fbgh2o

The time has come for me to replace the two rear Continental Extreme Contact DWs on my C4.

I have been very happy with them from a handling and traction perspective. After 22,000 km, wear is excellent well over 70% left up front and the rears just getting close to the wear bars on the inner portion of the tire. My only complaint is noise from the rears...

The decision that I have to make is between 285mm tread width and 265mm tread width.

The 265 is slightly less expensive ($16 per side) and may offer lower noise. However, it may look a bit stretched on my 10.5" wide wheel

The 285 looks better from the rear, but may be noisier and is more expensive.

Any consensus on which way makes more sense, the noise issue being one element and the other element being the width of the rim.

Dennis C

I think the 265s would look funny on a wheel that wide...

MiamiC70

I run 295's on a 10.5" rim no issues.

Divot

$16 per side shouldn't even be an issue, in my opinion.

82_930

I HATE loud tires myself and also drive a C4. When it comes to tire with, you need to be careful because of the 4 wheel drive system... if you go on tire rack, they have a wheel calculator that will tell you what the proper size tires that you need for your car. You can't just put any width on them like with a rear wheel drive car as all the tires need to be the same overall diameter otherwise you could damage the AWD system.

Gaspasser19

You definitely need the 285s on wheels that wide. I'm running them on 10" wheels.

soverystout

+1 265 really shouldn't be a consideration on a wheel that wide. 11 inches wide usually calls for 295 so your options are really 285 or 295. Especially on a C4.

Dennis C

I run 265s on 10" rear wheels for my winter wheel/tire combination, per Porsche recommendations. I think a 10.5" rim would stretch it...

fbgh2o

Thanks for the votes and guidance. 285 seems to be the overwhelming view.


Absolutely agree that one needs to be cognizant of the implication of all wheel drive. The diameter of the 265/35 tire (25.3") is actually closer the front tire 225/40s (25.1"). The 285/30 tire is slightly smaller at 24.7". Both are within 2% of the front and should be fine for the application.

According to the manufacturer, the 265 tire will fit a 10.5", but I tend to agree that it will be stretch fit and appreciate the confirmation.

MiamiC70

Get Hankook v12's they are nice and quite and have great performance vs. cost

Pac996

More rubber on the road can't hurt when you need it. I started with 295's and won't go smaller. Maybe 315 next time.

targa996

My 996 Targa had 265/35 rears when I purchased it used. I thought this was maybe specific to the targa - so I looked in the owner manual - and it specs 265/35 for all season tires and 285/30 for summer tires.

I have P Zero's on - almost worn. Took the car to Autocross - the handling problem there was not the rear sliding out - but lack of front grip to turn in - maybe my inexperienced driving style ?

But anyway - unless you are really pushing it on the track - I think the trade off might be the ride quality - with 35 series rears you might have a little more sidewall between you and the road ?

I think noise will depend more on the tire design itself and tread pattern. When the tire is worn it will always be noiser than new (less rubber to absorb road vibration probably).

I'm probably going to go with the 285's when I replace mine - but I did think about replacing with 265's again. I wouldn't base the decision based on $16 price delta however !

kr3678

My '99 C4 has 265/35 Continental DWS on my 10" wide rear wheels; this is the size the car came with from the factory. When they wear out, I plan on going with 285/30 rear tires because the 265s look too stretched in my opinion.

soverystout

Not a big consideration for me but the Hankook V12s in 295/30/18 iare a 30lb tire!

I was suprised. The Victor innsbruck wheels I have are 11 inches wide in the rear and I have the 295s but I still may consider 285s for them after I work through my current set. And I have a bit more flexibility since my car is a C2.

Byprodriver

[QUOTE=targa996;9274664]My 996 Targa had 265/35 rears when I purchased it used. I thought this was maybe specific to the targa - so I looked in the owner manual - and it specs 265/35 for all season tires and 285/30 for summer tires.

I think noise will depend more on the tire design itself and tread pattern. When the tire is worn it will always be noiser than new (less rubber to absorb road vibration probably).

Major noise maker is air passing thru the tread blocks, so tread design is important for quiet operation & another factor of "you get what you pay for". As tread depth is reduced or worn, noise should be reduced also, BUT if tread wears unevenly the tread design is being altered & usually results in increased noise.