes ? 2. Do Dunlop`s usually give quite a bit of road noise from the rear or is it because they are getting low ? 3. What would the best choice be for longevity and less noise ? 4. Is it ok to mix tyre makes on front and rear ? There is 50 quid a tyre difference between Dunlop and Michelin so I was wondering if the Michelins are that much better !

Hi - to try and help with some of your questions: Yes, the Michelins are worth the extra money - PS2's are excellent. No, don't mix different makes of tyre front and rear. Yes, tyres do usually get noisier as they get down to the sort of tread depth level you are at. Now that the colder/wetter weather is here the difference between new tyres and well-worn ones is really big! Porsche original fitment tyres always carry an "N" rating which denotes that they are supposed to be a specific construction for Porsche cars

Thanks It just seems a shame to take off the front Dunlops cos they are like new ! Wondered if I could put Michelins on the rear and then swap the froonts when they were needed.

Is it a C2 or a C4? If it's a C4 don't mix tread front and rear - ever! If it's a C2 you can, but I wouldn't recomend it if you want to explore the limits of handling of your car, or if you have PSM: The slip angles will be different front and rear, which could cause unpredictable handling on the limit, or confuse the PSM. You can always ask if your tyre fitter will give you something off for your fronts... I did that last time as he could sell them as part-worn tyres.

go for the michelins all round and keep the dunies as 'just in case' spares.

It`s a C2 withouT the PSM. so, by the sound of it, the Michelins are really worth spending the money on even at the expense of wasting the front Dunlops then.

Jona Have a read of this http://911uk.com/template.php?page=4 all about Porsche N rated tyres If you got new fronts, best to stick on the same Dunlops at the rear, as it's best not to mix tyres, esp of different brands.

Thanks Sundeep That`s the big question now. Shall I just replace the rears or go the whole hog and change all 4 to Michelins ?

depends on what you can do with the fronts as it would be a shame to waste them I assume they are Porsche N rated I would get those 2mm rears changed staright away as only 2mm is useless in anything but bone dry Maybe a another set of fresh N rated dunlops will help as every tyre is different If you want to chop them for Michelins, they are better tyres, maybe the garage fitter can take your fronts in part/x although you wont get much for 'em ?

Why not change the rears first, drive it cautiously and if you think the handling is a bit odd, change the fronts later - won't cost any more doing them in two visits I wouldn't have thought? I reckon with a C2 without PSM it won't matter at all - might just get a little more understeer at the limit if the Michelins have more grip, but if you get oversteer let us all know - as it means the Dunlops have more grip than PS2s!!!

How do you tell if they are N rated ? Sorry for being thick, but not heard of this till now. Does it say so on the tyre ? Do I have to specify N rated when getting the new ones then ? What kind of prices should I expect to pay for the Michelins ?

they will say N1 or N2 actually on the tyre.

> What kind of prices should I expect to pay for the Michelins ? Phone Micheldever Tyres near Winchester - 01962 774437 and use this as your benchmark price if you're not in the South. I have been unable to find anyone cheaper, but try and avoid peak times (ie. weekends), because there's usually quite a queue (or buy a priority card).

Cheers GD I`ll check the tyres for the rating and if they are not marked N i`ll probably plump for a set of Michelins If they are, then i`ll probably take Watties advice, and just change the rears for now

Try blackcircles.com - they advertise through this site I think & were the cheapest I could find. Should give you a good idea of price.