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Trying to get some break-in miles, I head to the mountains. As I'm descending the top of the last hill, I hit something with my right rear tire near the edge of the road. 5 mins, later, warning for tire -4 psi. In the middle of nowhere with no cell coverage, this starts to get worrisome. So I decide to see how fast the leak is...
It would not be easy to pull off to the side as there is no shoulder or side street. The tire seemed to be losing about 1-2 psi every mile. But I'm about 80 miles from home and at least 30 miles from civilization. Good thing is I know the road since I have biked it many times over the years. Eventually, after about 15 miles with about 20 psi left in the tire, I pull into the flat parking lot of a small town fire station.
As I walk around the car, I can already hear the familiar hisssssssss. A quick inspection shows a sidewall gash that's about 1" long but the leaking part is only about 6-7mm. A quick check of the manual shows that's a bit larger than what the flat fix kit is supposed to be able to handle. But then I'm wondering if the 3-4 mm that they recommend is the diameter of a hole or the narrowest part of a hole. In any case, I had nothing to lose but to try it since my cell phone still had no signal to call for help or a tow.
I remove the valve stem, empty the bottle of flat fix goo into the tire, replace the valve stem, hook up the compressor, switch it on and the tire starts to inflate. the gash was still whistling because the goo had not gotten to it - some finger pressure keeps the air in - which gives me some hope that the hole is not that big. at 40 psi, I quickly disconnect the compressor. The gash still is hissing away. Jump into the car and drive around the parking lot in some slow circles. The goo is now hissing out the gash. The tire pressure is now at 35. Good enough.
I continue my journey and the leak rate seems to be slower now. 1 psi every 3-4 miles. I may make it home after all! 20 miles later, I pull into another parking lot to top off the tire - back to 36 psi to match the other warm tire. This time, the hissing seems to have stopped. Jump back into the car and continue on the journey home. The tire is still leaking but only slightly - 1 psi every 5-6 miles. But there's one minor concern - the TPMS sensors may no longer be accurate with the goo in the tire.
So I make one more stop 20 miles from home to do a quick check and top up. That last 20, the tire did not drop a single psi.
Sigh of relief! The sad thing is the tire was a new MPSS just installed 3 days earlier
The good thing was I got some pictures on the drive
Rhodium Silver on a partly cloudy fall day with Mt Rainier<br/>
The PSS ride is only very slightly better - I think less than 5%. But you also lose the 5% of feeling the edge (comparing both tires with 150 miles of wear). At the same psi, they aren't any quieter. They are better in the cool mornings (< 50F) - which is why I got them (for winter use here in the PNW).
If I lived in a slightly less cool/wet climate, I'd run the MPSC daily. The extra grip and feel of the MPSC is noticeable.
This sucks man. I am glad you made it home ok. It seems we are having a bad luck on Washington State roads. Again glad you and the car are safe.
Regarding the MPSS compared to the CUP 2. They do have less grip above 60 F than cup 2 but mostly how the car feels (less planted), versus actual performance. I had a chance last summer to run both at PIR on my 991 GT3 on 2 separate occasions, and I was roughly only 1 second slower on the MPSS during the first few laps which really surprised me, but got worse as I piled more laps, so the Cup2 is more consistent with better feedback at the limit, and shows much less wear.
Said that, I have noticed when temperatures dropped last year below 50 F, the MPSS had significantly better grip than the Cup2 and especially when temperatures got much lower and was so much better on wet roads. Cup 2 needs to warm up before they start performing well, where the MPSS outperforms the cup 2 at the lower temperatures, which makes them idle for the the Northwest.
Said that, I have noticed when temperatures dropped last year below 50 F, the MPSS had significantly better grip than the Cup2 and especially when temperatures got much lower and was so much better on wet roads. Cup 2 needs to warm up before they start performing well, where the MPSS outperforms the cup 2 at the lower temperatures, which makes them idle for the the Northwest.
The MPSC2 certainly feel more planted. I suspect it has more to do with construction, tread depth and tread pattern than compound.
That's exactly my thinking of switching to the MPSS for the winter. By spring, there should be some better offsetted 19" wheels that I hope to get MPSC2 for...
It would be a blast to do a drive like this in a group. we could meet half way and go for nice long drive to break in our cars through the mountains on one of the upcoming weekends. It seems weather is still holding well for a little while. How many miles do you have on your car. By the way I love the color on your GT4. Looks amazing. Mark
550 miles now... stayed under 5k rpm. I suspect no new miles for the rest of the week. Driving in a group may attract too much attention
Wow. I have 548 miles on mine. True about drawing too much attention. We are trying to get a groupe drive for WA Owners, hopefully early next year, and after few other members take delivery of their GT4's. Will make a separate thread as we get closer and hopefully you would be able to join us and get to meet you in person. Mark
Had a similar experience in my S8.. middle of nowhere limped in to gas station. Bought a can of sealant and made it home. Bought four new tires after making it home, as they were close to being done. Figure the cups are only worth 6 to 8 k miles depending on action. 2k every 6 months for wear items..... wahoo
Had a similar experience in my S8.. middle of nowhere limped in to gas station. Bought a can of sealant and made it home. Bought four new tires after making it home, as they were close to being done. Figure the cups are only worth 6 to 8 k miles depending on action. 2k every 6 months for wear items..... wahoo
Actually my experience with Cup2 has been very good on my 991 GT3. it held up very well surprisingly. I had 2 different sets, one for the track and one for the street, and the one for the street almost lasted over 12K miles and I still had 3.5 mm left when I changed them. It has an amazing wear characteristics. Really was surprised by the results. Mark
Actually my experience with Cup2 has been very good on my 991 GT3. it held up very well surprisingly. I had 2 different sets, one for the track and one for the street, and the one for the street almost lasted over 12K miles and I still had 3.5 mm left when I changed them. It has an amazing wear characteristics. Really was surprised by the results. Mark
I'm pushing 32K on my set of SuperSports (only 5 track days) and would've replaced them this year if I didn't have the GT4 on the way. Plenty of tread left but I'm sure the rubber is dried out after 4 years.
What am I doing wrong??? Wonder how long the Cup2's will last me
10-11-2015, 10:21 PM
Almost stranded
