Tyre recommendations - Page 3 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Well going to replace all 4 corners in the next few weeks. Looking for recommendations of tyre brands to go for. My Cayman is not in OPC warranty so don't have to go to N rated tyres, if i don't want to. Oh yeah I'm running on 18's let me know what you think. thanks everyone Edited by rObArtes on Monday 30th December 11:14

Default answer here is Michelin Pilot Sport. Ran them on my old 986s on 18's and they were good. However, Falken FK452 was an excellent tyre at a lower price point on the same car - general road driving plus a bit o' track time (now superceded by FK453). Currently running Bridgestone RE050a on the 997 on 19's and I'm impressed grip-wise though they seem a little more 'harsh' maybe, on the road. Camskill are good for prices for mail order tyres generally and I've found Oponeo very good for mail order Bridgestone prices.

Michelin Pilot Sports are your best option for 18's.

Changed from Michelin PS2's(N3)to Goodyear F1's due to the s t wear rate. So far so good: There is no performance difference and they were £140 an axle cheaper.

ilduce said: Changed from Michelin PS2's(N3)to Goodyear F1's due to the s t wear rate. So far so good: There is no performance difference and they were £140 an axle cheaper. Keep a close eye on the sidewalls for cracks appearing. This is a quite widely reported issue and I myself have experienced it on one of my tyres.

I had Vredestein Sessantas last time, and will almost certainly try Vortis next. An excellent modern tyre, but have a look at the reviews to see. http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Vredestein/Ultra... If we guess your tyre sizes at 225/40 and 265/35? Camskill seem to be selling them ridiculously cheap at the moment - the fronts anyway are at 87. The rears are not showing at Camskill. Have a search round the usual suspects for availability.

tyre sizes for my car are Front: 235 40 R18 Rear: 265 40 R18 will local indie tyre centres be ok about fitting tyres not supplied by them? and how much for fitting? thanks

Indies appear to have their own policies which vary widely from it being 'no problem', to not wanting to know at all. My local indy charges me £10 a corner to fit and balance tyres not supplied by them.

Trev450 said: Indies appear to have their own policies which vary widely from it being 'no problem', to not wanting to know at all. My local indy charges me £10 a corner to fit and balance tyres not supplied by them. Indeed, my local 'back-street' man will fit and balance a tyre for a fiver, cash... which is fine for our Fords, but I wouldn't trust him with my Porsche rims. Local Porsche specialist charges £30 but I have NO fear whatsoever about my wheels or the quality of the balancing. Pays yer money and takes yer choice!

Just for your info, may be of use? I have fitted tyres on my boxster that were not N rated and had to sign a disclaimer with the tyre fitter to say that I had accepted this fact. Porsche approves N rated, not sure how it affects ones insurance without? That said, the tyres recommended so far on this thread are N rated anyway.

ok thanks for the replies just a quick Q, are all Bridgestone RE050a tyres N rated?

No. N rated on our 997, standard RE050a on Mrs FarQue's MX5 from the factory.

Trev450 said: ilduce said: Changed from Michelin PS2's(N3)to Goodyear F1's due to the s t wear rate. So far so good: There is no performance difference and they were £140 an axle cheaper. Keep a close eye on the sidewalls for cracks appearing. This is a quite widely reported issue and I myself have experienced it on one of my tyres. I did a search and found some evidence on the first generation: Asymmetric 1's, but not on the Aysmmetric 2's. Any links to the latter?

ilduce said: Trev450 said: ilduce said: Changed from Michelin PS2's(N3)to Goodyear F1's due to the s t wear rate. So far so good: There is no performance difference and they were £140 an axle cheaper. Keep a close eye on the sidewalls for cracks appearing. This is a quite widely reported issue and I myself have experienced it on one of my tyres. I did a search and found some evidence on the first generation: Asymmetric 1's, but not on the Aysmmetric 2's. Any links to the latter? I didn't know which generation you have so posted up just in case. I don't have any information regarding the 2's so maybe it was just the first generation that had the problem.

thanks Richard, much appreciated for the reply I had Potenza's on my Elise, i was happy with the grip so will be going that route i think Edited by rObArtes on Tuesday 31st December 10:39

A very interesting subject, with some confusing details.I have used Falken 451/2,s on BMW,s for some years on 300 + bhp cars with great quality use, including Many visits to the Nurburgring with very little tyre wear. I now have a Low milage Cayman, with Bridgestones which have cracked sidewalls and intend to fit Falken 453,s. Black Circles advise W rating, while I note on this thread FarQue has N rated tyres in use.Please advise which is correct, before I Fly in Pflanzgarten. Thankyou.

N-rating is just a 'Porsche-approval' stamp. It has no connection with or bearing on the safety aspects or insurance requirements of load index or speed rating (the W that you mention is the speed rating.)

ro55a said: That said, the tyres recommended so far on this thread are N rated anyway. ...apart from the Falkens, the Goodyears and the Vredesteins.

Many thanks---

therefore could none "N" rated tyres make your insurance invalid? i heard about this when i had my Elise but just thought it was nonsense

...therefore? I can say it slightly differently if you like. N-rating has no bearing on or connection with insurance.

"Why N rated tyres are so critical for Porsche cars The ‘N’ rating is unique to Porsche and only given to tyres that have been approved by Porsche engineers in Weissach. It is essential that only N rated tyres are fitted to your Porsche as the wrong speed or load ratings on your tyres could create a problem in the event of an insurance claim following an accident. Porsche is committed to achieving the highest standards of safety and driver enjoyment. The Porsche Approved Tyre Programme offers a competitive one-stop service providing the most advanced technology and equipment in terms of tyre fitment and offers a wide range of Porsche approved N rated tyres." I suppose you takes your choice, I did. Then again Orangecurry can always give you advice if your insurance company decide to not pay out, or even talk to your insurance assessor!

yep i recall an instance where an Elise driver had a claim rejected due to not having approved lotus tyres fitted. not sure if was true

paranha said: A very interesting subject, with some confusing details.I have used Falken 451/2,s on BMW,s for some years on 300 + bhp cars with great quality use, including Many visits to the Nurburgring with very little tyre wear. I now have a Low milage Cayman, with Bridgestones which have cracked sidewalls and intend to fit Falken 453,s. Black Circles advise W rating, while I note on this thread FarQue has N rated tyres in use.Please advise which is correct, before I Fly in Pflanzgarten. Thankyou. Our 997 has N rated tyres because it is still within the Porsche used warranty scheme and Porsche demand N rated tyres. Once out of warranty I will be happy to go to Falken FK's. We have used them on our previous 986s on the 'Ring, like you, to good effect.

Falken FK 453's, i never used them before. anyone had any experience of them?

That quote from Ro55a is very old and very wrong. We've covered this many times, but I don't mind. Mixing in the words 'speed rating and load-index' into a sentence with N-rated as well is a very clumsy way of scaring people with misinformation. Insurance is about tread-depth, size, speed rating, load index, blah blah. Not N-rating. N-rating was originally about Porsche testing tyres on your behalf, and then approving certain ones so that you didn't have to worry about which were best. Only in recent years has that changed into 'fit N-rated tyres or you may die'. Of course you don't have to take my word for it.. Ask your own insurance company about N-rated tyres - obviously a call handler won't have a clue what you are talking about, so you'll have to talk to somebody more senior. Or you could look on the Porsche website, where this is all they say. They call it a 'standard', not a requirement, nor essential. Don't you think if it was an insurance requirement, Porsche might tell you? But even they throw in a hint of mild peril Porsche said: Unique to Porsche, the ‘N’ rating is given to tyres that have been approved by Porsche engineers in Weissach. Porsche Centres guarantee this standard by only fitting ‘N’ rated tyres to Porsche vehicles. Advances in tyre technology mean that tyre wear or even mixing different brands, patterns or ‘N’ numbers, even if from the same manufacturer, could result in an increase in road noise and significant changes in shock absorption, steering and smooth handling. Your Porsche Centre stocks a wide range of ‘N’ rated tyres for all Porsche models to maintain your car’s performance. http://www.porsche.com/uk/accessoriesandservice/owningyourporsche/porschecentreservices/ Edited by Orangecurry on Wednesday 1st January 21:03

sure i have also read on here that Porsche will invalidate your warranty if none approved tyres are fitted. how true is this?

As above, N rated required under approved used policy.

Orangecurry said: ro55a said: That said, the tyres recommended so far on this thread are N rated anyway. ...apart from the Falkens, the Goodyears and the Vredesteins. The Goodyears are N rated.

rObArtes said: sure i have also read on here that Porsche will invalidate your warranty if none approved tyres are fitted. how true is this? not true either, you just cannot renew a warranty, but not sure how they can refuse a claim on a window winder if you have pilot super sports fitted. ie. the tyre which is now on the CGT and has the record for the fastest road tyres and is also on a lot of 200mph+ cars and has been tested by Porsche, Ferrari and is known as one of the best performance road tyres on the market today. and are they a 918 tyre ? I have no issues with fitting pilot SS on a car in warranty and making a claim. I guess people do fit s t tyres due to cost and Porsche try and stop people doing that with the N rating I guess.

ilduce said: Orangecurry said: ro55a said: That said, the tyres recommended so far on this thread are N rated anyway. ...apart from the Falkens, the Goodyears and the Vredesteins. The Goodyears are N rated. In 235/40 and 265/40?

Orangecurry said: ilduce said: Orangecurry said: ro55a said: That said, the tyres recommended so far on this thread are N rated anyway. ...apart from the Falkens, the Goodyears and the Vredesteins. The Goodyears are N rated. In 235/40 and 265/40? Ignore what I said. If they were 235/35/19 and 265/35/19 then yes, but not if they're 40/18 inch. Ha ha! Incredible. So he only has a choice of the following in N's: Michelin Pirelli Continental Yokohama Bridgestone

Trev450 said: ilduce said: Changed from Michelin PS2's(N3)to Goodyear F1's due to the s t wear rate. So far so good: There is no performance difference and they were £140 an axle cheaper. Keep a close eye on the sidewalls for cracks appearing. This is a quite widely reported issue and I myself have experienced it on one of my tyres. I've had sidewall issues with Continentals. Good Year Eagle F1s always perform very well in the various tyre tests and are a quieter and more compliant tyre than most. However, not sure if they are available in your N-spec sizes.

All I will say is, A decent car deserves decent tyres, and Mid-engined cars are particularly sensitive to tyre choice.

ALL cars should have decent tyres. ilduce said: Ha ha! Incredible. So he only has a choice of... Exactly. The problem with N-rating is choice, size/availability, and when any particular tyre/model was designed. Many of the 18" tyres are 1990s designs. That is why I recommended a modern tyre, with the latest R&D on compounds and structure... The Goodyear F1 A2 is such a tyre. Or.... Vredestein said: The Ultrac Vorti is also available in rear axle sizes with an adapted profile and specially-tailored structure, especially for sports cars that have different tyre sizes on the front and rear axle. Due to the fact that it is the front tyres that dissipate the majority of the water when the road surface is wet, the focus for the rear tyres was on increased grip and stability. I do recall Pirelli doing something similar, ahem twenty years back or so. No I don't work for Vredestein

Potenza's it will be thanks for everyones

"Your Porsche Centre stocks a wide range of ‘N’ rated tyres for all Porsche models to maintain your car’s performance." Unfortunately they don't for 20'' wheels on 981s - only Pirelli

gtsralph said: "Your Porsche Centre stocks a wide range of ‘N’ rated tyres for all Porsche models to maintain your car’s performance." Unfortunately they don't for 20'' wheels on 981s - only Pirelli Not to worry, with the electric steering and numerous driver aids on the 981, you won't be able to feel the difference between Pirelli and Hankook.

Ozzie Osmond said: All I will say is, A decent car deserves decent tyres, and Mid-engined cars are particularly sensitive to tyre choice. +1 Amazes me that people will run something remotely powerful on crap tyres, it's the last contact point between you & the road ffs!!!! I recently saw a Maserati Gran Turismo at a breakers yard where the car had been impaled in a post - roof & rear three quarter panel had taken the impact & it was pretty hard. The car had nasty (almost Halfords look a like) alloy wheels on with some unknown brand of ditchfinders on the back. Furthermore the rear tread was practically non existent. I'm sure that the fact the owner was prepared to run a car on shoddy cheap tyres contributed to the car being in the breakers yard, not sure whether his insurance paid out though. For the sake of an extra £100 per axle, I'd rather have Michelins on my car.

Boxstercol said: +1 Amazes me that people will run something remotely powerful on crap tyres, it's the last contact point between you & the road ffs!!!! I know! These people that fit tyres designed in the 1990s - what are they like?

just been quoted £610 all corners inc. fitting for Potenza's me thinks its a great price. are PS2's much better over Potenza's?

I have Michelin Super Sports on the Cayman and they make the previous P-Zeros look like dogs t. Also better than the Pilot Sports I had on before - they're hardly wearing either! Great tyres.

rObArtes said: just been quoted £610 all corners inc. fitting for Potenza's me thinks its a great price. are PS2's much better over Potenza's? I think they are, but it really depends on what you use the car for. If its just for the road then you probably wouldn't benefit much from the additional cost of the PS2's, if however you take the car on track, then the extra outlay would be worth every penny imo.

thanks Trev, Potenza's it will be

The fronts on my 981s are a smidgen over 3mm so sooner rather than later I'll be looking to change. Currently on Pzero all round. Anyone any thoughts on the way to go? I do a fair few miles so wear rates are important, but not at the cost of the handling.

ellroy said: The fronts on my 981s are a smidgen over 3mm so sooner rather than later I'll be looking to change. Currently on Pzero all round. Anyone any thoughts on the way to go? I do a fair few miles so wear rates are important, but not at the cost of the handling. At 3mm how many miles have you done? On 19" or 20" I have been very impressed with Goodyear Assymetric's on previous cars (not Porsche)

Since I've had the car about 30k on 20s. Which is not so bad I don't think, but always worth looking at options.