Ron '97 C2S

Ok, I don't want to start a religous war on this topic, but I'm in the market for new tires (thanks to a rear blow-out ON THE WAY TO THE TRACK last night at 11pm - but that's another story). I purchased my 97 C2S (with racing suspension) a few months ago and it has/had BFGoodrich gforce tires on it (Front 225/40 ZR18, Rear 285/30 ZR18). The gforce were great track tires but only had a few thousand miles left anyway.

So why buy one really ridiculously expensive tire when you can buy four? Given the feedback I've received from other Porsche owners and the various posts on this topic, it appears the likely candidates are the Bridgestone S02's and the Michelin Pilot Sport's. The "data" shows the S02's to handle better (dry) and ride slighty quieter but at the expense of faster tread wear.

The car is not my everyday driver and I plan to track it probably 3 - 4 times a year (it's implied that when I do drive it around town, it will NOT be with the flow of traffic). All that being said, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these two tires (or have I left out a contender - the Pirelli's seem to have a fair number of issues). And to throw a slight twist into this, the S03's are available next week. Any thoughts there?

I've already used this site numerous times and have found the feedback to be incredible. I've looked at the various data on tires, but would love some real world experience from the pros. As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated! Think of it as shopping with someone elses money.

Thanks,
Ron
'97 C2Snull

SundayDriver

I am back on my okd S-02's after wearing out my P-Zero C's. I had forgotten how good they are as track tires and on the street. You might want to look at the S-03's. Tirerack has good things to say about them:
Tire Rack S-03 Report

Steve in SLO

Ron,
I, too have a '97 C2S on 18" rims, drive fairly aggressively on the street, and make it to the track 3-4 times/year. I have about 1200 street miles on S-03s and they are pleasantly surprising me. I initially felt the tire had a more supple feel and was quieter than the old S-02s, but that the sidewalls felt less stiff, making the car feel sloppier in the turns. Either I have gotten used to them, or they needed some break-in because I really like them now. They remain relatively quiet, and have abundant grip in the dry, as well as on fog-moistened streets. I really like the thought of 220 treadwear vs 140 for the S-02s, since this is my daily driver. I have not tried Pilot Sports, but have had P-Zeros and did not like them.
Hope this helps. Good luck!

H. Miller

I posted a similar topic under:
"Is there a 'best' tire for the 993S?"
The last post was 6-5-01 and I rec'd some pretty good feedback on the tire topic, most of it leaning to the S-02 or the Michelin.
Check is out if you haven't already.

[ 06-15-2001: Message edited by: 98C4S ]

Jimmy

Ron,
I went from S02, Pilot Sports to P-Zero Asy. But if my memory is functioning right, SO2 is the winner among the 3. I am now thinking about switching back from P-Zero Asy to S03 aftering hearing what Steve said.