I read through the archives extensively....saw a lot of arguments :-) but in the end there didnt seem to be a consensus. I am going to get new shoes all the way around for my car when my M030/bilsteins gets put on....wondering best tire to get. My car will see less than 10% track time, instead spirited street driving more commonly. It hasnt seen rain yet, but I guess that is always a possibility unexpectedly, so it would be nice to have tires that could handle wet.

It seems that Michelin Pilot Ribs or Bridgestone SO-2As are probably the way to go (?) The Pirelli system of different tires up front (directional) and back (asmmetrycal) is interesting, and would appear to have been designed specifically for rear-engine cars, but the feedback doenst seem very good on them so far.....

thanks

 

It seems to be such a personal judgment that you won't get any answers here. Are there many 993'ers in your area? Maybe a few of you could get together one day with your cars and swap the different tires around and try different compounds on your own car. For the 20 minutes it takes to swap a set over, it would be a worthwhile exercise.

 

thanks for the advice ...not a bad idea. i was hoping that there maybe had been a review lately by excellence, or GT, or panorama or something that i had missed.... the michelin pilot ribbed are the big unknowns for me....i know everyone with the SO2As have said good things about them...(the bridgestones)

 

Jonathan,

You may want to do a search for Viken and tires. He is, imo, considered one of the experts on this board when it comes to tires and wheels. My recollection is that he recommends Pilot Sport Rib and SO2As.

 

yep, i read his posts....the thing is, i am trying to understand the differences between those two specific tires and why someone would by one vs the other.... i will double my search efforts, see if there is something i missed in the archives.... thx

 

I suspect the Pilot Sport Ribs would be quiter - especially after some wear. If you are not seriously tracking the car don't get too caught up in talk about performance at the limit. You never reach the limit of tire performance on the street.

I had SO2's (not the latest version) a couple of years ago and they had the V type tread pattern. After the tires were half way worn in they were pretty loud. Not what I wanted in a street tire.

Now I do track the car a lot so I have R-compounds for the track and went cheap for the street. I put on the Kumho Exsta MX in 235/285 18's for about $700! Since my alignment is very aggressive and I eat tires every 5000 miles this is a good choice for me. But I'm really pretty happy with the Kumho's. They have great wet performance and the dry traction is plenty good for street use.

Anyway - if I just HAD to buy an N rated tire I would probably get the Michelins - but lower cost options are out there that provide street handling that is just fine.

My $0.02.

ben

 

Curious if the Michelin PS2 is now offered in typical 993 sizes? I think if so, this would be my choice. Other than that, the S02 would be a second choice.

 

As of checking the Tire Rack last night, the PS2 is not yet offered in 18" 993 sizes. About 13K miles ago, I got the PS2 in 235F/295R (10mm oversize) and have been very pleased with the results. The rears are coming up to wear bars, and I plan to replace them with the same.

 

I'm also in the tire mode and based on Viken's advice to stay with a factory approved tire, I narrowed it down to the Bridgestone S02A and the Pilot Sport Rib. I followed up my tire search with a call to Tirerack. They characterized the difference between the two being the S02A as more sticky than the Pilot Sport but also as a result having a greater wear rate. Since my interest is daily driver only (plan to convert my cup's to dedicated track) I'll likely go with the Pilot Sport Rib.

I'm also curious about which of the two tires came out first. If they only have a specific run time for the tires, how long before they mfg'r stops the production on that given tire?

Jeff

 

Just adding fuel to the debate....

What about Goodyear Eagle F1-GS-D3's. I never see these mentioned anywhere

I happen to have a set on my car, and they are (IIRC) Porsche approved?

They get good reviews on Tirerack too...

I'm just curious.. no flames or other intentions... just curious... I've always found Goodyears to wear and handle well (on other cars) so that swayed my opinion when looking for new shoes recently.

Am I about to be swamped with a multitude of "OMG! You went with Goodyears?" type replies?

Clive.

 

Sulley,

FWIW, I am replacing the Bridgestone S02's on my car (18" and about two years old) with Bridgestone S02A's. They seem to be the best choice of what's available. I would buy the Michelin PS2's if they were available in the 993 sizes.

 

I've had both and I prefer the Bridgestone. It was more of a comfortable ride even after tread wear.

 

Bridgestone SO3s are are my choice over the Pilot Sports. I had the Michelin Pilot Sports and hated them - they were slick, wore quickly, and performance plummeted with wear. The SO3s are much stickier and have maintained performance throughout their tread life. I just replaced the S03 rears after 13 months on my daily driver. I only got about 7 months out of the Pilot Sports (sorry, don't have mileages at the moment). The only negative I have found with the SO3s is slight tramlining when they are low on tread.

 

I've not used the Michelin or the Bridgestone tires and would expect them to be good. have heard mixed opinions on the bridgestones.

I'm on my second set of Toyo T1S with good success....very good dry and wet and on the track and reasonably durable as well.

cooz 95 C2

 

Can somebody refresh our collective memory on which S02's are so disliked by some? I remember seeing a couple threads where Viken among others stated that certain S02's shouldn't even be considered in the sport tire category, which is clearly a harsh rebuke.

EDIT: oh, Viken just chimed in below. Some apparently dislike the S02 (not A) and S03.