997 GT3 Tyres

[davidbut]

(Reposting this here so it doesn't get lost in the GT3 Brochure thread.)

Is anyone who has ordered a 997 GT3 worried about the it coming on tyres which have limited resistance to aquaplaning? (Looking out of the window at the rain )

It's ok for a track day car but for road use with the occasional track day it doesn't seem wise to me.

Are you going to keep them or change them?

David

[Geneve]

In the UK there will be an N spec road tyre option - same as fitted to 997C4S/997TT.

[sammy]

davidbut said:

(Reposting this here so it doesn't get lost in the GT3 Brochure thread.) Is anyone who has ordered a 997 GT3 worried about the it coming on tyres which have limited resistance to aquaplaning? (Looking out of the window at the rain ) It's ok for a track day car but for road use with the occasional track day it doesn't seem wise to me. Are you going to keep them or change them? David

This month's Evo quoted 'Porsche claims they (new Michelins)work better than a conventional tyre in the wet too' Good if it's true.

[davidbut]

Geneve said:

In the UK there will be an N spec road tyre option - same as fitted to 997C4S/997TT.

Thanks, that's what I wanted to hear, my salesman doesn't seem to know about this.

If I may ask, what is your source?

[davidbut]

sammy said:

in the wet

But there's "wet" and there's "standing water", which always scares me in a wide-tyred car.

[Geneve]

davidbut said:

Geneve said: In the UK there will be an N spec road tyre option - same as fitted to 997C4S/997TT. Thanks, that's what I wanted to hear, my salesman doesn't seem to know about this. If I may ask, what is your source?

Andreas Preuninger (via one of the jounalists who tested the 997GT3 at launch).

[grant3]

According to Porsche GB "technical" the car will come with N rated road tyres as standard in the UK!

[sammy]

grant3 said:

According to Porsche GB "technical" the car will come with N rated road tyres as standard in the UK!

Does this mean that they won't be the tyres that are on the cars the journos are testing and are all the 'Ring times etc. therefore meaningless to those of us living on this wet old isle?

[flemke]

davidbut said:

sammy said: in the wet But there's "wet" and there's "standing water", which always scares me in a wide-tyred car.

Indeed. It's almost inconceivable that Michelin now have a "Cup" tyre that is better through standing water than a Pilot Sport. (Unless it is akin to a racing "wet", in which case it will have a dry-running life of maybe 500 miles).

[robmug]

From June Total 911 (out on Thursday); we were at the same launch as Evo

"these tyres are actually superior to normal tyres on a wet surface. It is only in aquaplaning resistance that they have limits, but they are no worse than street tyres worn down to the same tread depth". Preuninger again.

Being N Rated, they will not be the same tyre (maybe even different tread pattern) to other Pilot Sport Cups (or P Zero Corsa)

[murcielago_boy]

sammy said:

grant3 said: According to Porsche GB "technical" the car will come with N rated road tyres as standard in the UK! Does this mean that they won't be the tyres that are on the cars the journos are testing and are all the 'Ring times etc. therefore meaningless to those of us living on this wet old isle?

Which will mean that the 997 GT3 may not really be much faster than the 996 GT3 (RS).....

[flemke]

robmug said:

From June Total 911 (out on Thursday); we were at the same launch as Evo "these tyres are actually superior to normal tyres on a wet surface. It is only in aquaplaning resistance that they have limits, but they are no worse than street tyres worn down to the same tread depth". Preuninger again.

No shit. If my grandmother had had a ...
When a "street" tyre's depth is down to Cup levels, it's time to replace it!

The fact that the Cup will have a much softer compound than the street tyre (60 or 80 v 140-220) will create better chemical bonding which, as I noted above, comes at the price of greatly reduced longevity.
The Cup tyre's shallow tread depth is what makes it deadly in standing water, which makes Preuninger's statement meaningless.

I'm not saying that the new tyres are not an improvement on something. Tyres are the most technologically-advanced part of a car, and continue to progress. But let's not kid ourselves that Michelin has come up with some miracle tyre without the compromises of its predecessors.

[JP.]

This was posted on PCGB website for any 997 owners who complained about the michelins wearing out very quickly and for anyone tracking thier car this summer here are updated/new tyres.


Glad to say that things have now progressed with the 997 19" front tyre.
Following the Porsche Club raising these issues with Michelin, and my discussions with our technical team in France, this 235/35 ZR19 (87Y) Pilot Sport PS2 N1 tyre has now been modified. The modified tyre has successfully gone through all the Porsche approval tests, and is now in production. We expect a significant improvement in exterior shoulder wear in track conditions.


NEW PILOT SPORT CUP
We have some more good news for your members who are interested in track days.
We have now launched a Pilot Sport Cup suitable for the 997.
The tyre details are as follows:
Front: 235/35ZR19 (87Y) Pilot Sport Cup N0
Rear: 305/30ZR19 (102Y) Pilot Sport Cup N0 Extra Load
Although the rear tyre is slightly wider than the standard 997 rear tyre (the standard tyre is a 295/35ZR19, i.e. around 10mm narrower), these tyres will fit on the standard 997 wheels without any problems.
This Pilot Sport Cup fitment has also been approved by Porsche (hence the N0), and will be available through Porsche for some future versions of the 997.
However to enable 997 drivers to experience the Pilot Sport Cup now, we have made the tyre available through our specialist tyre outlets.
The tyre has a slightly modified pattern compared to the existing Pilot Sport Cup tyre (slightly more grooves), as well as different tread compound materials.
The tyre in fact has a different compound on the outside of the tyre (more for
dry) to the inside of the tyre (more for wet). This means that wet performance is now very good, and very progressive, yet the dry grip is still fantastic.
Obviously the Pilot Sport Cup still has a reduced original tread depth compared to a normal road tyre (e.g. the Pilot Sport), so care should be taken in deep standing water at speed.

[flemke]

JP,

Dual compound Michelins have been standard OEM since the first GT3 MkIIs were first produced three years ago.
This may be the first time that dual compound has been offered in a Cup tyre.

[JP.]

I was just posting the info for any 997 owners looking to buy a set of pilot cups this summer pointing out that these new cups which i assume are the ones coming on the 997 GT3 are available.

[DanH]

JP. said:

I was just posting the info for any 997 owners looking to buy a set of pilot cups this summer pointing out that these new cups which i assume are the ones coming on the 997 GT3 are available.

Any price info on them? I presume Michellin will continue it's tradition of highway robbery

[JP.]

DanH said:

JP. said: I was just posting the info for any 997 owners looking to buy a set of pilot cups this summer pointing out that these new cups which i assume are the ones coming on the 997 GT3 are available. Any price info on them? I presume Michellin will continue it's tradition of highway robbery

Protyre Motorsport, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent
Tel. [phone]
Contact: Shaun Chetwyn: 07968 307584
Email: [e-mail]

Red Star Tyre & Exhaust Centres, Braintree, Essex
Sales Office: 01376 347452
Contact: Robert Coates: 07977 929528
Email: [e-mail]

Porsche 997 19” wheel option
Front: 235/35ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport (PS2) N1 £180.15
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup N0 £223.25

Rear: 295/30ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport (PS2) N1 £256.63
305/30ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup N0 £311.38

[DanH]

Yep those MPSC prices are about where I expected. Do they at least wear the mask when billing you?