Having just returned home after getting a steel bolt through one of my rears, I think it's time to look into some new tires. I have a '05 996 c4s (I know, very limited run in '05) with Sumitomo's on, 295's in the rear 225s in front the front. Have put 14k in 2.5 years of owning, i didn't put these tires on either. the rears are warn and I have about 5k of miles left on the fronts before I need to change them. I have a few questions here. Are the Michelin PS2's worth it? or stick with the sumi's? Do I replace all 4 or just the rears? and am I allowed to mix and match - meaning Michelin's in the back, Sumi's on front?

 

I had PS2s on my BMW 135i and really liked them.
I have PS4S on my 911 and they’re the best IMHO.
I need to replace my rears and I’m definitely replacing them with PS4S again.

 

I have had the Sumitomo Z5s on my car since they came out last year and love them. I don't track the car at all so IF there is a performance advantage of the Michelins, it's lost on me. Also considering the Sumis have a higher tread wear rating and are half the price of the PS2s, the purchase was a no-brainer.

Regardless of what you buy, I wouldn't mix and match. Just buy a nice fresh set and be happy.

 

I just put Michelin Pilot Sport 4S on my C2. Great tires. I couldn't be happier.

 

Ps4s aren’t available in c4s sizes... hopefully some day. Imo ps2 would be significantly better than sumis even though the design is quite dated.

 

Replace all 4, same brand all around. I have 19s on my 2005 C4S so had very limited options. Went with General tires due to the reviews on Tire Rack and on this site but wish I had the Sumi option available. Depends on how many miles you put on in a year, that could sway you from one tire to the next.

 

Since no one asked, I’ll share my thoughts from another thread in the 996 Turbo forum.

“I’m not one to openly give out my opinion and negative reviews, but I had the General GMax RS’s on my 996 C4S for 2k miles and I had to take them off. The tires are very cushy and comfortable and are great for daily driving, but any time they were pushed in the twisties, they fall just fell apart (not literally) and their cheapness showed (and also probably their high treadwear rating).

I had Sumitomo HTR ZIII’s on the car for 10k miles from the previous owner before these and I was more than happy with them on spirited drives, but I think the GMaxs just have too soft of sidewalls (hence the cushy ride over rough pavement). Steering was very numb and you could feel them “fold over” and understeer and turn to mush on turn in. The car didn’t rotate and you could hear the tires “scrub” when cornering. I was constantly making back and forth steering corrections mid corner and it got to the point that I had no confidence in them when pushed in corners. I just felt like I really had no idea what the front end was doing. I really wanted to like them, which is why I gave them 2k miles, even though they felt bad from the start.

I ended up doing what I was trying to avoid in the first place, and purchased the old and twice as expensive Michelin PS2s. I hate to admit it, but the PS2s are night and day over the Generals. Yes, at twice the price, I expected some differences, but they really are twice the tire. I’m still bitter at Michelin for making me fork out that much money on old tire technology though. Please, Michelin, make the PSS or PS4S in Turbo/C4S sizes!!!”

To sum it up, the General GMax RS’s are fine for casual driving and commuter miles. I just can’t recommend them for any type of performance related driving, even at their incredible price.

 

Not to muddy the waters, but there are a couple of other choices:

1. The PZero is still available in stock widebody sizes. I ran these for the last 5 years. I know people complain about them, but I never had any problems with them. The lateral grip was shocking and they are surprisingly cheap.
2. The RT 615K+ is also available in stock widebody, and 235/315 (GT2) sizes that work with our AWD system. I haven't used them but many of the turbo guys swear by them.
3. The FK510 also, stock sizes. Tire Rack likes them. From the description, their sidewalls are also soft. If you are driving your 996 as a cruiser (which is fine, if you are into that) these would be a good choice.

In the end it was down to the RT 615K+ and the PS2 for me. If this was a weekend only car, the 615K+ in GT2 sizes were my choice, but I daily my car and there are some times when I need it to be more civilized. I managed to score a new set of PS2s for $1050 USD (once the $100 off rebate gets here) and that is what I got.

The post script is that it has been too cold here to use them, and I am still on my PZero All Season tires. This weekend though...

 

Cansis appreciate the perspective. I've been thinking about the Generals and your review is really helpful.

 

I just replaced my old Bridgestone Pole Positions with the PS2's. Much better ride, love them so far. Must be a much softer compound, since they really pick up dirt and small gravel (I can really hear it in the wheel wells when on a dirty road), so life will likely be reduced (the tire's, not mine hopefully).

 

Sure thing. Like I said, I’m not one to go around bashing products or complaining about things, but the handling issues really stood out to me. Enough to fork out a bunch of money on a tire that cost twice as much. I don’t necessarily think the Generals are a “bad” tire in the sense of what a normal tire is supposed to do (for a commuter/daily driver) but I just don’t think they should be rated as a UHP tire. The PS2s are noticeably firmer around town and on tougher pavement, but good handling and cornering characteristics are more important to me than a softer ride. Granted, there’s a huge difference in tread wear ratings between the GMax RS’s and the PS2s (360 vs 220), but I think a lot of the way the Generals feel can be attributed to a soft sidewall. And I did double check tire PSI’s to make sure the Generals weren’t under inflated.