frank_p

Hi there,

Time to change the tires, I have 265 in rear and 235 in front on 19's. Just looking for some advice on what kind of tires to put on. I have an intake/exhaust upgrade so I'm making a little more power than the stock '07 Cayman S pushes, so I'd like to get some new rubber to stick to the road.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Dave in Chicago

I like to break it down into two sets... performance summer tires plus a set of performance winter tires... that's my recommendation. I change out when we get to where the magic temperature inflection point from warm-to-cold and cold-to-warm finally arrives with consistency.

You get the best of all worlds, driving the car on appropriate tires for seasonal conditions. My summer tires are amazing in the rain and the winter tires are completely cold/snow capable while still feeling very competent in the dry.

In my case, I run summer Micheline PS4S' on the 19's and winter Pirelli Sottozero's on the 18's. Both are stock Porsche (read reasonably light) wheels. I'm not a fan of cheap heavy boat anchor aftermarket wheels. Adversely impacts suspension and driving dynamics. Lighter? Okay. Heavy... not so much.

Stock tire sizes are very good on these cars and have a ton of development $$ behind their little recommendation stickers. Unless one aims to out-engineer the Porsche technical team... well, 'nuff said.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

frank_p

Thank you VERY much. Do the Pirelli's come in 19" also? I do have spacers on the car cause I had it lowered - I don't think that will have to much effect on what tire I choose but just wanted to let you know.

phroenips

Not sure if the Pirelli's come in 19", but I know the Michelin Alpin PA4 does come in 19" (N-spec, even). I've had excellent experience with those on my Audis.

frank_p

Thank you!

Dave in Chicago

Ditto above on N-spec, of which I'm also a fan (remember all those nice Porsche development $$$?). I believe the Pirelli's come in 19 as well. Can't likely go wrong with either above. There was a winter tire thread here recently, worth a quick search.

The sticker on my '05 987S sizes winter tires with the rears just a bit narrower, presumably to allow for chains. I'm never gonna use chains, so it's stock sizes for me (read, same as summer sizes). In my experience, supply of winter tires seems to dry up seasonally, so choices dwindle as the cold approaches.

frank_p

Thanks again Dave!

MyNameIdeasWereT

Not to sound like a broken record, but all season tires = no grip in any season. Even on a car with only 200whp, you'll want separate tires for the changing seasons.

It might cost a little more money up front, but then you can get the best of the best for summer performance and the best of the best for winter traction.
Then you can truly enjoy your car, rather than struggling for grip all year.

Also, most all season tires loose their winter grip after 5-10k miles. So while they might be fine for the first winter, you'd probably want to replace them the next year.

CaymanSinAR

I'm *almost* jealous of you that have clarity of seasons. Here you pretty much have to go with all-seasons. Too cold in the morning for summer tires and too warm in the afternoon for winter tires.

9~factor

Agreed. Now you need 3 sets of tires. smh

CaymanSinAR

I don't really have a choice with the BGTS. No good options. If it's below 60 I just don't drive it. Drive my BMW or Miata instead. The BMW only has all-seasons and I have three sets of wheels/tires for the Miata (all-season on stock wheels, Rivals on Konigs for autocross, and Rivals on OZs for summer driving).

Working on replacing the current BMW and Miata with a 911 S/4S or M2 Copetition at the moment.

ramans

I've got a different perspective. If you're looking for an all season tyre that works decently well in most conditions then I'd look at the Continental DWS 06 I have a set of those on my Boxster, and they're great. I don't use this car on the track or for auto-x, the most it sees of aggression is a spirited drive up the windy back road near my house, and for that they're fine. They also offer grip in the colder wet weather we get here in Seattle, and I consider them a great all round tyre. I think if it snowed when I was at work I could probably get home, but wouldn't ever take the car out in the actual snow.

For normal street driving they're not noticeably worse than the super sports I have on the cayman, but again I wouldn't go near a competition surface with them as I'm sure they'd be way way worse.

CaymanSinAR

Only problem is I can't get the DWS or Michelin's Pilot Sport A/S 3+ in a size for my BGTS.

frank_p

Thanks for your perspective!

pitt911

agree