Best tyres for 987 Boxster S?

[Wollemi]

Of the N rated tyres on offer which are the best option for a Boxster S (Gen II) 987 on 19s?

[MadMark911]

Michelin Pilot Sport 2's - no question!

[rob.kellock]

I think Michelin is always the default answer and I used to religiously fit them to my 996 and recommend them to anyone that would listen.

My Spyder came supplied new with Bridgestones though. I genuinely have no complaints about their performance and drive the Spyder no gentler than my old car. The 996 used to need a set of rears within 10k miles without fail. My Spyder is on 16k and there is plenty of life left on them. I am really pleased about this - I think some people with Pirellis have been getting through them in less than 6k miles in Spyders (Zyp?) so I think it's the tyre rather than the car that makes the difference if that makes sense.

[Wollemi]

Thanks Rob; that makes good sense. I had Pirelli P-Zeros in my Impreza Turbo and a set of four were done in less than 12,000 miles!
Had Pilot Sports on my e46 M3 and the generic ones, (without the BMW star mark) had great grip but rears did less than 10k, fronts twice that. the last set were star marked Pilot Sports and lasted twice as long but traction was terrible so the specific compound must have been very different and I guess the manufacturer makes a decision about longevity v grip.
I going to stick (in both senses of the word) with N marked Pilot Sports on my soon to arrive Boxster.

[rob.kellock]

You won't go wrong with them.

Make sure you post a picture of your new car up once it lands, the forum demands it!

[FarQue]

I'm a bit of a RE050a convert too . Whilst stuck with N compliance I'm happy to recommend them after 10,000 miles on a 997.

[smiffy555]

RE050's here too - they have quite a stiff sidewall which makes the handling feel a lot sharper - wear rate is good too (as in they don't wear)

[Ian_UK1]

The only downside I've read about, regarding the Bridgestone, is weight. They're apparently a good pound or few heavier than the equivalent Michelin. This adds both to un-sprung weight and rotational inertia, but to what extent this can be felt, I honestly don't know.

[Trev450]

smiffy555 said:

RE050's here too - they have quite a stiff sidewall which makes the handling feel a lot sharper - wear rate is good too (as in they don't wear)

The wear rate is good because the compound of the tyre is harder than MPS. I found this resulted in less grip in cold conditions than with the Michelins.

[BIRMA]

Trev450 said:

smiffy555 said:

RE050's here too - they have quite a stiff sidewall which makes the handling feel a lot sharper - wear rate is good too (as in they don't wear)

The wear rate is good because the compound of the tyre is harder than MPS. I found this resulted in less grip in cold conditions than with the Michelins.

Would it be fair to say that if it is case that they are a bit harder they would last a bit longer on track where the temperatures tend to go up a lot during the summer months.

[Trev450]

BIRMA said:

Trev450 said:

smiffy555 said:

RE050's here too - they have quite a stiff sidewall which makes the handling feel a lot sharper - wear rate is good too (as in they don't wear)

The wear rate is good because the compound of the tyre is harder than MPS. I found this resulted in less grip in cold conditions than with the Michelins.

Would it be fair to say that if it is case that they are a bit harder they would last a bit longer on track where the temperatures tend to go up a lot during the summer months.

That is quite possible, however, harder compound road tyres have less flex in the tread blocks and this can result in chunking or bits of the tread blocks breaking off.

[BIRMA]

Trev450 said:

BIRMA said:

Trev450 said:

smiffy555 said:

RE050's here too - they have quite a stiff sidewall which makes the handling feel a lot sharper - wear rate is good too (as in they don't wear)

The wear rate is good because the compound of the tyre is harder than MPS. I found this resulted in less grip in cold conditions than with the Michelins.

Would it be fair to say that if it is case that they are a bit harder they would last a bit longer on track where the temperatures tend to go up a lot during the summer months.

That is quite possible, however, harder compound road tyres have less flex in the tread blocks and this can result in chunking or bits of the tread blocks breaking off.

I'm in a bit of a quandry about tyres on my Boxster S. It came with new Bridgestones and so far with only road use I have no complaints. I do plan to take the car on a few trackdays this year and I'm not sure what to replace them with as a couple of good trackdays will see them well worn. The car came with 18 months balance of the Porsche warranty still running so will have to keep with N rated tyres despite reading and hearing how good Pilot Super Sports are and I'm guessing that unless you are a track-day god like Hammond you probably wouldn't know the difference.