Re: 1989 Carrera Coupe.

I have ES100's on my car now and I don't like the way they look . They corner well but they don't look that great in my opinion, sorry.
I mean they don't look right on my car. Maybe they look too modern, I don't know.... I saw a similar car that had tires that looked great, I think they were made by Bridgestone. They had that "period" look. What tires do you guys think look killer on a 911?

I want the road handling, but I also want that nice tire look. What do you recommend. No track work, just street performance and looks.

Thankyou,

Raj

 

Raj:

Specifically, what do you not like about the ES-100's appearance???

Too short?

Want something that looks "fatter" from the sides?

Willing to make some compromises in handling and acceleration to accomplish this?

 

Steve my friend,, how are you? A belated Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

I think the ES100 just don't look classic in appearance. With their squared off shoulders I don't think they have that gumball look.
Raj

 

Hiya Raj:

Ahhh,...now I understand precisely what you mean,... What sizes do you currently have?

I think what you want are 55-60-series tires; something that is tough to find in a grippy, ultra-high performance tire anymore.

Let me cruise through my Tire Rack catalog and see what I can dig up.

(I'm doing just fine and keeping VERY busy)

 

hoho, I love that "square" look, which normall means $$

 

I just put the new Toyo T1-R's on my 89 911.... I had the ES100's on my SC
I'm liking the looks of the Toyo's and so far they are impressing me.
Chuck

 

I've found the ES100 to be quite noisy, especially on deceleration and braking.

 

I looked for several month's and went with the Avon M500's for my 88 Carrera. I was skeptical since I had not driven or ridden in a vehicle with them on it. The traction is absolutely phenomenal, especially in the wet. The guys at Tire Rack said they had tested them for several month's and found them to be an excellent tire. Also, if you don't like them, they'll take them back. I had a set of Michelin Pilot Sports on the car and in the wet they slid everywhere. These Avon's are great and I would like to put a set on my Chrysler Van, but they don't come in the required size for the vehicle. And cost was around $80/tire.

 

I just had fitted Yokohama's A048r on the rear to replace the Bridgestone so3's; the Yoko's have prodigious grip but being a street legal race tyre, you would hope they would have the grip!!

But the reason I tried these is that the SO3's had serious tread squirm from new and until half worn; the A048's are all rubber, with minimal tread pattern; no squirming. How long they will last is a good question but they sure do get the car leaping out of corners.

The Yoko's have an 'old school' look too so maybe give them a try...

 

"I looked for several month's and went with the Avon M500's for my 88 Carrera. "
Interesting, I just went through the same drill & came to the same conclusion. Previously had Bridgestones (RE930s & before that the RE71s). They are in the strata below the very top-end high perf tires.

I too was concerned about the lack of history on this particular tire, but the tests & few reviews looked good. I am aware of Avon's past (& present) as a provider of racing tires, so I was glad someone there knew something. They are now owned by Cooper, one of the last standing American tire companies, so that counted (a little, + I'm all for Anglo-American cooperation).

The tread pattern is more "old school" than most these days (doesn't look like a F1 rain tire from a few years back), appropriate for our 15+ yr old cars (though I hate to admit it, style matters to me even in a tire - "I want it all"). The sidewall / tread transition appears more rounded than square - also like the old days. Specs well.

I have 1000 mi on them now. I note they are quiet and smooth riding (rather than harsh on road imperfections). They are sticky, respond well to brake modulation at the point of lock up. I haven't really pushed it that hard in cornering & sequential transitions yet (usually reserved for chasing friends w/ 996s & 997s - slightly irritating to them & much fun in the ole sled), but it feels like it has high limits of adhesion & won't bite you in a drift. Still, I don't think it is an autocross tire, more of an all-arounder & like Spider says, a very good value. {If they morph into junk, I'll report back}.
good luck!

 

ked, very well said. I should have gone into it further, but didn't. I used to be able to break the Pilot's loose in the wet with very little effort. These M500's are hard to break loose in the wet ( i have not been able to it yet), they are very quiet , and grip well into and out of corners. I also wouldn't autocross them only because I don't have data on them in that area.

 

I run Bridgestone Potenza SO-3's at the suggestion of Brian Weathered at Midwest Motorsports in Chicago, a race prep shop where I had my PPI done. I have no complaint in any conditions. I use Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22's in winter and they give the car a nice rallye look. And grip like Hades.