threesacharm

Tguaturbo,

Thanks for the comparison to the Yokohamas, no one's done that yet on this thread. Also the fact you have sumi's waiting for your GT3 is encouraging (i'm sure you've done your research). I may be purchasing the sumis soon.

threesacharm

thomapa1

On my second set of rear Sumitomos (first set of fronts). Only got 5k miles out of the rears. Have done 1 DE and 2 Autox on Sumitomos.
They are OK overall.
Next set will be Michelin PS2s.
I want a bit more out of my tires, but for casual street driving - they are OK

threesacharm

thomapa1,

Thanks for weighing in, but just to clarify, did you go from 10/32" to 2/32" tread depth in only 5,000 miles using the sumi HTR Z III on the rear of a 996 turbo? What percentage of the miles were DE, autox, or track use?

Thanks,
threesacharm

2K7TTMIA

it's very plausible; treadwear on these tires is 300 or less ( Hankooks, Sumis, PS2, Dunlop, BFG, Goodyear, ) . I just noticed on Tirerack, there are some Kumho Ecsta SPT with a UTQG of 320. with some hard driving and acceleration on these cars, std. Carreras included, you wont see any high mileage from these tires. For some owners who drive "rationally" and do alot of highway miles, thats another story.

I have put less than 8000 ( city, suburbs, no track, no AutoX, no DE) on my Hankooks and the rears definitely were approaching their safe limit, just on visual inspection. Alignment was done with the lowest allowable negative camber reco'd by Porsche.
They are down to about 30%, so there's still some life left in them, but vs. the fronts, they are quite worn down. Hopefully, the least of our worries in maintaining Pcars is spending good money on tires.

ALSO, alignment specs on the Pcar add to the early wear and shortened lifespan on the tires in order to allow for better handling. YMMV

thomapa1

Correct - brand new to no tread in 5k miles. 1 DE at road Atlanta - beginner group. 1 autox. 2 spirited mountain drives then normal driving with casual blasts.

threesacharm

2K3TTMIA and thomapa1,

I truly appreciate your additional comments on this thread! Everyone's comments have been very helpful.

Thank you all,
threesacharm

oMenRC51

I have sumis and they are perfect for the street wet or dry. I've used them for one DE an they are not the best track tire but for your application, they will work great. +1 @ tirerack.com

LexVan

Might want to consider 235/40/18 with the 295/30/18 on the OEM wheels. This is what I run on those exact wheels. This is a better size match for the AWD too.

2K7TTMIA

LexVan, which tire size info are you using as reference? I would be cautious with the above tire combination. OEM req'ments for 8" and 11" wheel widths
are 225/40/18 and 295/30/18

for GT2 specs its 235/40/18 and 315/30/18 on their 9" and 12" wheels.

I usually go to 1010tires.com ( tire size calculator) for a quick reference on tire sizes, there are plenty of other sites.
Example: 225/40/18 are already a bit taller than 295/30/18 to begin with ( 25.09" vs. 24.97") ;
there is a larger size differential as the rears start wearing down, at a faster rate. my .02

Obv. different branded tires of the same size vary in shape, weight, performance characteristics, and ride quality due to construction; i.e., stiffer sidewalls, more rounded edges, tread design, siping, etc.

Kevinmacd

If you don't keep the size ratio correct between the front and rears you will damage your front wheel drive system.

threesacharm

TO: oMenRC51, LexVan, 2K3TTMIA (Ed), and Kevinmacd,

Thanks for your continuing input on this thread. The discussion on tire size I've also researched in detail, and sticking with OEM size fits my driving style the best.

Have a safe weekend!

threesacharm
1st: '88 911 targa guards red, 206k, 100% stock (my baby!)
2nd: '98 986 boxster triple black, 106k, 100% stock (like butta...)
3rd: '01 996 turbo arctic silver, 112k, 100% stock (my beast)

Kevinmacd

I did the same and kept the 18's

LexVan

Lots of threads on this topic. Here's one of many:

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-turb...uggestion.html

993GT

HTR Z3's are great tires, 95% PS2 performance at half cost, wish they made a 315/30-18 so I could use them as street tires for my GT2

Carlo_Carrera

I like them. Very quiet and good grip.