curve lover

Reminder sent to every Porsche Club member in North America TODAY...

Drive safe & know your limits - with emphasis on your tires' age:
Whether you agree with everything in the feature: it raised awareness & thought-provoking discussion (see comments at the article's end, as well as on a 993 Forum thread posted the day The Drive's article was published: "'The Truth Behind What Caused Paul Walker's Fatal Crash' 9-yr-old CGT with 3.5k miles").

Likewise, RL Technical Advisor Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems re-posted it on his Facebook page (no affiliation):
One of several posts on the 993 Forum before the thread was quickly shut down:
In the week since that thread was deemed unworthy & cast into a forum called "The Abyss" -- (may be the first Rennlist Lifetime Member to have a thread abolished) -- I had a spirited drive with fellow Porsche enthusiasts.
Following u7t2p7's words evidenced how prevalent the issue may be: most had tires 5-7 years old
Regardless: be safe & proceed with care.
__________________
Tschüss --Jäger [Click here to meet my 993, "Speedy"]

cgfen

all the more reason to buy cheapo "sumi" (or fill-in-the-blank other low grip tyres) .............. NOT

I've purchased 2 cars in the past decade, a Supra and a 4S that had the original > 10 year old tyres.
My first "mod" on both cars was fresh rubber.

The rubber on the Supra was amazingly hard.
A short test ride around a local round-a-bout nearly put me into the curb.
LOL


The abyss?
Interesting.

Mark in Baltimore

FYI, I did not Abyss the previous thread. I may have moved it to OT, though. Don't recall doing it.

I think there's a legitimate, PSA value in this thread, so it will remain here rather than a members-only forum like OT.

points

^^^^+1

mmporsche

I previously bought a 911 turbo with 8 year old Michelin rubber. I contacted Michelin about safety and they told me 10 years was the limit if properly stored, i.e. not sitting outside in the sun. I wouldn't track the car with old rubber but they said ten years was the limit, not 5. Just an FYI.

Ed Hughes

I have never had to worry about age on my 911's-ran R's on old Ruby. Sapphire came with some Bstones that had high wear ratings, and they got "old". Went with a set of RE-11's two years ago, and back to fairly low mileage consumption at the rears at almost 4K. If I could put more than 800 miles on my car this year, I'd be buying new rubber. I prefer a premium or semi-premium soft tire, and the opportunity to drive the car and cycle the tires every 2-3 years. At the end of the day, we're talking $3-400/yr...peanuts. I get performance and safety. I won't buy a tire brand that ends with an O. Well, I did go with a set or 2 of RA-1's back in the day....

I hope to pass 1000 miles this year before the snow hits. I'm determined to get a 100 mile loop in this Saturday. I want to consume tires, it's the sign of a full life.

Ed Hughes

They are only covering their asses on safety. The performance curve of rubber will degrade long, long before you hit anywhere close to 10 yrs. we aren't talking a Chevy 4 door here...and one doesn't need to look at track vs street.

phoneyman

Serious question:

If someone follows the 5-year rule and puts on, say, 20k miles in that time, whats wrong with Sumi tires? They are cheaper for a reason, but is the reason less performance or less safety?

Donster

I don't think that question can be answered unless you elaborate somewhat on what you mean by the difference between "performance" and "safety". To me, where tires are concerned, they're the same thing.
As far as Sumitomo tires go, my car came with a set. Their wet weather performance (grip) was really poor compared to the Michelins I quickly replaced them with. I would consider that a safety issue.

Drisump

Well, all I can say is I have never worried about the five year rule on either of my 911s since the tires need replacement long before then. I have run Sumis and had excellent service and good performance with them. Currently I run Michelin Super Sports on the 993 and Pirelli P6000s on the 3.2. The Michelin is the best tire that I've put on the 993 but the performance is definitely not "light years" beyond the Sumis. If your tires need to be replaced due to age and not wear, you are not driving your 911 enough! Cheers

Quadcammer

Oh please, low grip? come on. These are not grand touring all season tires. Sumis would have been world class tires at any price when these cars were produced.

Funny, they are rock solid in the rain on my car.

cgfen

Ahhhhhhhhhh Success!

I knew if i pushed your button that you would reply


but I'm doing so in a most friendly manner.


i agree, current sumi tech is most likely better than 95 - 98 SO-2 tech.

Cheers

phoneyman

I've only had Sumi's on my car since I bought it, the PO put them on right before selling so I havent experienced another tire. I have noticed that the wet grip seems lower-ish, but I've never had a car that wasnt AWD so figured it was normal.

I'm excited to try a new tire in the next year or two. Thanks for the info, everyone

il pirata

I am assuming you do not track/xcross, or very little.

It's a good question but not one that you will get a clear answer to.

There are lots of Sumi tires, some are likely better than others. Which specifically do you have your 993?

I am not aware of any major recalls on Sumi tires one would normally use on a 993, there are a few compliants on the HTRZII at the NHTSA site

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/...60773%2C590844

Don mentioned lack of grip in the wet which is something Tire Rack would like to see improved when testing the HRT Z III.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=149

Of course Tire Rack is just a data point, they are not testing tires on any 993's that I am aware of, but at least there is some empirical evidence one can use to evaluate suitable tires for your car.

Unless you are going "too fast for the conditions" on the street hard to see how safety would "normally" be an issue.

Personally I would spend a few a couple hundred more bucks and get something like the Conti DW, UTOG rating is higher, and they have consistently rated better than PS2, etc the last few years. If Michelin made the PSS in OEM C4S sizes, I would spend even more and get them. To each their own....

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=140

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=190

phoneyman

Bob,

Thanks for the links and relevant info. I have the IIIs and like I said, did not choose them. I'd never even heard of Sumitomo until the 993 and seen some positive posts here on RL. When time comes to change, I'll do my research. Ive never been one to use cheap rubber just because its cheap so I'm excited to judge the difference.