Doc911

I have a 2004 Cayenne S that needs new tires. I have worn out 3 sets of Michelin Diamaris (now $330), which lasted less than 10,000 miles each. I want to find another tire that is cheaper and lasts longer but doesn't sacrifice too much driving comfort and handling. The only thing I don't want to compromise on is noise. I want to hear as little road noise as possible.

I live in SoCal and use the car only in the city and on the highways. These days, after getting too many speeding tickets, I rarely drive faster than 80mp/h. I never tow anything but occasionally have a heavy load.

I would appreciate your input.

I have looked at the following tires:

General Tire Grabber UHP $194 (Not N0) (320) V
Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport $208 (N0) (300) Y
Continental ExtremeContact DWS $215 (not N0) (540) W
Continental 4x4 Contact $272 (N0) (360) V
Continental 4x4 Sport Contact $281 (N0) (280) Y
Latitude Tour HP $288 (N0)(440) V
Latitude Sport $327 (N0) (220) Y

The Bridgestone looks interesting as they are cheap and both N0 and Y rated, but I'm also looking at the much higher tread wear rated Cont DWS, Cont Contact and Mich Tour HP. I don't know really what the difference would be with a non N0 and Y rated tire.

GVA-SFO

Hello Doc911,
I had Diamaris too (on a Cayenne S with 20" Technos, and Air Susp.) and switched to Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta.
They last the same, ..or a little bit more than the Diamaris, but, make less road noise, and do not have that trend "to follow the tracks" on used freeways that the Diamaris have IMO. The overall feeling is nicer than the the Diam. (On my 996, after trying different things, I'm back on Michelin PS, so, do not understand that I'm against Michelin, just trying to be as neutral as possible.)
I'm in Northen Cal, and as there are no Vred dealers here, ..I bought my last two sets in SoCal (shipping from L.A.). (Btw, prices where around 200, or ..100less than the Diams !)
It is true that they have a kind of "special look" (see at Vredestein.com), the design is from Giungiaro.
Well, I can add that in my case, I did 20k miles with the Diam, and about 23 with the Vred.
The last set, I choose 315 in the rear, (the Techno are 9" wide on the front, and 10" on the rear), as I did not liked that much the incline angle of the 275 on 10" wheels, but I think, I'm paying this choice on the mileage, ..that decreased since ! (or I have a problem somewhere else..)

jes999

I recently switched from P Zeros to the Latitude Sport. They handle great and are quieter than the Pirelli's but I don't expect more than 10 to 12K miles from them. I wanted to try the Latuitude Tour HP which a friend has had great luck with on his Cayenne Turbo (18K miles and pretty quiet fro the first 15K miles) but they were backordered and I had run the P Zeros down to slicks do I couldn't wait.

Dennis C

I'm running the Continental ExtremeContact DWS on my Cayenne S, on 20-inch wheels. So far I only have a few thousand miles on them, but they are very good. They are extremely quiet. We'll see how they look after about 20,000 miles...

red911c2

We had the factory Diamaris on the 20" Technos and replaced them with the Yokohama Parada. So far, so good! Their performance in rain and snow has been DRAMATICALLY better than the Diamaris and I haven't noticed much, if any, performance degradation. Of course, I'm doing normal everyday driving on them but if I was autocrossing the Pepper, I'd probably appreciate the extra stick of the Diamaris!

pcst

Changed from Yoko Advan Sports to Parada-X, 275/40/20 on Sport Technos, I've been very satisfied with the new set so far, been very good on rain, haven't really tested on snow yet.

mudman2

on 18's i tried a few types but went back to P zero all seasons I get 15-18k but also have winters so i dont use them all year around.

BG993

Hey Doc911,

I have an '04CS with about 120K miles, so I have been thru this scenario a number of times. Pirelli, Michelin, and Continentals. Most recently, I have gone with the highest UTOG I can find, and installed a set of the Continental DWS Extreme Contacts from Tire Rack. They do not feel as soft as the pirelli's, but so far they are wearing like iron. For my money, plenty quiet, and plenty of grip. In fact, I do not think I have missed any of the benefits of the softer options out there.

Bill

yeldogt

I went with Goodyear Eagle F1 GS -- put them on my sedan also. Great in the rain -- very quiet. Strictly summer.

wirunner

Like any P!g S, I'd recommend the cheapest tire you can find. You're likely nekkid and will have many more expensive repairs in your future.

The cheapest tires around are the Yok Prada Spec-X (only seen rave reviews) or the Hankook Ventus. Both are non-N rated all season varieties. N rating is stupid and pretend you never heard of it.

Go with the Yoko's. I have the Hankooks and they wear well (10k miles now and they look like new/still quiet), however, I've never been able to have them perfectly balanced for high speed cruising.

Good luck...may the force be with you

Dennis C

I had Hankooks before the Contis. The were not bad for the first 20K miles, but they became very loud after that. That's why I switched.

rbaron

I'm the original owner of a low mileage 04 CS. I replaced the original Pirellis with Michelin Latitude Tours (18") and am quite pleased with them.

Doc911

Thank you very much for all your help and replies. Today I ordered a set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS. I'll let you know what I think once I get them.

My main reason for getting them was the low price combined with a very high thread wear rating and low noise rating. Then when I saw that at least two people replied here who were happy with them, that's what tipped me over. Thanks again guys.

P.S. I was told by a friend that a wheel alignment is a complete waste of money. I think I paid $580 two years ago at the Porsche service center. Big O Tires, where I bought my new tires change $90. Is it worth it?

mdrums

I have a '10 Cayanne S with 11.5k miles. I went out and looked at the tires and the rear are just about down to the wear indicators on the center of the tire. Just running the stock partial load 38/43psi pressures too. Odd! I do mostly highway and suburban crusing. I might get another 7k out of them.

I did have my CayanneS re-aligned at my local indy Porsche racing shop at around 5k miles. The factory alignment was way off, hence the bad pulling to the right. The CayanneS has since drove a lot better.

I have 20" Sport Techno's. I guess I will be tire shopping later this summer.

jes999

If you are "just about down to the wear indicators" you will probably need new tires in less than 2K miles. The 12K miles you already have gotten out of your tires is not far off of what is considered "normal" with the factory provided tires.