Mild Scolding from a Service Advisor
03-26-2018, 04:15 PM
#16
Running mismatched tires, even a seemingly minor mismatch like this one, is begging for all kinds of hard to believe problems. Usually its crazy quircky handling, but there was at least one guy here who was getting alerts not even cornering that hard, because even though his tires were matched the fronts were old and worn while the rears were brand new. Went away soon as he replaced the fronts.
03-26-2018, 04:31 PM
#17
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Running mismatched tires, even a seemingly minor mismatch like this one, is begging for all kinds of hard to believe problems. Usually its crazy quircky handling, but there was at least one guy here who was getting alerts not even cornering that hard, because even though his tires were matched the fronts were old and worn while the rears were brand new. Went away soon as he replaced the fronts.
That's very interesting and good to know. Thanks for saving that headache for me.
03-26-2018, 05:12 PM
#18
You're welcome. And it might well have been Excedrin Headache #911. I knew one guy with a Boxster, had alignment done, then redone, then was being told could be steering rack, could be.... When he told me about it he at first refused to believe it could be tires. Well next time you're walking through a parking lot check it out. I've tallied well over 25% of cars with mismatched tires. (I know, I know, living the dream.) Nobody seems to notice. Well, in a Porsche you WILL notice.
If your fronts are more than 3 years old I would replace them regardless of tread depth. Tire compounds get so much harder over time that even with full tread depth the fronts will not respond the same as the rears even if they ARE an exact match. That was part of the problem the other RL'er had. The freshest tire is always the best tire. Tires do not improve with age like some fine wine. No matter how good they smell.
If your fronts are less than 2 years old with lots of tread then different story, if you can find the exact same tire and want to save some money then go for it. Otherwise, a whole new set is the way to go.
If your fronts are more than 3 years old I would replace them regardless of tread depth. Tire compounds get so much harder over time that even with full tread depth the fronts will not respond the same as the rears even if they ARE an exact match. That was part of the problem the other RL'er had. The freshest tire is always the best tire. Tires do not improve with age like some fine wine. No matter how good they smell.
If your fronts are less than 2 years old with lots of tread then different story, if you can find the exact same tire and want to save some money then go for it. Otherwise, a whole new set is the way to go.
03-26-2018, 06:06 PM
#19
Rennlist Member
Sorry, missed a sort of key point: Half worn at 8500 miles. When service advisors are talking to me about tires with a "scolding" tone, it's time for new tires or getting close to it. So...17,000 miles from the rears, predicted? That's a lot better than 996/997 tires got not so long ago.
03-26-2018, 06:45 PM
#21
Rennlist Member
These cars eat rear tires. Even in my 981 Boxster S driven mostly on back roads, the rears (P zeros) were down to 4-5/32 after about 16k miles. The fronts were still good at 7/32. I would consider 15k to be pretty decent for rear tires.
03-26-2018, 07:47 PM
#23
Pro
Per the manual you are supposed to not only have same brand and type, but also same N number, as in replace to N0 if fronts are N0, don't be tempted to go to the newer N1. It wold cause you problems at trade in, car must have matching tires all around down to the N code. So it makes sense to plan ahead, as suggested above.
Two rear sets per single set of fronts, is the general rule for RWD 911/Cay/Box, when driven on aggressively on street.
Two rear sets per single set of fronts, is the general rule for RWD 911/Cay/Box, when driven on aggressively on street.
03-27-2018, 01:08 AM
#24
You can totally run different tires on the axles. Heck, I've done it at the track. I think it was RA'1's on the front and MPSC's on the rear (I'm dating myself here). Just make sure all four tires are in good condition and are correct size and spec for your car. No need to throw away perfectly good tires.
People on forums love to spend other people's money.
People on forums love to spend other people's money.
03-27-2018, 08:27 AM
#26
Also, your service writer sounds clueless. It's not unusual for these cars to wear rear tires faster than the fronts even under "normal" driving conditions.
03-27-2018, 09:16 AM
#27
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03-27-2018, 09:29 AM
#28
Rennlist Member
If you get 12-15k miles on your rears you aren't doing anything wrong. These cars are hard on rear tires. My old 996TT used to be lucky to get 7k on the rears 10k max if I drove it hard and no tracking.
Drive on and enjoy.
Drive on and enjoy.
