Greg86andahalf

Update-

I decided to get the alignment done with the current tires. I have decent tread left on them and will plan a replacement in a few months.

Thanks for the tire info. I had not even heard of some of the brands listed. I really appreciate it.

Greg

User X

Greg,
For what it's worth, I have a set of the Dunlop 8000's on our '88 A/T. I have been very happy with them. Yes, they probably aren't for someone looking for tenths of a second on auto-x, but they last nicely and work ok in the rain. (I'm in Portland, we get LOTS of rain) We will probably get 30-35k life out of them. For daily use as opposed to high performance, I would buy them again.

I think the key is be honest with yourself about how you will use the tires and what you expect them to do. Armed with that information, you can get just what you need.

Cheers! <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Joe Ferguson

'88 S4 A/T (her driver)
'83S Euro 5sp (my project) <img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

Greg86andahalf

Hey Joe,

Thanks for the opinion. My usage is normal street driving, sometimes in rain and my wife will drive the car occasionaly. Some highway road trips. This is our "fun car". Most important would be wet/dry traction and comfort/quiet. It's one of 5 vehicles for two drivers, not a daily must-drive. Although, I am leaning towards driving this one to work most days.

Greg

michael

I'll toss another option in to the fray: Dunlop SP5000 Asymetrical. They are not for track or hot-rodding use but they are excellent for everyday driving, particularly in temperate climates becuase they grip well when cold (as opposed to the RE730 which some have said have no grip at all until warm).

The SP5000 is quieter and more comfortable than the SP8000 and has been the perfect "compromise" tire for my use (in Cleveland).

They don't do anything 'best of class' but they can handle all driving conditions well including cold and wet. The wear charcteristics have been very good and I am happier with these for everyday driving than I was with any of the performance tires I had on my shark.

I like the asymetrical tread design which allows the tire to be as aggressive as possible and still have very good wet road capabilites.

From a cost perspective I think they are a bit more than the SP8000 and a bit less than the RE730.

2V4V

Greg,

FWIW, my current favorite for daily use is the Sumitomo HTRZ-II. They are inexpensive (~$110 each for ZR 255/40-17) ,they stick nicely dry and wet, and the last set of rears lasted about 15K in mostly around town driving. My fronts currently have 18K and over 50% tread left. I have several friends who have been running HTRZ-IIs for awhile now, and everyone has been pleased so far.

The only potential issue has been picking up stuff
from the road. I have had 2 nail punctures, and I am unsure as to how much of that is due to tread design, cretins dropping nails out of the back of trucks, or just bad luck.

Yes, there are somewhat stickier tires out there, but they cost 2 or 3 times as much, and last half as long. More importantly, seldom do they provide any real advantage out in the real world of everyday driving. Have a set of gumball R compounds for the track/DE/Copperstate, but consider what kind of driving you do 99% of the time on the street when you buy tires.

HTH,

Greg

WallyP

It is very, very rare for me to approach the limits of traction on dry pavement.

It is very, very common for me to approach - and surpass - the limits of traction on wet pavement.

I am willing to trade quite a bit of dry traction for more wet traction.

Greg86andahalf

Wally,

That is one on my concerns. Especially since my wife may be driving the car with one or more of the kids in it.

Greg

Big Dave

Speaking of budget tires...

I saw Yokohama AVS Intermediates (255/40/ZR17) for sale at tirerack for $103.

Any experience with these tires? I use all-seasons for half the year, so I'm not concerned with anything but summertime weather.

<img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

BC

The INtermediates are fine tires. I had them on my 924S when I sold it. They held pretty well, but I think these tires are more for a smaller tread width. I also have these tires on my wife's 81 auto 928. Again, they work fine, but nothing special. In that price range, there are many better tires. Namely the Kumhos.
With reference to the Kumhos, though, I must say this - they are not as good as people say they are. Yes, youcan have them for very good prices, but in the long run, you have to keep them for street driving at a rate of 2-3 sets of rears for every fronts. Do you like the tire THAT much? I don't. I am on my scond rear set of 712s, and when I replace all four, I will not get kumhos again. I think I will bite the bullit and buy S-03s, and hopefully I will also be buying the larger wheels at the same time (Kinesis). I WILL be doing some track events, but nothing too serious. Maybe I will keep these wheels (16" S4 flats) and put Yoko A032r's on, or The Kumho Victoracers.
Hmmm- choices choices. Anyway, my point is Try Kunhos if you are really curious, and keep them if they suit you, but you always want to look closer when any statement about them ends in "For the money...."

HTH,

Ketchmi

From my experience, if you use the wonderful power that our cars have, you will use 2/3 sets of rears per set of front tires with any make you use. This seems to be common with even our 911 (step, half, little) brothers. I have found this to be true with 4 different makes on my 86.5. Just a fact of life.

Dave

<img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

dr bob

I don't know what luck you guys have seen before. I found a set of 996 C4S wheels as new takeoffs, with MIch Pilots on them, for about the same cost as the tires alone from Tire Rack. Mine happened to be listed on E-bay, but didn't sell. I contacted the seller, who happened to live fairly close by, and arranged a cash purchase for less than his reserve. Meanwhile, I see places that have them fairly regularly, and my local dealer often has takeoffs from owners who do immediate upgrades. Cash speaks loudly, and there are deals to be had.

The only downside is that the fronts on late factory wheel sets are only 205's. For my casual street driving this is OK, but they will be replaced with at least 225 or 235 fronts and 265 or 275 rears.

The Pilots, regardless of where you find them, are a lot quieter than the BFG T/A's fitted by the PO on my car. They are also a lot stickier, allowing some pretty aggressive dives onto ramps that I wouldn't even consider on the BFG's even when they were new, and even with the size difference in front. If you aren't reading between the lines here yet, I really like the Pilots.

Next set might be the Pilot Sports, to get a little more treadwear rating. I got 30k out of the BFG's (UTQG = 300) and would love to get that much out of the Pilots (UTQG = 180 IIRC) Will I get that lucky? <img src="graemlins/oops.gif" border="0" alt="[oops]" />

2V4V

I guess they improved the treadwear on Pilots, last set I drove was 120 (gads!). As Michelins always seem to go, they were excellent tires, but the wet performance was far from concommitant with the treadwear rating. And I just drive way too much for 120s...

The "2:1" ratio of rears to fronts seems to be pretty standard on 928s - keep in mind that the action of the Weissach axle tends to wear the rears, and the harder you drive, the more it works.

Greg

dr bob

120 is about right for street/race rubber. I seem to remember some really gooey thinly disguised track tires with ratings in the 80-100 range too. Kinda makes you wonder what the DOT was thinking when they came up with the ratings and 100 is the 'standard' from which others project life.

I suspect that the factory is much more interested in making sue that the new owners first driving experience is wonderful and safe. Not much consideration for the first tire-purchase experience though.

On the Fronts:Rears ratio, I must be too darn gentle on the throttle. Or, I followed Ed Ruiz's early advice and backed the rear pressure on the BFG's down to about 40, and pumped the fronts to 40. That combo, with correct ride height (for correct suspension geometry), and the factory alignment (checked toe to be sure but no changes), delivered even wear on all four corners.

If I took regular advantage of the torque, the rears could definitely do a little more suffering. Conversely, a few ramps approached a little hot would scrub the fronts pretty quickly too. It seems that, later in life, the need for stoplight to stoplight speed is lessened at least for me. Fortunately, high-speed (at least 'American' high speed) motoring doesn't have the same diminishing need.


"Why would I want to pay you to rotate the tires. They rotate when I drive!" <img src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" border="0" alt="[hiha]" />


A discussion the other night prompted me to check-- my SCCA license is 14 years out of date. No easy renewal this time.


<img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" />


--

dr bob

I wrote:

[quote] Next set might be the Pilot Sports, to get a little more treadwear rating. I got 30k out of the BFG's (UTQG = 300) and would love to get that much out of the Pilots (UTQG = 180 IIRC) Will I get that lucky?
<hr></blockquote>


Gad-- I took a look at the sidewalls and found that the treadwear rating is actually only 140, more than the 120 pointed out by others on previous versions but less than what I remembered from the advertizing stuff I looked at prior to purchase. The the numbers are anywhere close to a linear relationship, I'll be popping for new rubber every year or two.

I hope I can make the few miles between tire stores...

John Struthers

Greg,
Do you have access to a copy of the last issue of Christophorus. I saw one at the local
Hair Butchers Are Us. It had the CURRENT recommendations of the Porsche tire testers - now wouldn't that be a bummer of a job?- .
I believe the breakdown was by wheelsize with offsets and broke down by comfort, performance, general/overall. You can break it down by maufacturer/size/need/price and the all important averaged recommendation of people who have actually bought a set.
If you can't get a copy of the above Magazine I can type the list for your wheel size.
Later, John S. & Pattycakes