JakeMate

I didn't realize the Michelin Pilot Sport N1's were the 'rib' or 'block' pattern that are supposedly better dry handler's....while the N0 is the 'V' grooved tire which is the better water tire. The only matched front and rear set available for my OEM 18" size is the N1 which is the 'block' pattern. Can anyone compare the two tires for wet and dry performance?

In the future, I'm going to stick with the 'N' rated tires only especially for Open Road Racing where you're doing above 100mph for as long as 45 minutes. Just about every crash has been due to tire failures so I'm not taking any chances. I just learned about the 'N' rating for tires. There's some pretty good info on Tire Rack's site about the 'N' ratings. Here's a blurb from their site:

Production tires that have passed all of the tests and received the engineering department's release can be branded with an N-specification. The N-specification brandings include: N-0 (N-zero), N-1, N-2, N-3 or N-4. These markings on a tire's sidewall clearly identify them as approved by Porsche for their vehicles. The N-0 marking is assigned to the first approved version of a tire design. As that design is refined externally or internally, the later significant evolutions will result in a new generation of the tire to be branded with N-1, N-2, N-3, etc., in succession. When a completely new tire design is approved, it receives the N-0 branding and the succession begins again.

It is recommended that only matching tires be used on Porsche vehicles. Since many Porsche vehicles are fitted with differently sized tires on their front and rear axles, this means matching the tire make, tire type and N-specification. If a vehicle was originally delivered with N-specification tires that have been discontinued and are no longer available, it is recommended to change all four tires to a higher numeric N-specification design appropriate for that vehicle. Mixed tire types are not permissible.

It is also important to know that while Porsche N-specification tires have been fine tuned to meet the specific performance needs of Porsche vehicles, the tire manufacturers may also build other tires featuring the same name, size and speed rating as the N-specification tires for non-Porsche applications. These tires may not be branded with the Porsche N-specification because they do not share the same internal construction and/or tread compound ingredients as the N-specification tires. Using tires that are not N-specific is not recommended and mixing them with other N-specification tires is not permissible.

TT Gasman

Are the Pilot Sport 2's available yet in non GT3 sizes, that's supposed to be a great tire.

vitaman

Just had the N-1 version put all around on my C4S. Only have 12 miles on 'em but what a difference from the Pirellis. Thanks for posting the "N" info. It was news to me.

Paul Marangoni

The Pilot Sports that are currently supplied on the GT3 are SUPER expensive, and very hard to obtain (currently).

silver996

Jake, I had the N1's put on my car this past December, and love them as well....

Doug H

Pilot Sport 2s mentioned in the new European car mag. I think I am ordering some for my 996 next week.

longhorn911

I put Pilot Sport Ribs (N1) on my 996 about 6 weeks ago. They handle extremely well, but since my car came with bald Contis, I really don't have much to compare them to.

My Contis were bald and very loud. I was expecting the new Pilot Sports to be significantly quieter (since new tires are supposed to be quieter), but they weren't as quiet as I expected. They do have a bit of a roar. Does anyone else hear much road noise from their Pilot N1s?

Toreador

Jake, according to your quote the higher N numbers are the result of "significant evolutions" and should be improvements over the lower N numbers. As such I would get the highest N number possible for the particular tire model I chose.

JakeMate

Leon,

That's the way their technical article says it, but the I believe that different 'N' numbers can also mean different tread types altogether. I think thats what the salesman said at Tirerack also.

Viken

It is not always the case. Sometimes, the higher the N number means the tire was re-designed to meet specific noise, comfort and fuel economy requirements. For example, the PZero Asimmetrico N2 is a much better performing tire than the same with the N3 designation. The tread design was slightly revised to give a quieter and a more cushy ride while also improving wet performance. Tire manufacturers are scrambling to make everyone happy and sometimes they may miss in an area or two.

Also, a modern tire tested and approved for this year's 911 may not be the ideal tire for a 911 from a few years ago. Chassis engineers and tire engineers often work together to come up with a homogeneous package for today's or tomorrow's cars. An older tire design might sometimes be a better choice for an older car.

Viken

So far, that has only been the case with the Michelin Pilot Sport's of different generations. Not sure if this is the beginning of a new designation system from Porsche.