I have no experience with the Falken tires. For my use, any grip advantage the Falkens may have over Michelins just wouldn't made a difference. So which is quietest between the two brands becomes the deciding factor. My Turbo came from the factory with Pirelli P-Zeros, and they were very loud. I don't need anything competing with the great sound of my Europipe Stage II Loud and of the Michelins I've had on my Turbo have been very quiet. I'm in the Michelin camp until they force me to try something else by not offering a quiet tire. So far that hasn't happened.

Edit add: The Michelins are good on wet roads.

 

I know the question wasn't directed at me, but I have.

I would say the PS2's are slightly quieter, and slightly more comfortable (softer sidewall vs. the Falkens).

However, they are more expensive, and grip at the limit is significantly inferior, IMHO. They also lose more grip as they heat up vs. the Falkens, which handle the heat remarkably well. I would say I shaved a couple seconds off my AutoX times, easily, with the Falkens vs. PS2's, and probably more as the day goes on and the PS2's get hot and squirmy.

So for your intended use (and presumably, budget), I agree the Michelins sound like a good choice.

Personally, I refuse to pay top dollar for multiple-generations-old technology, especially when there is a cheaper option with more grip -- I will support Michelin again when they offer the PS4S in suitable sizes.

 

So for your intended use (and presumably, budget), I agree the Michelins sound like a poor choice.

I spend the vast majority of my 996 Turbo driving time nowhere near the grip limit, so the low noise, ride comfort, and wet grip give the nod to the Michelins. I don't care how old the design is because they work just fine for my needs.

 

Yep, I meant that genuinely and not snide in any way. Tires are certainly not a one-size-fits all proposition, which is why it would be nice to have more options.

Michelin's own PS4S is superior in every way (2 generations newer), and no more expensive. That just bothers me, personally. But you're not wrong.

 

me too.

 

Thanks Dock and Manimal, really great feedback.

I'm still undecided, but I have a few months, less if I decide I can no longer live with AD08Rs' howling. Seems mostly up front too.

My primary use case is weekend warrior canyon and coastal roads...mostly canyons now that I moved from SF to East Bay. I wouldn't call it high speed, but I do love the tight bumpy gravely backroads and I need grip from about 40 degrees up to 90 ambient.

My buddy (MotoJB) just got a new set of GT2 sized wheels for his white Aerokit Turbo, and he's going with the RTK 615+, so I'll get to drive and hear them before I commit. He's currently running the same Yok AD08Rs that I have, but I believe he has about half the miles, so they're not as loud as mine are with 6000 miles on them.

I too would love PS4s or PSSs, but without a 295/30 or 315/30 it's a non-starter. One benefit of high grip low longevity tires like the Yoks and Falkens is that we can try several, and it's not a huge time mileage commitment. I'm very happy to ditch my Yoks at 7500-8000 miles.

-Sean

 

Are you still AWD? For the folks who are (and believe that the fronts need to be larger diameter), you'd need to run 225/45 or 235/45's up front in order to be bigger than a 285/35 rear.



Will be curious to hear your impressions of the RT615+ vs. the AD08R's. I haven't tried the Yok's, yet.

I think the Falkens are great for a canyon carver, but at anything less than 9/10th's (hopefully the case in the canyons), the PS2's are great, too.

 

 

I have a loud exhaust, and I don't like tires competing with or altering its great sound.

P.S. It's hard to maintain a nice interior if you put the windows down when it's raining.

IMO they communicate just fine.

 

I'm only running 235/40, it's only 0.5" difference with the rear when new, the rears are slightly larger. OEM is 1:1. The rears wear faster than the fronts, so at after some miles, i'm sure the ratio gets closer to 1:1.
I'm not too worried about the 0.5" difference at all, tire diameter change with wear no way will it be at the "perfect" ratio all the time. Once you renew your rears and keep the fronts, the ratio is off again, can't expect Porsche engineering to not account for that.
Tire technology makes a bigger difference to me than a slight deviation in Revs/km. Haven't seen an major issues in the 2 years i've been running them either.