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I had to replace my tires last fall, and since I didn’t want another set of Pirellis and the PS4S was out of stock, I decided to go with the new Sport Cup 2 Connect 240. It’s a 240 TW tire (for whatever those ratings are worth), so I felt it would be a good compromise between the PZero (220?) and PS4S (300?) in term of tread wear. I’ve driven the car in cold, but above freezing temps (35-45F), and wet conditions without any problems so far. Overall, I’m very happy with the ride/grip and performance in wet/cold. I know they aren’t N spec, but so far the car hasn’t exploded
I also prefer the sidewall profile of these over the N spec. These have a little more meaty of an appearance.
Cup 2s are loud and skittish with standing water... they are a "Track Tire". They are expensive and will be worn out quickly on the street, just throwing money away not using what they are made for.
There is absolutely no reason to have these unless to track your car aka drive them to the track and than back home.
This is complete rubbish. Cup2 is probably the best street tyre for most performance cars.
It is not a track tyre at all. Its side wall os too soft. its rain grooves are so wide for wet weather street driving that they fold at the track and V out with any sort if hard lateral movement.
They are considered as a WET WEATHER tyre. Great for targa where it rains all the time.
Cup2-R is a track tyre with a much stiffer side wall, and shaved tread and very narrow rain grroves. And I still run cup2-R on the street.
Stop listening to journalists.
Cup2 would suit everyone that drives quick on the street.
This is complete rubbish. Cup2 is probably the best street tyre for most performance cars.
^ Gonna have to agree.
First experience with them was on a wet track I didn't know in a 918 prototype. Expected something akin to the previous Cups, which only worked for me if the car was dialed and they were hot…something of a chicken & egg on a wet track and a 900-hp prototype with bad brake feel. It wasn't long before I was a) blown away by the Cup 2 and b) less blown away (but still amazed by) the traction management of the 918. That was 2013, and I wondered if it was the best street tire yet—a notion that would be confirmed on countless miles in a variety of Porsche GT cars over the following years.
The only real weaknesses I've experienced with a Cup 2 have come in dealing with standing water (PS4S isn't exactly an all-season here, either) and then a freak summer snow storm, and I like Cup 2s better that PS4Ss on a wet road so long as they're got some heat in them—so much so I have been thinking about moving to two sets of wheels & tires: all-seasons for the cold/rainy season and grand touring + a set of Cup 2s or similar for the warmer months and occasional fun drives in the colder/wetter months. PS4S won't even get through a full session on track (can maybe do 6 laps before they go off, big time, even with careful pressure management), and PS4S won't recover from most of a track day…though I'm not really tracking this car. It's strictly street. This thread has me thinking about Cup 2s again. Crazy that the Cup 2 is now a decade old, and still as good as it is relative to other options out there.
This is complete rubbish. Cup2 is probably the best street tyre for most performance cars.
It is not a track tyre at all. Its side wall os too soft. its rain grooves are so wide for wet weather street driving that they fold at the track and V out with any sort if hard lateral movement.
They are considered as a WET WEATHER tyre. Great for targa where it rains all the time.
Cup2-R is a track tyre with a much stiffer side wall, and shaved tread and very narrow rain grroves. And I still run cup2-R on the street.
Stop listening to journalists.
Cup2 would suit everyone that drives quick on the street.
I waited to respond to this thread before I’ll come in and say…
I’ve been through very many sets of cup 2 in the wet cold and rain…and on several race tracks.
it’s a track focus tire and is completely pointless to have on the road unless you want to just throw money out the window or potentially crash when driving through standing water
Cup Rs are a qualifying tread aka good only for a few laps … they are junk and can’t do many heat cycles.
from someone who actually uses his car as intended
I waited to respond to this thread before I’ll come in and say…
I’ve been through very many sets of cup 2 in the wet cold and rain…and on several race tracks.
it’s a track focus tire and is completely pointless to have on the road unless you want to just throw money out the window or potentially crash when driving through standing water
Cup Rs are a qualifying tread aka good only for a few laps … they are junk and can’t do many heat cycles.S
from someone who actually uses his car as intended https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gdvcbKzf5kQ&pp=ygUaQ2hpbiB0cmFjayBkYXlzIGJrdWUYes gZ3JvdXA%3D
Just because you can't use a Cup tire to its track maximum performance does not mean it is not great on the street. Hundreds of British videos show fast safe driving on British B roads that are usually narrow, cold and damp.
Should you not drive a GT3 or GT3T or GT4 or Turbo on the street because you can't get the maximum performance out of them unless you are on a track? Even at half those cars full capacity they would be more fun to drive on on ramps and back roads than my Carrera. Yes do you need to be more careful with a Cup tire in deep standing water than a PS4? Yes. Do you need to be more careful on the street driving a GT3 or Turbo than my Carrera? Yes. Is it going to cost more to run a Cup tire on the street? Yes. But we are talking performance not economy. . It does not negate their better performance as a street tire in MOST instances. Besides, I have already proven it to myself by driving both tires on the street.. Different people, different opinions.
Lot of feedback, lot of opinions—and nothing wrong with that. It's a discussion forum.
I've never had a problem getting Cup 2s up to temp on the street, or felt them to be dangerous before that point. Ditto for PS4S. Caveat in both cases: reasonable ambient temps. Prefer Cup 2 to PS4S by a lot on track, and it will handle track days if pressures are managed (up to ~35psi hot, in my experience). Also prefer Cup 2 to PS4S on a wet road with both up to temp, and vice versa in standing water but the margin is closer than some suggest imho.
Do I need more performance/longevity than the PS4S can provide on track, even on my little ol' 370-hp Carrera? Yes. On the street? No. Curious to try Cup 2s on my Carrera, but feel/ride/noise/etc would carry more weight than performance. Conversely, I was curious to try PS4S or similar on my GT4 to see if the car would be more fun on the street—but I sold the car after installing a second set of Cup 2s.
The lol about this thread is how spoiled for choice we are with 991s. Compelling choices for 15-inch performance tires for my old car are extremely limited, and it looks like I may be pulling fenders to move up a size to something that's more likely to be available in the long run. Sheesh.
I was on the fence for several months about this late last fall. I went for the PS4S's and so far no real regrets other than still wondering if I should have tried the Cup 2's. I also feel that modern tires have become so good compared to only a decade ago that it's hard to make a truly bad choice as far as a street only tire goes.
Interesting take on the CUP2's. I don't have personal experience with them but my friends who have them on their track cars say they wouldn't dare get caught in the rain with them. They are also not THAT much faster on the track than PS4S's. I guess it depends on your style of driving, and $$$$ to burn. The way I see it, 80% street, 20% track: PS4S. 80% track, 20% street: Cup 2, Nankang CRS, goodyear eagle SC3. 100% track (second set of wheels): Nankang AR-1, Cup 2R, goodyear eagles SC3R.
I like the PS4S because of the durability, and the mileage warranty. They suit my driving MO, but I could definitely see DD'ing Cup2's if you live in a warm climate and don't put that many miles on your 911.
Interesting take on the CUP2's. I don't have personal experience with them but my friends who have them on their track cars say they wouldn't dare get caught in the rain with them. They are also not THAT much faster on the track than PS4S's. I guess it depends on your style of driving, and $$$$ to burn. The way I see it, 80% street, 20% track: PS4S. 80% track, 20% street: Cup 2, Nankang CRS, goodyear eagle SC3. 100% track (second set of wheels): Nankang AR-1, Cup 2R, goodyear eagles SC3R.
I like the PS4S because of the durability, and the mileage warranty. They suit my driving MO, but I could definitely see DD'ing Cup2's if you live in a warm climate and don't put that many miles on your 911.
For me the opposite applies, in that I would toast a set of PS4S at the track (ruin them, or be limited in how long a session I run / have the whole day limited in terms of track time).
In the wet my personal experience on the street (standing water excluded) is that the grip is excellent for the Cup 2 vs. the PS4S. As for the PS4S the rears would be at the wear bars by the end of the season so their advantage with the grooves would be no different than the Cup 2 tires. The fronts get double the life, and the Cup 2 that I am replacing this week still have 40-50% tread left which would be no different than the PS4S. If there is HEAVY rain in the forecast and I get caught with the 911 out, I just slow down, but have no concerns safely getting around, or I just take the E63s out.
No doubt on the street the PS4S would be the superior choice, but knowing I would be destroying them with 1 track day doesn't sit well with me.
Until I get 3 sets of wheels I have to compromise, and each driver has to decide where they want to compromise. I am no where near as quick as @4 Point 0 but can still destroy a set of rear OEM pads with TC on, and can destroy a set of PS4S in a track day.
^ Also important to remember @4 Point 0 is not only using his 991.2, but has significant mods iirc—that's really important when considering his feedback. The car is more powerful, and if I remember right, is running much higher spring rates. The couple of times I was out on track in my Carrera, I found myself wishing I was on Cup 2s but knew I'd also want (at least) 10-15% more spring…but that's a (very) slippery slope with a sports car for the street or daily driver.
When I had to limit my sessions because the PS4S couldn't hack a full session, I really found myself wishing for Cup 2. Perhaps even lower pressures and a driver better at tire management would get PS4S all the way through a session, something I never had to worry about with Cup 2s on my GT4 or a wide variety of cars I tested. Once you got the pressures dialed in, they were typically good to go all day. And they recovered after a track day, something I couldn't say for the PS4S after a second (partial) track day in the dry. First one was in the rain, iirc.
This thread has me thinking more and more about trying Cup 2s on one set of wheels with all-seasons on another for the rainy season and long trips. Not interested in setting this car up for serious track use.
I love Cup2 on the street and the track. Quiet, comfy, and sticky as hell. They are just fine in the rain, had them on a wet track last week, and drove home 3 hours in the wet. There were 3 C8 Vette's on 4S tires and none of them could keep up with my measly 400hp 991.1S on Cup2's once we got off the main straight at NJMP Thunderbolt.
A lot of disinformation about this tire on the internet. It's not nearly as hardcore as they are made out to be.
Last edited by AdamSanta85; 05-08-2023 at 12:15 PM.
Agree 100% with Adam Santa85. Ran them last year HPDE, 1st day in the Blue Group at Summit Point (November). Last session of the day started to rain, thought I'd have to call it a day. I just throttled back until the rain passed, track dried up and I wound up posting my fastest lap of the week-end. I was literally alone on the track, most if not all of the Blue/White group were on slicks. I was pleasantly surprised at the wet/damp performance and they're are fine for daily drivers.
Now you guys are making me regret putting on a fresh set of PS4S's last month instead of the CUP 2's! How many miles do you get out of a set? Aside from that, the price of CUP2's is really a limiting factor, are they that much better than the Nankang CR-S or Goodyear Eagle SC3?
Last edited by drdantheman1; 05-08-2023 at 04:16 PM.
There were 3 C8 Vette's on 4S tires and none of them could keep up with my measly 400hp 991.1S on Cup2's once we got off the main straight at NJMP Thunderbolt.
I don't think that's from the Cup2's alone. New C8 vette's on PS4S couldn't keep up with me at Sebring with my PS4S's, and I have the Trackaddict vid recording to prove it Don't underestimate the 991.1 and the n/a 3.8, it can really move in the hands of a skilled driver.
I don't think that's from the Cup2's alone. New C8 vette's on PS4S couldn't keep up with me at Sebring with my PS4S's, and I have the Trackaddict vid recording to prove it Don't underestimate the 991.1 and the n/a 3.8, it can really move in the hands of a skilled driver.
I also got to do 2, 30 min sessions in this thing, 250hp weapon, first time on slicks (Hoosier R6).... had me screaming like a kid hitting turns full throttle...
05-07-2023, 04:42 PM
Don't underestimate the 991.1 and the n/a 3.8, it can really move in the hands of a skilled driver.
