Bg8780

Hey everyone. Long time lurker first time poster. Porsche fan my whole life, currently driving a BRZ.

My dad purchased a 2003 996 C2 Targa as his first Porsche about a year ago. Past owner had installed a set of Continentals which have been terrible. Not sure how long the car sat on these until she sold, so that can be a factor.

Anyway, we are looking for a replacement but are unsure of where to go. He's been looking at the P Zero Rosso's but reviews have been pretty spotty. He's looking more for a touring tire. So good tread wear and low road noise are priority. Obviously, dry and wet performance as well but he doesn't drive spiritedly that often.

We'd like to get Michelin PSS's but it doesn't look they are available in the proper size.

Thank you for the information and help.

Edit: sizes: 225/40-18 front
285/30-18 rear.

DTMiller

Where in the country? Will the car see sub-freezing temps? Doesn't sound like he cares about performance so much so I don't think PSS is the right tire.

I looked on tirerack and was surprised at how limited selection is in those sizes. Best option I saw was the Continental all season tire, which might be what is on there now. What is it about the current tire that makes them "terrible"? Road noise or handling or....?

Dennis C

My advice is to stay away from cheap tires like Sumitomos. They are tempting because of the low price, but my experience is that they sacrifice performance and they become noisy as they wear.

I have found the 996 to be sensitive to tire selection. Brand choice makes a noticeable impact on performance. I haven't found a tire that I like better than the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2. I know that lots of people say that they are too expensive and that it's not worth the money, but that hasn't been my experience. It has been worth the money. They handle very well, they are quiet and they perform well over their entire life. I just put a new set on my 997.

My experience with Continentals has been mixed, and it hasn't been on a 911. I bought Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires for the Cayenne and they were great. They had good tread life and they were quiet. They obviously don't perform quite as well as a proper summer tire, but they were good in that application. I'm not sure if they are available in the sizes you need. I know some people run the "DW" version of the tire for their 996 and it seems to get good reviews. That being said, the Continental SportContact 4x4 N1 tires that came on my Cayenne from the factory were terrible. I don't think you'll be considering those for a 996 though...

I'm surprised the Michelin PSS wasn't available. They are getting great reviews...

'02onthebrain

Clear #1 for me is Michelin PSS

A distant #2 is Conti Extreme Contact DW, have them on my 911 now and they are solid, not superb.

An even more distant #3 if you want to go cheap are the new Hankook Ventus EVO V12, not the older K110 version.

Note that these are all summer tires, not all seasons.

knfeparty

PSS is a great DD capable on the track and autocross. 245 and 295 widths are nice on 8/10" wheels

Ahsai

I like my Potenza S02A N-spec to boot.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e&autoModClar=

VA951

I for one have not seen issues with "cheap" tires such as Sumis. About 8K on my set and no issues, including a track day where they did as well as i would expect any tire to.

We all have different reasons for tire selection but don't throw out a tire (or group of tires) based on one experience. There are many other inputs out there.

5CHN3LL

^^ Cheap tires is kind of a broad brush to use to describe a LOT of tires out there. My set of Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 XL tires probably falls under the "cheap" heading, but they are great tires.

IMO, customer reviews and opinions from drivers of similar vehicles are the best way to help choose from the intimidating selection of tires out there. Unless you're on 19's, in which case the selection isn't quite as broad or intimidating...

VA951

Yes, I just get tired of hearing over and over that "cheap tires suck". I do not agree with that.

KrazyK

You will regret going cheap on tires. Just bite the bullet and buy the N3 or N4 tires.

5CHN3LL

Hell, once we're in for tires, should we talk about oil, too? TOTAL Quartz Energy 9000 5W40!

5CHN3LL

Get the dual-row LN bearing.

5CHN3LL

A puff on occasion at startup is probably OK.

5CHN3LL

Have you cleaned the MAF sensor?

KrazyK

All informed M96 996 owners MUST use JG DT40 or risk CEF.

Replace the IMSB every 30,000 miles or risk CEF.

If its crack or meth your puffing on you risk jail time and of course CEF.