gerry100

Planning the "04 DE campaign and general maintenance budget on the '86 coupe and have some tire issues-

- Yokohama AVS AVI's installed in '02 have 8k miles ( 800miles on track)on them, rears are nearly smooth in the middle, fronts look OK. Wear pattern on rears suggests to much pressure, but I've been pretty careful about maintaining 36rear/29 front as recommended in the manual.

Do all 911s wear out rear tires like this? looks like 2X - 3X as fast as the fronts?

Seems that the AVI pattern has been discontinued, if so I assume I'll have to go for four tires, if so I'd like to get into a tire model that is stable so that I can replace just the rears, if that makes sense.

Car is used for dry , fair weather driving and DE's. I have two kids in college.

Any tire suggestions/inputs appreciated.

Bill Gregory

Gerry100,

Yes, 911 rears typically wear at 2X the fronts. In terms of tire choice, I went with Bridgestone S03's (which were fairly new) last time I bought street tires (I also have another set of rims with 'R' compound tires). On the street, wet or dry they've been fine. I was hoping they'd be a good wet track tire, but was disappointed at their track grip in the wet. If I were looking again for 4 street tires, I might consider one of the newer Michelin Pilot tires, in addition to Bridgestones. Some people have found Kumho's to be a good price performer, however, don't know how their street tires hold up on the track.

At some point, you might consider buying a second set of rims, and mounting 'R' compound tires, which you can drive on the street. That way, your street tires are used on the street, and the track tires on the track/on the way to the track.

Chris Picklo

Kuhmo VR's are pretty sticky and somewhat inexpensive. This would be a good "to the track and on the track" tire, as Bill mentioned. They won't wear out nearly as quickly as hoosiers.

JackOlsen

It's true that the rears wear faster, but the factory pressure recommendations don't mean anything on the track. You should chalk your tires (or use a pyrometer, if you have one) and adjust the pressures accordingly.

I don't think 'R compound tires' and 'two kids in college' go together, for most of us.

911sse

I have Bridgestone S02's (N3 rated) on my 87 911 Supersport SSE (the M491 option name in the UK), they are still available at some retailers.

The general opinion amungst UK 911 owners is that 36 psi is too high for the rear tyres and this will be the reason for the wear in the middle!

We all run our rears tyres at around 31-33psi depending on the conditions. Give it a try!

My last set of rears were good for the best part of 15000-18000 miles!! And that is living in the wilds of the North of Scotland!

Look forward to the feedback!

Roamer

You might also want to look into the Falken Azenis. The solo guys love these tires and have even used them instead of R compound rubber. The problem is that they have limited size availability. Otherwise I would suggest the Kumho's followed by the SO3's (price vs. performance). I am not a big Michelin guy, too expensive. Check tirerack or discount tire for decent prices.

Also, guys may want to check out this tire size calculator, great for figuring out your plus sizing or wheel upgrade options!

http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

911sse

Also, if you can get them in the states, Fulda Extremo's.

A european magazine recently printed a user poll from 3.2 Carrera and 944 owners in Germany. This was the most common tyre choice!

CarjCapt

We just bought Bridgestone S02A N4 from Tirerack for our 911 turbo..getting them put on this weekend...

Jim

911sse

Jim

Try the pressures listed above on the rears, rather then the 36psi and see what you think!

I can assure you it wont affect the handling, it will drastically improve the longevity of the tyre though!

The S02's are a good choice!