Eric D

I have a set of re730s and the fronts are trashed. If I wanted to try Yoks or Kumhos is it bad to leave the Bridgestones on the rear (they are at 70 %) and put a differnet brand on the front or should I wait until I can replace all 4. I know I could just buy 2 re730 tires but I wanted to try another brand. Any feelings on this?

Thanks

Z-man

No: you should not mix tire brands. It will upset the handling of the car.
You shouldn't even use different models from the same brand on the car.

Keep all four tires with the same brand and model to optimal handling.
-Z.

Dave

I'm not so sure this is true, the front and rear tires have different primary functions and thus have different requirements to perform optimally. Pirelli even recomends different tires for the front and rear of our cars, Asimmetricos at one end and direzionales at the other.
That being said, I'm sticking with 4 of a kind for now. (and I'm sticking with the RE-730s, unless I step up to S-03s)

SamGrant951

im in transition right now with no ill effects.
still a few more miles left on the rears (re71s) and have S03pp on the front.
id rather have all the same though. havent really messed with it as i havent been driving for the last year really...

Michael Stephenson

I also am in transition. No problems on the dry roads, but the rears really let go in the wet. I think that it is a function of the brand of tire on the rear (Daytons) and that if I had the same tire all around then I would go into a nice four wheel drift.

crazandy

So its bad to have 3 diff makes of tires? Heres my setup (no i did not do this, just got the car a lil while ago, guess the PO had a lot of flats or somethin)
LF RF
Cooper Cobra Kumho Ecsta
Radial GT2

LR RR
Dunlop SP Dunlop SP
Sport 5000 Sport 5000

and the RR one has bad road rash could only make out the bottom parts of the letters.

Dave

Different tires left to right, is pretty much a bad thing no matter who you ask. Go get some new front tires. If the outer part of the sidewall is worn, I'd say the PO didn't worry about the minor details (read; AIR) too much.

Deepice

I have always been told this is a wet weather no no. With cars with 50 50 weight distribution even more so.

But I have only heard this It might be a ruse to get us to buy 4 tires instead of 2

FirstPorsche

Since I am new to Porsches please take my answer with a grain of salt...

I think that as long as the two fronts are the same and the two rears are the same you will be OK. On my previous rides (Mustang GT and Saleen Mustang with 58%/42% weight distribution) I would run sticky Yokohamas on the front and retreads on the rear (budget constraints) with no ill effects. I even ran for awhile with Yokes on the front, an aotocross Yokohama on the left rear, and a Dunlop SP Sport D40 M2 on the right rear. It was no problem!

Again, those cars handled like pigs so maybe Porsches are different... Just be aware that one end may wash out before the other!

crazandy

I havn't noticed anything but then again this is my first and only car. Got it last september. There may be some handling problems, but since its the only car i've driven more than 2 miles and in the rain (parents were afraid to drive with me ) i think its just fine. I'm trying to save up some money for some porsche boxter twist rims (millie migella 3s) and then perelli tires. Untill then i can live with the 3 diff types of tires. I'm a lil worried that the right rear may blow out though. it has about an 1/8-1/4 rash ripped out of the side wall.

FormulaOne10

I purchased my car with Michelin Pilot XGT V4s on the rear and eagle HPs on the front. Honestly, there are really minimal differences until I approach the limit. My rear rim is an inch wider to begin with so the tire matching is already some what different to begin with. That being said, I would rather have(and may buy) Michelin XGT V4s all around. The eagle HPs are a bit noisy for having just marginal grip.

newoldguy

Reading this makes me wonder if this isn't a leftover issue from the "good old days." In other words, when radial tires were new to the game, it was definitely not advisable to run two bias ply with two radials. But nowadays, I have never read anything to make me think that you must have all 4 the same. I think if you're running radials, you're OK as long as they are the same size (height).

Tom

The answer really is it depends on your goals. Generally we are seeking balance, and that is achieved by having tires of the same design on all 4 corners. An example of this is the recommendation that snow tires be mounted in sets of 4. If you are seeking a particular goal then having tires that develop greater grip on oe end or the other may be useful. The problem may be that things may change radically as conditions change and an acceptable situation dry may become dangerous wet. If you look at any set of tire reviews you will see that there are noticable differences in the characteristics between different brands of tires. Mixed sets would make me very wary of trying to utilize the limits of Porsche performance, and those limits are not always reached at high speeds. For what it's worth some of the newest cars have sensors that demand that tires be replaced in sets of 4 if there is even minimal wear.

billybones

Geeze o pete, sensors for tire wear??? why? what next, rear tail light defrosters? I just saw remote control running boards....

Tom

Actually the sensors measure rotation speed (for PSM, ABS, GPS, etc) and are sensitive enough thea a difference of 5000 mi or so will cause problems with those systems.