John 996 TT Cab

On a Turbo you will find wear on rear is about double front even if you don't track/autoX the car. The "drive" is not essentially equal front and rear. I got 15,000 miles out of fronts and only 8,000 on rears with street use only.

John in Vancouver

John 996 TT Cab

I'm guessing that if a tire manufacturer wants an N rating they submit the tires and pay Porsche to to the testing. I'm thinking the next time Porsche does something for free for a supplier will be the first time! Hence part of the extra cost for certain tires.

John in Vancouver

Kevinmacd

That's just it, the speed rating pertains to more then just the sustained speed of the tire. It also reflects on sidewall stiffnes and response of the tire.

LVDell

Bingo.....and nobody likes a mushy sidewall

larry47us

Here's something interesting to do the next time you're in a tire store, if you have never done it. Take a Z rated tire, and a T rated tire. Stand it vertical, and push down on the top of tire. You will be able to just about smoosh the T rated tire, but you won't be able to budge the Z rated tire.

That's about the best quick and dirty lesson that I can give you on sidewall stiffness. Remember that there are two points of contact on a tire.

1. The rim of the wheel.
2. The contact patch of the tire.

When you take a corner, or change lanes, the entire inertia of the car is pushing against the sidewall of the tire - between the rim and the tread. Any additional stiffness there will just help keep the car in the line that you have directed. If it gets soft, it will cause additional movement across that centerline formed by the vertical line above the contact patch.

larry

balefire

I have had the hankook v12 since june 2010 on my 19in volks. I put about 6k miles on them before I switched to winters in dec. They are a great DD tire. Very good grip, low noise, and very good wear. I expect the rears to last at least 10k if not 15k miles based on remaining tread depth. In contrast to others, mine were rock solid stable at triple digit speeds. Probly not ideal for autox street class as there are plenty of other tires which have slightly higher grip but wear much faster and cost much more. Sumitomos are softer sidewalls and you can tell as I had them before.

niner niner seven

i have a 4S and with ps2s i was getting 20k miles out of the front and 10k on the back. there are some of the mind in the 997 forum that you should change all four at the same time on 4X 911s so they wear even and that there is a safety concern with having different wear age on your front versus rear. i do not change all four at the same time, rather only when needed.

i chose v12s for the rear since they were wearing out once a year, i love driving my car. but i think i will go with a cheaper n rating next time around. i am really just a drive around town guy, but i do like taking it out on the freeway up to 105mph etc. i just found during the break in period for the v12s, the car didnt feel stable at triple digits.

larry47us

The turbo that I just bought has Yokohama Neova tires on it. My wrench said that the rears need replacing, but the fronts are about half gone. He suggested that I buy a pair of Neovas for the rear, and then replace all four of them next time.

For me, I'm thinking, for the price of a pair of Neovas, I can get a set of 4 Hankooks. Doesn't it make more sense to buy 4 Hankooks that will last longer overall, than just to buy 2 Neovas so that I can "use up" the pair that's on the front of my car?

I am not tracking or even AutoX this car (not for the next few months yet, LOL) but will possibly do some AutoX as I get used to it. I would expect that I probably won't feel the stiffness difference of any of these tires on the street - will I? Looking for advice from more experienced drivers.

larry

LVDell

If one set is shot and the other is about shot I would easily replace all four. In a perfect world, we'd have 4 front wheels so when the rears go we put on the set of new front tires as well and then when the rears are half gone, put back on the 1/2 worn ones and repeat so you will always have matching tread depth, etc.

jcb-memphis

From my point of view, the neovas are a superior tire, but will wear quickly.

Get the 4 street tires, save the neova fronts (don't let them get cold....cold damages them.......perhaps already a done deal on that note and in which case it may not be wise to use them....). If they are ok, get rears later for autoX and DE. What I'd do at least. But in my world, I would have had the tires outside in this winter by the prior owner and would have to chuck the tires.....hope you don't have temperature issues.


Jeff

LVDell

Another reason the most recent mod to my car was a climate controlled garage!

larry47us

Jeff - I live in Chicago. The car had been in a heated space before I bought it, but was then outside for a while - hours/days? Now it's in my unheated garage. I didn't know that cold would alter the rubber, I just thought that if the tires were cold that they would perform like Hockey pucks as long as they were cold.

In that case, I don't know what I'm going to do. Probably replace all 4 tires, and keep the Neovo fronts for sometime later. Need to look at the offset on the wheels that I have in the garage to see if they will work on the Turbo.

larry

LVDell

I don't think the Neova tires are r-comps so they can be stored in a little colder climate than freezing. It's the r-comps that do NOT like freezing and require be stored above (typically) 40 degrees or they can start cracking. As me how I found this out the hard way.

Taken directly from Yokohama (regarding the Neova:
ADVAN Neova tires must be used and stored at temperatures above -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) to maintain its performance and avoid tire damage.

jcb-memphis

from tirerack:
Like the motorsports tires this Extreme Performance street tire has evolved from, the ADVAN Neova AD08 radial's construction and compounds have been tuned to maximize the tire's traction and performance within a specific range of ambient temperatures. Therefore, unlike less highly-tuned tires, Yokohama's care instructions specify that due to its compound characteristics, ADVAN Neova tires must be used and stored at temperatures above -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) to maintain its performance and avoid tire damage.


from the yoko warranty pdf:
HIGH PERFORMANCE/RACING TIRES
The specialized rubber compounds used in these tires
are extremely sensitive to the temperatures in storage
environments. For this reason be sure to store them in
an area that is not subject to extremes of heat or cold.
Failure to store tires at approved temperatures can
cause changes to the compound properties that may
cause the tread and sidewall to crack or harden, or
other damage. Such damage prohibits optimal use of
the tire and in severe cases could cause and accident
or injury. Therefore, Yokohama Tire Corporation
recommends ensuring a storage temperature of
between 40 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and under no
circumstances less than 32 degrees Fahrenheit, for all
of our high performance and racing tires.
DEALER ADVICE FOR CUSTOMERS CONTINUED
34


I'd not use them. Sorry. But safety comes first! You are in Chichago.....how cold did it get?

Jeff

larry47us

Jeff:

The question is more accurately put, "how cold did it get in your garage?" Over the past few days, since I bought the car, the temp has been in the 40's during the day and the upper teens at night. But the car has been in a heated service bay, or in my unheated garage. I don't think that it ever gets below freezing in my garage, unless the temp outside drops below Zero deg F. Without a thermometer in my garage, I'm just guessing.

larry