tedfromohio

Am looking for new 18" tires for my 996 and am wondering if the "N" rating is still a requirement. Have been considering the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S but they don't seem to be "N" rated. Neither do the Conti's which last summer seemed to be a Rennlist favorite - am I missing something?

Any other recommendations I should be thinking about?

Thanks!

Ted

Dennis C

Your 996 is well beyond the factory warranty, so the N rating doesn't really matter. N spec tires are the ones that Porsche tested with your car and they live up to the Porsche performance standards. That doesn't mean that non N-spec tires won't live up to that standard, they simply haven't been tested by Porsche. I've heard great things about the Michelin Super Sports, and they aren't N rated...

street rod

I am on my second set of Pilot Sport A/S on my A3. Very nice tires. Way better than my previous Pirellis.

SLVRBLT

I recently replaced my Pirelli hoops with Conti Extreme Contact D/W. I put a pretty detailed review on tire rack about them. They have a 280 treadwear rating vice the 220/240 of nearly every other brand available. Traction rating of A which is also on par with the Michelin and Pirelli and the others.

I have put nearly 6k miles on them and have driven in warm, cold and wet conditions with no traction issues and they look like new. They also warm up pretty quickly. The car handles great with them and the ride quality has definitely improved. On the Pirelli's pretty much anything below 60 dg I could throw it sideways at will. Although it was tons of fun, it could get ugly fast. And in the rain, just plain scary

For the money I don't think they can be beat. I will be installing another set when they are worn out.

Interested in hearing what others have to say.

dotframe

Sumitomo HTR ZIII here and I couldn't be happier!! Don't think they are rated N though.

fpb111

Both the
Hankook Ventus K110 $844 set (4)
And the
Sumitomo HTR Z 111 $598 set (4)
Have been good tires for the $$, especially if you don't use them for track events.

SSST

The N-spec has to do with the weight rating on the tire. Since the motor is in the back, that is where all the weight is as opposed to a normal car with the weight in the front.

N-spec tires are engineered to take the extra weight in the rear. As long as the weight rating on the rear tires exceeds the rear axel weight, you will be safe. Performance may be affected though as Nspec tires rear tires have stiffer sidewalls.

BTW. I have the Hankooks which are N-rated. I like them as well as the Pilot Sports that came on the car, and they are half the price.

rpm's S2

Exactly. N-rating is more than just bs marketing.

Dennis C

When did the Hankooks become N rated? They aren't listed on the most recent Porsche bulletin for approved tires...

soverystout

Uh, I have the Hankooks, they are not N-rated.

Zookie

not for the 911 but maybe the Cayanne

soverystout

Nope. Not for the Cayenne either

SSST

My bad. I guess technically the Hankooks aren't N spec, but they have the same rear load rating and a sloghtly higher front load rating as the N spec PS2.

Back to my OP just be sure to check the load ratings if going with tires not designated as N-spec

cardsrule

Where did you here that?

SSST

I think I read it in the Essential 996 Companion. I can't be sure though.

You can probably Google it and find something.