threesacharm

Hi everyone,

I'm considering a new set of these tires for my car, 225/40/18's and 295/30/18's, mainly because of their low initial cost. I'll be mounting them on OEM hollow spoke 18" turbo twists.

I own a "stock", high mileage 996 Turbo tiptronic that I drive weekly, 60/40 city/hwy driving, 3,500 mi/yr, rarely driven in rain, NEVER plan to modify, autocross, nor exceed 140 mph, just occasional fun runs with our local P-club on twisties here in NorCal, with trips to SoCal along I-5 maybe once or twice a year. Also, I seldom use the sound system, but hands free cell phone use is a given.

To current or past owners of 996 turbos, if you have any direct driving experience using these tires on your car and can compare them to other that you've used, please share your opinion or advice.

Thanks!
threesacharm

pterfloth

I replace my PS2's with the Sumitomo's when I replaced my 19" wheels with 18'ers. I wanted a more available tire size and read
good reviews of the Sumitomos. One of my new rears was out of round when I got it but was replaced under warranty. I am quite happy with them after 3500 miles and can't notice any performance difference.

threesacharm

pterfloth,

Thanks for your input and for the comparison to the PS2's. I know it may be hard to recall, but are they quieter than the PS2's when the PS2's had approx 3500 mi?

I currently have Pirelli P Zero Asimmetrico N3's mounted with about 3/32" remaining on all 4. They're starting to get a little noisy.

threesacharm

leftlane

I replaced Michelins with the Sumis on my 01 TT and thought they were perfectly acceptable for my needs (all street, very little hard driving at all). The cost was a no brainer and I thought they were very quiet and seemed to wear very well.

I am about to replace the Pirellis on my 04 and will use the Sumis again or maybe try Hankooks.

90% of the performance for 40% of the cost - hard to go wrong. If you need more performance then stick with the Michelins - I'm not a fan of the Pirellis though.

BTW - Damon at TireRack told me the Sumis are selling like crazy for our cars.

dubyaTT

It's the only thing between you and the road, invest in a better tire.

After the honeymoon is over you will not like the amount of weight required to balance, the uneven wear and reduced traction.

I read your post and it appears your already trying to justify the purchase.

If your asking for my opinion, you got it.

Kevinmacd

Look into the Hankooks Vetus V12s also, they have the same load rating, same temperature and the same traction rating with the same sidewall plies. I went from Contis to Ps2's to now Hankooks. Since the majority of my driving is street, with speed limitations there is very little noticeable difference between the three. I can tell you the Hankooks are quiter and better riding than the Ps2s and Contis. They offer quit a bit of grip. The Ps2s wore the quickest followed by the Contis. Have not tryed the Sumis. Here is a Car and driver comparison that may interest you.
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...mparison-tests

cyk

I recently replaced a set of Continental Sportcontacts with the HTZ III and am very happy with their performance on the street and track. I'm 95% street and hit 3-4 track days a year.......I've noticed they're considerably quieter and with my ham-fisted track "prowess" they did the trick for me.

I run with a group of guys that run everything from Vipers to Elises to Mustang Laguna Secas and with the switch in tires, I wasn't any faster or slower than usual against the normal run group I track with.

I say go for it......certainly the price can't be beat.

threesacharm

leftlane, dubyaTT, Kevinmacd,

I appreciate all your responses and comparisons!

leftlane, TireRack's additional $50 rebate until May 31 is hard to ignore, but I'll wait for more feedback from others.

dubyaTT, I'd buy Michelin Pilot Super Sports, but I choose not to spend more than $800 for a new set...but I may change my mind...

Kevinmacd, thanks for the C&D link.

thanks again,
threesacharm

threesacharm

cyk,

Great to have your insight on how they hold up against the competition (the cars I mean)!

threesacharm

2K7TTMIA

OT, not directly familiar with the Sumi's for Pcars, but i have read Alot of positive comments about them.

I did a 900 mile road trip with near new Hankooks; then DD them for the next 16 months( swapped the rears side to side at 8 months to compensate for inner wear). Very satisfied with their performance. They are speed capable on the highways( over 100 plenty of times). I'll pry go with another set when the time comes and keep them mounted on the Sport Technos. The front tires are still approx. 60-70% tread life.rears are down to about 30-40%.

Right now using PS2's with current TRM wheels. Obv. The tread wear on the PS2's dictates a much shorter life span, esp. the rears; but if I come across another rear set in 315/30/18 to replace the current ones, ill continue to use them.
I am really enjoying the larger GT2 tire set up vs. the standard Turbo size.

RangerDick

Nice post! Suscribed

PAULUNM

I had Sumis on my turbo for a while- while very inexpensive, I wasn't a fan. At least one of them had "crooked" tread- meaning you could see the tread pattern wasn't straight when spun on a balancer. This caused a vibration at speed.

I've since changed to GT2 wheels and PS2s in GT2 sizes- I'm much more happy with the ride and grip.

I do realize the PS2s are what, $700 MORE per set... To me, it's worth it. I think the PS2s will last longer as well.

The PSS is not available in 18" widths greater than 285- so technically they won't fit the stock turbo sizes or GT2. Sure wish Michelin would make a PSS in 315 30 18.......

threesacharm

2K3TTMIA,

Appreciate you sharing your experience with the Hankook's and PS2's.

threesacharm

threesacharm

PAULUNM,

If I do decide on the Sumi's, I'll be sure to check for the "crooked tread" condition during mount 'n balance. Thanks a lot for sharing your observations and candid opinions. I knew the PSS's didn't fit the stock turbo size but it was too late for me to edit...

threesacharm

tguaturbo

I have around 2k on my sumis and they are nice and quiet and have a nice ride to them. Just DD'ing my car except for a few short 2nd or 3rd gear pulls from time to time. The rear breaks loose a bit but then again I and not on stock hp/tq.

Prior to this I was on Yoko AD08's and that was when I ran this car at the track several times per year. These would get loud but had great performance and more expensive.

Bought a second set of sumis for my 996 GT3 and they are on the stock wheels but those wheels sit mostly in my garage since that car has track rubber on it. for the very limited driving I did on that car with those tires they also seemed to do well.