os993

Three tires I'm considering on my 95 993 coupe(2wd, 225/45/17F & 255/40/17 rears w/ factory wheels)

SO-2PP's (currently what I have on. Wasn't really impressed with these. Rears are cooked after 10k miles and 6 Thunderhill tack days. fronts are still driveable). Personal opinion, lousy on track great in wet, but that's not what I'm looking for. I want excellent dry, safe wet. Price $174F, $214R. Thinking about just replacing rears only. Tire wear ??

BFG TA/KD's. Heard these are great dry performers. What about wet? Are they safe? (SF Bay area is not Seattle, but we do get rain in winter). Tire wear looks good - 200AAA. Price $205F, $258R.

Pirelli Asymmetricos. Good pricing - $171F, $189R, many 911's have these. Tire wear is so-so - 140AA. No idea about performance.

Also, what about noise? The SO-2PP's were fine. Others? Is this even an issue?

SO-3PP's?? Not really thinking about these - they just sound too sedan-like. Any opinions?

I guess, cost aside, I would lean towards the BFG's. How are these for daily driving?

Sorry, many questions but any insight is greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

CA993

I currently have the p-zeros and have previously tried the s-02s. No comparison - s02s were far superior in wet or dry and quiter at the same time. Am looking to replace the p-zeros at the first chance and return to s02s or possible s03s (although I do not believe the s03s have been certified by Porsche yet).

E. J. - 993 Alumni

Oleg,

I am a little different than most on this subject (except for Ray - we actually agree on this ) in that I save my money on street tires and spend it on track tires. I use Bridgestone 730s on the street, and they are fine. They have plenty of traction on the street, both wet and dry. They have a high wear rating and I have tons of tread left on both front and rear after 8000 miles.

I think they cost $130 or something around there. I used them on the track once and they were fine. I am sure less grip than you are used to, but ultimatly very fun. Great at the track in the wet though... I think Ray uses them a lot at the track with no complaints.

In closing, if you need more grip on the street than these tires offer, you might be driving a bit too hard...

Garey Cooper

Oleg;
I went from the SO2's to the TA/KD's. My "track" type stuff is Autocross and Driver Education and doesn't include bigger tracks like Willow Springs (for instance). I personally prefer the Goodrich, I think they are crisper on handling with stiff sidewalls, and have more ultimate grip. For my skill level they are predictable at the limit as well. I was told by the tire fitter that they were very hard to put on the wheel as the sidewalls and beading were very stiff interestingly enough.

In the wet though I would not endorse them. The tread blocks on the TA/KD's are quite large and the difference's to the SO2's tread are noticeable. Not as much of an issue down here in Southern California. If you look at the SO2 tread pattern you can see they've really applied some science to the channeling of water. By comparison the TA/KD LOOKS as if it was designed for dry.

I can't comment on Pirelli because I have no personal experience.

So with my current knowledge and experience for dry driving I'd go with the TA/KD's. If wet conditions were important and encountered regularly I don't think you can beat the SO2.

Of course the ultimate situation is a second set of rims with some Kumho's on them!

Carmen

I have BFG g-force T/A KD's on my 95 993 Cab.. They are superb in the dry.. I have approx 5k on them and tread wear is fine.
I do not drive my Cab too much in the rain, but the times I have these tires did not impress me. Possibly the KDW would be more suitable.

RT7

I have the S02 right now (thanks Jack!) and it's quite and grip fine, although I don't drive the car on the rain so I can't say about performance on wet road. The PZero that I had on my M3 seems to grip more on dry road.

Ron
'98 993
'99 M3

Anir

Oleg,

I noticed that you did not mention the Michelin Pilot Sports. Based on my very positive experience with these on a previous 1991 Infiniti Q45 (BBS & 245/50-16), I am considering these for the 993TT next time around.

Currently running S-02PPs. As others have mentioned, they are impressive in the wet. I'm still not sold on the S03 concept, due to that 220 treadwear rating.

Jack

Ron:

You're most welcome!

Ray Calvo

Oleg, I have been using Bridgestone RE730's for past year or so. Have about 8500 miles on them; rears are about 1/2 worn, fronts close to new. Prob. they don't have the dry traction of the 3 you mentioned, but they're good enuf for me - esp. at under $150/tire.

I have not used them on the track - use Bridgestone RE71s for that use. Surprisingly, I think they have equal/better dry traction than the newer RE730s!

STLPCA

Oleg
I have been very happy w/my 17" Michelin MXX3 Pilots. Great dry stick, good ride & really excellent wet performance all w/longer tread life than SO2. Rubber guard for the rear wheels is a nice bonus. Suggest you add them to your list.

Jim

I went from Michelins MXX sport to SO2, and am back to Michelin Pilot Sports, quieter, wear longer and seem to handle quite nicely. They are not quite as cheap in the 18" sizes, however.

DoubleNutz

Hope I don't cause a stink here by mentioning this,,, but the Kuhmo Ecsta Supra's will not disappoint!!! For a little more than half the price of the Michelins and Bridgetones these tires will suprise you. Lowest cost Z rated tires that meets or exceeds the specs of the RE730's. As for dry and wet weather grip... IMHO, the Kumhos are spectacular and out perform both the Bridgestones RE730's and Michelin Pilots, and offer an excellent wear rating.

Check them out. Like I said they will not disappoint you.

Chad in NH

Unfortunately Michelin has discontinued the Pilot SX MXX3 tires and replaced them with the Pilot Sport. I had a h**l of a time finding a set of rears for my car last year due to this, my mechanic eventually had to call in a favor from someone he knows at Michelin to get me a pair.

Robert Henriksen

Oleg, I've gone Ray's route & use cheap (RE-71 now, RE-730 down the road) tires on the street, and have no complaints. Bought used factory wheels (only $800!) and am using Kuhmos at the track. Will try Toyos next time around.

But I did use S-02 PPs before on street/track, and did the Porsche Driving Experience at Road Atlanta for two days in rain, dry, and snow (?!).

The PDE cars had Assymetricos, and I was really impressed w. their performance. The instructor was leading us on laps through the rain through a looooong 180 at ever-increasing speeds, right alongside a concrete wall! I kept thinking, 'I paid extra for the $2k deductible, I paid extra for the $2k deductible...'

Wouldn't do the S-02s again.

Irish Frank

I run Continental super contacts on a Carrera 2, only last 5000 miles on the rear with no real abuse, not that impressed really but no experience of others to compare with, are all the tyres mentioned in discussion approved by Porsche?