non N-rated tyres (f1 gsd3)

[coupeman]

whats peoples opinion on non n-rated tyres?, ive put goodyear f1 gsd3 on the rear of my 968 and the car feels very nervous at the moment with unpredictable understeer, the front michelin pilot mxx3 are old and very worn on the sides and this imbalance combined with brand new dampers will hopefully be the cause,

my previous rear conti's were pretty worn but the car was still more stable with the front michelins, the F1 gsd3 has a very soft sidewall but ive read a few 968 owners run F1's and seem happy with them,
could it be that the f1 tread style is more dependant on matched fronts?

[Clubsport]

Could be true about F1 tread pattern...The 968 is a very pure handling car...Personally I would never compromise the potentisl handling by mixing different
brands/treads & compounds from front to back..As for non N rated tyres.....
Porsche specifies N rated as far as I knew,,,by fitting a good set of matched N rated Porsche approved tyres you are optimising the potential of your car.

I would not be at all happy driving a Porsche with wet leaves on the roads with a tyre combination that I was uncertain about.
Brakes and tyres are cheap (relatively) so why take chances?

[oldtimer]

I'm with clubsport, its not worth compromising with mix 'n' match tyres on a Porsche...you are into the realms of unpredictable handling and maybe the insurance co. would see it as a problem/opportunity not to pay up. Those 4 patches of rubber are your only link with the blackstuff and the only way you can deliver car performance / driver skill

[bluesatin]

In 3 years of 968 ownership i found the best tyres at this time of year were Conti sport contact 2. I tried yoko, mich, goodyear but not p zero rosso. Hope this helps

[SkidMark]

I ran a CS for a couple of years. I tried F1's on the back ( though not the latest derivative ). They felt weird for the first few hundred. After that they were fine. Never tried Contis on the CS but they were AWFUL on my 964RS.

[coupeman]

just put on F1's on the front this morning, initial impression is that the balance has returned and the twitchiness has gone, they do feel quite soft however and the increase in ride quality is noticeable, havent had a chance for any higher speed stuff but ive always liked the F1's (on a BM 330, corrado) and cant see why they would be necessarily worse on this car since they are now matched,
hopefully my new dampers will calm down a bit as the car still feels a bit unsettled

[diver944]

Remember also that new tyres have a 'releasing agent' on the tread to help get it out of the mould. This can take a couple of hundred miles to fully wear off so your tyres will not yet have optimum grip, especially with our damp roads this week.

Just because a tyre has an N rating does not mean it has been approved for your type of Porsche. The latest N rated tyres will have been tested on 996 and Boxster but will have been nowhere near a 968, and we all know that these three cars are rear engined, mid-engined and front engined, so not exactly similar

See this website http://p-car.com/technical/tires.htm for some out of date info from Christophorous. Contact your local OPC for the current N version of tyres recommended for your vehicle

[ninemeister]

I had the F1 on a stiffened 944 a while back and enjoyed them immensely, great ride quality and excellent wet grip. However due to their soft sidewall construction I would strongly advise folk not to fit them to any 911 derivatives, I have heard that even Goodyear do not recommend them for the 911 due to its unusual tyre requirements (we have experienced problems first hand).
The 944 replacement was a 944S on 17" cups with Continental Sport Contacts. Excellent all rounder and recommended, Sarah ran this car in the speed championship for a while and had no major dramas.

[Melv]

Oh for fecks sake, how many times, repeat after me!:

"I MUSTN'T MIX DIFFERENT MAKES OF TYRES
ON MY PORSCHE"

Melv

>> Edited by Melv on Sunday 2nd November 22:34

[coupeman]

i havent

[Melv]

"goodyear f1 gsd3 on the rear , the front michelin pilot mxx3 "

I rest my case.....

Melv

[MauriceC2S]

Melv said:

I rest my case..... Melv

Didn't know you'd taken silk, Mel !

Thanks for those laps at Donington Thursday, absolute blitzer of a car! Hope the bearings get better soon .... Cheers, Maurice