I'm putting my summer wheels/tires back on in a few weeks. But they only have 5/32" tread remaining so I know I will need some new tires by mid summer. Given what seems like a seasonal shortage on tires for our cars every summer, I placed an order yesterday with Tire Rack.

Here's what I ordered:

2 235/35ZR-19 Continental ContiSportContact 3 N1 (Porsche)
2 295/30ZR-19 Continental ContiSportContact 3 N1 (Porsche)

Total was $1310.00 including freight. Subtract a $75 rebate which expires on purchases after 3/23. They will be in my garage until it is time to mount. A great deal and ready when I am. These tires have some good reviews including a Carrera S owner.

I have no affiliation with TireRack. Just wanted to pass along my strategy and a good deal.

Happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow BTW!

 

That's a great price and TireRack is a sponsor - so no problem giving them a plug

 

I have the Pirelli's all the way around, but will need to change the rear tires only (soon).

Can I put the Continentals on the rear and left the P-Zero's on the back? I.E. would there be a tracking problems because of the different treads.

 

Getting ready for the round trip from Chicago to Hilton Head. My rear Pirelli's are on the way to be mounted on the summer wheels, courtesy of Damon at Tire Rack. Dension for iPod and Bluetooth is fitted, thanks to Eric at Bumper Plugs, and the Garmin is wired in so Mrs. Chef can give up her role as navigator and we can avoid needing a divorce attorney on the way.

 

I love it when a plan comes together! We hope you like them.

 

I presume you meant that you would leave the Pirellis on the front. I did this last weekend. Since my rear Pirellis were worn more than the fronts, I picked up a set of slightly used PS2's for my rears. I know it isn't ideal to mix brands, but for daily driving I doubt that it is any worse than having very worn rear tires and less worn front tires. I'm hoping now that all 4 will need replacement at about the same time later this year. How many miles did you get on your rear Pirellis? Mine had about 13000 miles on them when I decided to replace them. The fronts should be good for another 4 or 5 thousand miles I think.

 

I would not do that under any circumstances. Different rubber front and rear is asking for serious trouble unless you ALWAYS drive like a grandma and that would beg the question: why do you drive this car?

 

18K on the rears. They have 4-5K left. The fronts are barely worn.

 

Damn man....is that a typo? 18K on the rears and still tread left? I just turned 16K miles and last week installed my THIRD set of rears...

I guess you answered the question of whether you are driving like a grandmother......

 

I step on it every so often, but I don't track the car. I like taking corners as fast as I can for the conditions.....

 

I would NEVER mix tires. You are driving a $100k car and value your life, so why mix two brands of tires with totally different handling / capacity characteristics? You've probably read tire comparisons / tests - you can see that some handle water much better than others, some have higher G loading capacity, some brake better than others, etc.

 

I bought a C55AMG 3 years ago that had new Continentals on the rears and new Pirellis on the fronts. I drove the car like I stole it, and never had any indication of problems. In theory I can understand why it isn't ideal to mix tire brands, but from my actual experience, I haven't had any trouble when I've had them.

I would expect far worse compromises in handling if you had well-worn rear tires and unworn front tires from the same manufacturer, which I expect often happens to many people here given the tendency of the rears to wear much more quickly. I'm no expert on tires, but intuitively I would expect the handling to be far more compromised under those circumstances than having N-rated Pirellis on the front and similarly worn N-rated Michelins on the rear.

I'd like to hear of examples where someone has actually experienced problems with using mixed brands.

 

Dario

I had Pirellis on my car (OEM). I got almost 30K out of them that includes 2 track days at Spring Mountain (Pahrump). They got really slick and loud after about 20K. You'll be surprised how much quieter new tires will be.

Must be that nice dry Nevada air contributing to all those miles. Oh yeah, we don't have any potholes either

 

Thanks for the insight. I really don't drive my car like a "grandma" as I have been accused.

What kind of tires are you running now?

Let me know next time yo go out to the Pahrump track or a P-club meeting out here in Vegas. I'll drive out to meet you.

 

I put Michelins on this time. I like them better. I'll PM you next time I go out to the track. I think there is something next month. I haven't been to any club meetings but will try to find time for one real soon.