Another Tyre Question....sorry....I have Searched!
Discussion
Chaps (and ladies, of course)
Having to look at getting the tyres replaced at the back on my 1998 996 C2, have searched this fine Forum, and spent best part of the afternoon reading the threads for advice, which has helped, but not finally convinced me...there's loads on GT2's C4S's, GT3's, etc, but not a lot referencing just boggo C2's
Looking at the Kwik-Fit site, they have an offer on Pirelli's; 25% off a set of 4, so am now considering doing all 4 corners and re-furbing wheels at the same time....but are Michelin Pilot sports significantly better?
Tyre sizes I'm after are 265/35x18 and 225/40x18 (fitting onto 18" Sport Classics)
I'm not tracking the car, toy in the garage is for that, so my driving is a mix of enthusiastic day-to-day A/B road blasts and pounding the motorways for business. Not considering the super-sticky Corsa's; v nice tyres, but I need the usual "all-rounder"
Tempted with Pirelli's, but a few queries. The "N" rating, I understand is used for Porsche fitment; is N4 always advisable over N3 (which I currently have)?
Kwik-Fit can do Pirelli P-Zero Rosso N4 "Porsche" 's in the above sizes for £517 all-up, seems good...but should I also be considering Asimmetrico's or Direzionale's or Corsa's or Rosso-Direzionale??....arrgghh..too many options, pleeease help.
Currently have Michelin Pilot Sports at the front, Pirelli Asimmetricos' at rear...don't ask!...have to say I do like the idea of rim protectors on the Michelins, esp if refurbing the rims. Does anyone else do these SWMBO-proof walls? Has anyone tried Yokohama's?
Long thread, sorry, but grateful as ever for any advice.
Cheers, Spen
Having to look at getting the tyres replaced at the back on my 1998 996 C2, have searched this fine Forum, and spent best part of the afternoon reading the threads for advice, which has helped, but not finally convinced me...there's loads on GT2's C4S's, GT3's, etc, but not a lot referencing just boggo C2's
Looking at the Kwik-Fit site, they have an offer on Pirelli's; 25% off a set of 4, so am now considering doing all 4 corners and re-furbing wheels at the same time....but are Michelin Pilot sports significantly better?
Tyre sizes I'm after are 265/35x18 and 225/40x18 (fitting onto 18" Sport Classics)
I'm not tracking the car, toy in the garage is for that, so my driving is a mix of enthusiastic day-to-day A/B road blasts and pounding the motorways for business. Not considering the super-sticky Corsa's; v nice tyres, but I need the usual "all-rounder"
Tempted with Pirelli's, but a few queries. The "N" rating, I understand is used for Porsche fitment; is N4 always advisable over N3 (which I currently have)?
Kwik-Fit can do Pirelli P-Zero Rosso N4 "Porsche" 's in the above sizes for £517 all-up, seems good...but should I also be considering Asimmetrico's or Direzionale's or Corsa's or Rosso-Direzionale??....arrgghh..too many options, pleeease help.
Currently have Michelin Pilot Sports at the front, Pirelli Asimmetricos' at rear...don't ask!...have to say I do like the idea of rim protectors on the Michelins, esp if refurbing the rims. Does anyone else do these SWMBO-proof walls? Has anyone tried Yokohama's?
Long thread, sorry, but grateful as ever for any advice.
Cheers, Spen
the N rating is the number of times that model of tyre has been through TuV approval. It has no bearing on compound or speed rating. I had relatively long lasting S02's on the front that were N2, but with the same tyre on the back at N4, just replaced fronts last weekend and now therefore have N4's all round.
I am using ContiSport Contact N1 and am very pleased with them - although I am no Senna - they can certainly stand 170mph in Germany
and grip very well in the wet and dry. Wear rate is also very good. Got a pair of 265s fitted at home for £375 by Event Mobile Tyres. The guy did a great job, and was careful with the alloys which didn't have a single mark on them. I always previously bought from Bracknell Tyres (see profile) but needed a pair of rears fitting at home becuase of a non-repairable puncture a week after I bought the car.....
They are not as groovy looking as PZeros, or as sexy as PZero Corsas (which last about five minutes and are lethal in the wet!!) but the pair of rears I had to buy matched the (brand new) fronts which were on the car when I bought it. Certainly I wouldn't recommend mixing brands and I wanted all four the same.
Anyway, I suggest you give Event a ring, or if price is more important than convenience then Bracknell Tyres are hard to beat - they are basically stack 'em high sell 'em cheap, but they are very alloy friendly and there is a greasy spoon next door while you wait. Usually there is some serious machinery there waiting for new boots so that tells you all you need to know. I'll be using them again when I buy some more tyres through choice rather than errant nails.....!!!!
Hope this helps
>> Edited by Vesuvius996 on Tuesday 27th September 20:02
BliarOut said:
Just out of interest, which of the Pirelli's is it that has the rim protectors?
I don't know yet, but am sure Pirelli do them; had to get a tyre changed on SWMBO's car the other week, and casually got the chap to price up rear set of boots, he did say that the Pirelli's now come with em, but not sure which model he was referring to....possibly the Asimmetrico's, as thats what he may have matching to. Keep ya posted.
Cheers for the info so far guys....may give Bracknell tyres a call actually, could combine with a business trip.
S
Pzeros have got better over the years although I still mourn the demise of the S03. For me, this was the greatest tyre ever.
Over the years I have been given a few sets of tyres to test...
Toyo - OK in the dry, awful in the wet, short life
Pzero - Good at everything, exceptional at nothing, good life
Contactsport2 - taken off after 1500 miles and sent back as absolutely lethal in wet
I have also tried (although not for free) Michelin Pilot Sports. These were incredible in the dry and average in the wet but the wet/dry contrast made them feel scary in the wet due to the huge difference in grip levels. Good tyres and they lasted for ages.
If you've never tried a set of Cups, you would never believe how much lateral G a car can pull (those that have driven on the road with these will now be developing a knowing grin). I had a blast with a mate in very similar cars (not Porsches). He is race instructor and a far better driver than me. We both knew the road well and he would normally be quicker than me. On Cups, over 14 miles, I was almost 2 minutes quicker than my mate and I didn't feel like I had pushed it. The big surprise was the wet weather grip. This was as good as something like a Toyo. The downside is £1k a set and 3,000 miles road use, if you are lucky.
My 996 came on vanilla Pzeros and they are good. I'd go for them or see what Bridgestone can offer. Especially as winter is coming up.
Over the years I have been given a few sets of tyres to test...
Toyo - OK in the dry, awful in the wet, short life
Pzero - Good at everything, exceptional at nothing, good life
Contactsport2 - taken off after 1500 miles and sent back as absolutely lethal in wet
I have also tried (although not for free) Michelin Pilot Sports. These were incredible in the dry and average in the wet but the wet/dry contrast made them feel scary in the wet due to the huge difference in grip levels. Good tyres and they lasted for ages.
If you've never tried a set of Cups, you would never believe how much lateral G a car can pull (those that have driven on the road with these will now be developing a knowing grin). I had a blast with a mate in very similar cars (not Porsches). He is race instructor and a far better driver than me. We both knew the road well and he would normally be quicker than me. On Cups, over 14 miles, I was almost 2 minutes quicker than my mate and I didn't feel like I had pushed it. The big surprise was the wet weather grip. This was as good as something like a Toyo. The downside is £1k a set and 3,000 miles road use, if you are lucky.
My 996 came on vanilla Pzeros and they are good. I'd go for them or see what Bridgestone can offer. Especially as winter is coming up.
I just replaced my rear tyres with another pair of Pirelli Assimetrico N3 however I changed from 265 35 18 up to 285 30 18 as I have the 10" GT3 wheels and with the 265 width felt that the outer rim was far too exposed to damage.The new tyres were supplied by micheldever.co.uk delivered to my door for £377-41.
DucatiGary said:
I have the ContiSport Contact N1 all round, all will need replacing in a few weeks, I was looking at the ContiSport Contact N2's the N1's are a very good all rounder.
still not made my mind up though.........
Had the Conti N1s all round on my car and have just replaced them with the N2s.
I can't feel any noticeable difference but the main reason is if I get a puncture I'm not too sure I'd be able to get hold of anymore N1s
Had Conti N1's......hated them and they can be 'naughty' in the wet and do focus the mind !
Now on P Zero Rosso N4's and they are totally excellent.
However, must confess to being a Pirelli fan as I had Assimetricos on my 968CS and they were awesome but may have been suited to the car.
They weren't so good on the Boxster though but were better than the Contis.
Depends how enthusiastically you
Now on P Zero Rosso N4's and they are totally excellent.
However, must confess to being a Pirelli fan as I had Assimetricos on my 968CS and they were awesome but may have been suited to the car.
They weren't so good on the Boxster though but were better than the Contis.
Depends how enthusiastically you
Cheers again chaps for the replies;
Question....what is the difference, (apart from the tread pattern ) between the Assimetrico's and the Rosso's?...the blurb on Pirelli's site says they're "just great at everything including cooking your dinner" (predictably), and the local tyre fitter couldn't offer any words of wisdom either.
Question....what is the difference, (apart from the tread pattern
) between the Assimetrico's and the Rosso's?...the blurb on Pirelli's site says they're "just great at everything including cooking your dinner" (predictably), and the local tyre fitter couldn't offer any words of wisdom either.You may have that the other way round. They make Rosso in Directional and Asimmectrico.
Pirelli recommed either Asimmetrico all round or Asimmetrico rear and Directional fronts.
Pirelli's website has details.
Anyone tried Corsas for road use? What mileage did you get? Grip levels off the scale?
Edit as I forgot Spenny's question.
Asimmetricos will have a different compound across their width. Softer on the outside and harder on the inside. This is because most cars running this sort of tyre will have negative camber and the inner edges will wear much quicker unless the compound is harder. When you get the tyre fully loaded up, the softer compound will be giving its full grip as well.
Directionals will have the same compound all the way across and are designed for the fronts, where the loads are lighter and you will be using less negative camber. The sidewalls will also be stiffer, to resist the turning moments that don't exist on the rears.
>> Edited by Raven Flyer on Wednesday 28th September 20:12
Pirelli recommed either Asimmetrico all round or Asimmetrico rear and Directional fronts.
Pirelli's website has details.
Anyone tried Corsas for road use? What mileage did you get? Grip levels off the scale?
Edit as I forgot Spenny's question.
Asimmetricos will have a different compound across their width. Softer on the outside and harder on the inside. This is because most cars running this sort of tyre will have negative camber and the inner edges will wear much quicker unless the compound is harder. When you get the tyre fully loaded up, the softer compound will be giving its full grip as well.
Directionals will have the same compound all the way across and are designed for the fronts, where the loads are lighter and you will be using less negative camber. The sidewalls will also be stiffer, to resist the turning moments that don't exist on the rears.
>> Edited by Raven Flyer on Wednesday 28th September 20:12
I've run Corsa System and I'm currently running Corsa (the proper ones!)
I think the System is a superb package, the grip and the wear is excellent, although on track they do go off after a while (too much heat!). I'm running more -ve camber than standard which is ideal for Corsa tyres although it may cause problems with lesser tyres.
Mileage on my C4S was around 22k on the fronts, 12-14k on the rears. Grip was amazing and they behaved brilliantly in the wet!
Damian
I think the System is a superb package, the grip and the wear is excellent, although on track they do go off after a while (too much heat!). I'm running more -ve camber than standard which is ideal for Corsa tyres although it may cause problems with lesser tyres.
Mileage on my C4S was around 22k on the fronts, 12-14k on the rears. Grip was amazing and they behaved brilliantly in the wet!
Damian
I can offer you a different opinion on the pirelli rosso n4,had them on my boxster and were fine,when i bought my C2 it came with a brand new set of these,the car was a pig to drive the C2 is already skitish at high speed but these tyers made the steering feel like it had a mind of its own and the car was just awful to drive,you could really feel the tyers moving around the rim when cornering hard.After lots of questions and geometry checks i took my car to red line racing,they told me the tyer walls on these tyers were too soft and they recomended michelins pilot sports n1's.I took their advice sold the pirellis and the car was transformed in a second,yes in the wet they may not be the best but in the dry they are mega and for me the most important thing is the car feels tight a high speeds,and they wear very well.
spenny_b said:
Thanks everyone...Raven, great explaination, now understand!
-Agreed, thanks for the explaination Raven.
I`ve Bridgestone S O 2 A`s on my C4S ,no complaints whatsoever, on the 360 I have Rosso`s, also no complaints , perhaps they work better on the donkey than on the pork??
Interesting Rob
I'm running Rosso Asims front and rear in 225/40 and 285/30 on 18s (its a 3.6 C4). The car stable at all speeds and very well balanced, front to rear. If anything there a slight hint of oversteer but its very progressive and a delight to drive with.
What pressures were you running and what do you run now?
BBW, Thanks for the info on Corsas, I'd like to try these when the Rossos wear out. As they are virtually new, this won't be too soon, but I'm in no rush as they do work very well.
>> Edited by Raven Flyer on Thursday 29th September 08:40
I'm running Rosso Asims front and rear in 225/40 and 285/30 on 18s (its a 3.6 C4). The car stable at all speeds and very well balanced, front to rear. If anything there a slight hint of oversteer but its very progressive and a delight to drive with.
What pressures were you running and what do you run now?
BBW, Thanks for the info on Corsas, I'd like to try these when the Rossos wear out. As they are virtually new, this won't be too soon, but I'm in no rush as they do work very well.
>> Edited by Raven Flyer on Thursday 29th September 08:40
I tried all different pressures,it did'nt really help,i found porsches own recomendations to be the best.My car has the factory sports suspension and im still running the same tyer pressures as before.Even when you look at the two tyers on the rim the pirellis bulge out where as the pilots have a more angular look to them.My tyers are the same size as yours,maybe it depend's on how sensitive you are to the way your car feels while driving?Its not the first time this has happened to me i had the same problem on my first 2.5 boxster when i did'nt fit N rated tyers it felt the same.This time though i could'nt believe the tyers were to blame because they were the correct fitment,but in the end after checking everything it was that.Lots of people drove it and said it was fine,i was really at the point where i just wanted to sell the car,if it was'nt for the guys at redline i would of!They took my car for a blast and told me to bin the tyers,i knew this anyway and at last i had spoken to some people who took me seriously.Anyway thats my story,read it to it what you will,but i'd rather not have a 911 if i had to drive it with those tyers on.
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