ajmarton

My 81 928S (manual) finally needs new tires - front and rear. I am in LA and Globe Tire has Bridgestone Potenza RE750s, Continental Contisportcontacts and Sumitomo HTR Z in both sizes. Installed w/tax the Bridgestones are $760 and the Sumitomos are around $540. The Conti's are $880. I am leaning toward the Bridgestones. Anyone have any comments /reviews or suggestions on another tire or tire shop with better prices. TIA Andrew

DANdeMAN

Don't go for the Sumitomos, sidewals are to week and wet traction is not good.
Don't be fooled by the lower price, I regret buying them....

DANdeMAN

One more thing, isn't stock 225/45/16 ???

Randy V

My recommendation is to not spend another penny on 16" tires.

Upgrade to 17 or 18" wheels, then you open a whole spectrum of performance tires that significantly improve your car's performance.

You can find wheel/tire packages on eBay that are killer deals.

ajmarton

I will double check the tire size when I get home. I know that I am limiting what I can get with the 16" rims but want to stay original. I don't go crazy wild with the cars anyway as it is all original and I want to keep it that way for now. Besides I have 16s on my 89 911 and Dino Spyder as well so I can live with it.

pewter82

I have owned 2 sets of the Sumitomos HTR Z and have had no problem with them at all, a decent all around tire that looks good and has decent performance. I bought off of Tire Rack and IIRC they were around $67 a piece.
I guess if you track your car or drive it in the worst of conditions you might want to spend more $$ on a more advanced tire.

jason

Jim bailey - 928 International

the original tire for a 7x16 rim is 225x50x15 that is what fits. The 245x45x16 needs an 8 inch rim to work properly as fitted to the rear of the S-4.

Tom928

I had 15" rims on the 81 and could only find Goodyear tires with "H" ratings.
I upgraded to 16" rims and was able to get a much wider selection of tires and ratings.

I went with Kumho ECSTA ASX and I am happy so far.

Doug Hillary

Hello Andrew,
whilst I think Randy is correct and I second his suggestion and Jims' too, I understand your point (I kept mine original too)

I used Falken 326F/451R tyres on my S4 - two sets!. I had great tread life, the 451 has firm side walls which the rear needs but being directional they were a little noisy when cold. They are great in the wet! Best of luck with your choice

Regards

UKKid35

I'm a big fan of the ContiSports. They are much lighter than anything else I've ever bought too, as well as being quieter and very able in dry and wet.

rixter

potenzas, but real hard to find in 16"

callouie

Potentza RE750's on my stock S4 manhole covers. Decent in GA, can't speak to how they perform in snow/ice, they do just fine in the rain.

Stock size is what you have in your subject line. 50's in front, 45's in rear.

ajmarton

According to the sticker on the gas cap cover the recommended size is 225/50/16 is the recommended size all the way around. Is there a problem with 245/45/16 in the rears (what the PO had) and 225/50/16 in the fronts?

dr bob

AJ--

The 245/45-16's are the original rear fitment on the S4 manhole rims, where you have 7" front and 8" rear wheel widths. The 225's on your sticker assume the 7" wheels on all four corners. You should verify that you have the 8" rears before you fit the 245 tires; Although they may look OK on the 7" wide rims, the sidewall is not supported well enough to maintain even tread contact.

FWIW, I second the recommendation to find a buy on some 17-18" takeoffs. New 997 owners are upgrading out of their 18" wheels, so there tend to be good buys on barely-used wheel-and-tire sets. The 997 wheels have the corrert offsets for the 928, making them a very nice upgrade. I made the jump when 17" wheels were the common takeoffs, and ended up with a set of perfect wheels with Mich Pilots on them, for the equaivalent of the cost of the tires alone. No tax, no mount/balance charges, and a factory balance included. I bought painted center caps to match the rims, and I'm quite happy. Performmance with the Michelins is outstanding, by the way. No PS-2's in 16" sizes, so now that I'm hooked I can't go back. Come drive my car, stock suspension except for the 17" wheels and the PS-2's, and see if you can tell a difference.

I did keep the old rims for the next owner, in case he/she wants to return the look to original. They have been on a car exactly twice in five years, both times for friends who needed them while their bigger/meaner/more expensive wheels were refinished.

chaadster

Here's another recco for the 16" Falkens; I wonder if the GR Beta FK451 that I had are the same as Doug's 326F/451R? Anyway, I really liked the tires' performance, both wet and dry. Good prices, too. I didn't get good tread life, but the ca
r was so new to me then, that I was pretty heavy on the throttle all the time!.