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It's frustrating that there is not more of a selection in this size. I had a chat with the rep from Tire Rack about it and he agreed that there is a demand for these sizes. While was at the tire shop yesterday getting the Toyo Proxes put on and alignment I was checking out a stock 79 930 Turbo- same size tires. He had some crusty looking Bridgestones on there.
While scouring the internet for this size I did find a few sketchy suppliers of the Bridgestone Potenza RE11, but after doing a bit of investigation these places are infamous for selling tires that are years old. Makes sense since they stopped making the Potenza in the 245s about a year ago. No way I'm paying for old rubbers.
So, I just ordered Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 for my 18" Carrera III wheels and having them installed and balanced Friday, so I can begin to drive the GT. If they get the Conti's in, I'll get a set for the Club Sports, but until then...I'll be running the 18's. I had the Toyo's T1R 19" tires on my wife's Mercedes SL when we bought it and wasn't crazy for them and swapped those out for a set of Hankooks also and they ride very nice.
The holy grail of 928 tires....Continental Sport Contact , these were on the GT when I bought it, only problem is they have a date code of 1996! Hopefully we will get some positive feedback from Tire Rack.
The holy grail of 928 tires....Continental Sport Contact , these were on the GT when I bought it, only problem is they have a date code of 1996! Hopefully we will get some positive feedback from Tire Rack.
I'm waiting for the original Pirelli P6 which came on the early 928's and 911's in 16". They are currently re-manufacturing them in 15". The 16's are rumored to be coming, eventually.
Heard back from PCA NA who said contact local dealer for potential of availability of Continental Sport Contact tires for 928 S4 and GT from Germany.
Went to Porsche Norwell today and asked Parts Manager if they could get Continental tires for specifically 225/50/16 and 245/45/16 from Europe. He said they have a close working relationship with TireRack and he would discuss if they would be able to import those sizes from Germany.
I told him, if they could , there are quite a few 928 owners who would be willing to buy if the pricing didn't get crazy.
let's see!
Hey, thanks! One of my 928s is in the Boston area right now, so it wouldn't be too hard for me to buy with you in group, if need be.
Last edited by Red Flash; 04-02-2018 at 11:46 AM.
Reason: Typical spelling mistakes...
Actually, I don't think Sport Contacts are the Holy Grail, and I would actually prefer Michelin's in the correct size and speed rating. But, if Sport Contacts are available, I'll take 'em!
So, I also contacted Porsche Norwell. My contact person suggested that, yes, somebody else had requested these strange tires. The story from his point of view was that according to Tire Rack, the fronts but NOT the rears are available.
I sent some links to some German, Swiss and French sites showing the availability. This could get fun. :-)) Maybe we will finally get some correct tires here for our cars!!
Just got this update from Tire Rack. They have been in contact with Continental over in Europe and this is the info we have so far.
From what he told me over the phone, the “sketchy data” is just him getting multiple or not straight forward answers for why we don’t have them over here.
It appears to be a combination of part number changes and schedules for production.
I will keep you guys posted as soon as I hear more about the 10 pairs he tried to order!
Thanks
-Jay
Also keep in mind; If we do get these imported, just know they may be more than what they cost over in Europe. Shipping them to the US and getting them through customs brings the price up.
For anybody interested in these high quality and otherwise unavailable tires, I advise you to contact Norwell Porsche and ask for a set: https://porschenorwell.com/
+1 781 261 5220
Jay is working on this and I think something will pan out by the end of April.
If the Sport Contacts don't come, I am also good with these P ZEROs. I had actually completely given up looking at Tire Rack's website after so many years of no tires...
Porsche Classic made an agreement with Pirelli for the entire lineup of their classic cars on the P Zero Rosso.. but I guess the demand is higher than supply, specially in the US. A new batch is on its way which is good. Having said that, there are many options available in Europe with ability to ship to the US (not too expensive too via economy express through Demon Tweeks https://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/ ).
--> Tire Rack moved the dates for the P Zero Rosso's back now another month to the end of July
--> Tire Rack has not yet responded to Porsche Norwell about the Sport Contacts
So, now the mystery is solved (at least partially) as to why the Contis in 16" 245 haven't been imported by Tirerack: the current run is supposedly not DOT marked.
This is at least what Tirerack told Porsche of Norwell. Kudos for figuring this out. Tirerack never bothered to or didn't care enough to answer me in the last 5 years.
If this is really true, I understand why Tirerack doesn't carry them. Nonetheless the numerous questions I've asked and the lack of a real answer until now make me a little suspiscious.
Thanks for staying on top of this. It would be nice to at least have the option of driving the car with its original wheels. I like the look of my 928 with its 18" TurboTwist wheels in gunmetal gray, but I don't think the car drives any better than it would with the original wheels with new state-of-the-art tires. At least, then, I'd know that the offsets would be correct and that I could get the alignment done using the computer (rather than the old fashioned eye ball system used by the shop I that did my alignment).
03-28-2018, 12:37 PM
