tomtom911

Hi all,
I am in the market to purchase new tires for my 82 SC, I plan on purchasing stock sizes on 16" wheels, 205/55R16 & 225/50R16

After researching, this site, PCA, tie rack and Consumer reports the best available in these sizes are: Michelin Pilot Super sport A/S 3 and Bridgestone RE-11A.

Continental extremeContact DW and Hankook Ventus S1 noble 2 are also in the mix . The car will never be driven in snow, rain ...very rare. It will be driven in cold temps occasionally. I'm leaning to the Pilot super sport A/S 3..anyone have any thoughts , pro/con on any of these?

Amber Gramps

I have the Hancook Ventus R-S3 in the stock 6/7 sizes. They are extremely sticky and have allowed me to keep up with the big boys on runs in the canyons.

I will admit that I pulled the car out early yesterday morning in subfreezing temp and the front tires were too cold to grip. Freaky sound almost like they were flat when I made the turn from the driveway to the street. Needless to say i parked it and took the truck. An hour in the sun and they were good to go.

Otherwise they are the best tires I have ever run on anything.

porsche0nut

I'll put my vote in for the RE-11A. I have two years and 10 track days on them and they are simply incredible. Superb grip, decent life, they look amazing (aggressive) and perform well in wet and cold. My last track day with then was between 2-8 deg C at Mosport and I couldn't believe how much grip I was getting. Only tire I would ever go to from these is the toyo R888 for more track-focused driving... But for street I'd say there is nothing better.

Matt Lane

Guess it really depends on what you plan to do with the car, specifically whether or not to do track events. Also, whether you really need an all season tire. The Michelin is an all season, I think.

If just summer street, I would be (am) going with the conti dw (not the all season variant of the same tire)

Good luck!

Matt Lane

Just read your post more carefully. Yes, for even occasional cold rain/snow, you probably do want all seasons. And definitely not any of the more performance or track oriented tires mentioned above.

Cheers

Matt

tomtom911

i wont be doing any DE, autocross or track but do want the best handling i can get on the road from March thru Nov. I wont be in snow at all, rain, only if I get caught in it expectantly.

I see many reviews on tirerack give the RE-11 higher ratings over the various Michelin's, and they seem to indicate theyare ok in the cold. Can anyone speak to how the RE11 are in the cold... anyone using them as a daily driver tire? I'm now leaning towards the RE-11A's

BTW in Dec thru March I only plan to take it out on days when no salt is on the road and will drive it easy, so usage will be very limited.

irobertson

FWIW - I really like my RE11s. They are very good in the wet as well.

ADias

I suggest Michelin Pilot Sport Exalto. I tried the A/S 3 and had them out promptly - they were hard. A/S tires are for run-of-the-mill sedans and SUVs.

f4 plt

Just put a new set of Yoko 808R's on my '83 SC and very happy with them. They are much like RE 11's but lighter with the same sure grip and firm sidewall.

DanS911

I have the Conti DW for the money I don't think there is a better street option however no cold experience here

porsche0nut

RE-11A are surprisingly great in cold and wet... I got caught in the situation below (I don't make it a habit) and was very impressed with the grip these high performance tires have even below freezing temps in the wet. I was passing trucks on the highway and never felt uneasy.

Don't get an all-season tire. You're driving a 911, give it the tires it deserves!

mk85911

I put a set of A/S 3's on my 1985 Carrera a couple of months ago for the express purpose of cold weather driving--not snow nor if salt on road. The hype promised performance in company with very high performance summer tires. I'm not sure that is the case, but I can say they seem to overcome the cold temperature issue. I also have a 997 which stays on summer tires, so I wanted all year 911 availabilty. I'm close to admitting I made a mistake; I let last year's extremely long and cold winter unduly influence my decision.

Tomtom, if you will only occasionally experience cold weather, do what porscheOnut says and go with the RE11. When it is a little cold, take your time at first and the tires will warm up a bit. Mike

porsche0nut

Excellent advice. Don't let my enthusiasm for the tires make it seem like they won't break traction in cold/wet... that drive depicted above in the picture I was impressed, but I could still break traction if I put my foot down. But respect the conditions and the RE11 will reward with excellent performance.

tomtom911

All,
Thanks much for your time and sharing your experiences. This is what makes this forum great. I am going with the RE 11A's. You should know I bought this car in April, dream came true car! A very original and clean Targa with 57k orig miles. It came with 15" cookie cutters and I recently bought 16" Fuchs. This is my first step in improving the car. I had planned to wait until Spring to buy the tires but the car's Fuel Pump went during a drive last week so since its in the shop I am pulling the trigger on the tires. I'll likely keep the 15" wheels with new tires on them and can always put them on for the winter...or sell them. I bought the 101 projects book and think the next thing to do is the Tensioner and then evaul the suspension parts....otherwise im livin the dream and finally got a 911.

thanks again for your help
tom

Ed Hughes

I love the RE-11's. I've had them in rain once, and was out New Year's day in low 30's temps, with some small patches of ice. They were flawless.

They worked better than the tires on this car that same day.....