swajames

The RE-11, which I own and use, is a much better tire than the two N-rated OEM tires that I've had on my 997s. I much prefer it to the N-rated Michelin PS2 and P Zero.

On a related matter, I do struggle to understand why people who have never used a product feel the need to comment on things they really have absolutely no idea about.

alexb76

Same as you who are saying RE-11 is better than RE-050, since it was better than OTHER N-rated tires you had!

N-rated is tested and approved for our cars and if you have no specific issues with those, I see no reason to move to another tire, if it's not for cost, or for specific purpose (like tracking).

I VERY MUCH PREFER and trust Porsche engineers and testers opinions to your subjective un-scientific observation of a tire that "you own and use"!

Nugget

You seem to be making the false assumption that an N spec tire is, by definition, superior to an non N-spec tire. What is your basis for that assumption? There are plenty of reasons (cost, time, marketing, branding, etc...) why a particular tire may not have a Porsche-approved N specification.

If a tire has an N specification you can certainly feel confident that it will perform suitably on a Porsche and with a Porsche driver's performance expectations.

What is not valid, though, is the leap of illogic that the reverse is true. If a tire lacks an N specification you can't infer that it is necessarily inferior to an N specification tire. All it means is that the tire has not been specifically tested and rated by Porsche. That's it. There's no reason to assume that the RE-11 worse than an N specification tire simply because it lacks the rating. Glibly put:




Notice what is not listed. You can not infer:

• Porsche has tested this tire and found it to be inadequate
• If Porsche did test the tire, it would not earn an N Specification
• This tire is worse than another tire which does have an N Specification
• This tire is unsafe

If I believed that Porsche had tested the RE11 and it failed to earn an N specification I would agree with you. There's plenty of reason to disbelieve that theory, though, not the least of which being that the RE11 is a superior tire to others which do carry an N specification. Porsche has not published an opinion on the RE11 and it's a mistake to think that they have.

swajames

Thing is, I do have an issue with the N-rated tires that were provided on my car - they weren't very good...

As for those Porsche engineers and testers, they seemingly weren't asked to test the RE-11 so the point you're making, and rather poorly at that, is moot.

alexb76

But you cannot also CONCLUDE that neither of the above is true about another tire.

I can say for sure, that an N-rated tire is:

• Safe for my car
• Performs AS Porsche engineers intended
• Will do 200 MPH (if in Germany) with no issues
• Was part of Suspension tuning of the car while being tested at Nurburgring
• Was better than OTHER tires tested AT THE TIME while being tuned by Porsche engineers and test drivers
• Will be safe in wet conditions with adecuate hydorplaning and traction
• Has the RIGHT weight rating for my car
• Will do WELL in all driving conditions as Porsche intended, while probably not best in ALL areas (wet, noise, comfort, etc.)

Nugget

Has anyone in this thread done that? I haven't seen it.

You don't actually know this. You're just assuming it.

Unless the tires are the N specification PS2 Cups that came on my GT3. They were not safe in wet conditions.

This information is available for every tire on the market, not just N specification tires.

alexb76

Ok, that's a very fair statement. If one is not satisfied with performance of a tire provided by the manufacturer, it's more than fair to try another brand/model.

alexb76

No, but I am saying that just as much as you cannot conclude a non N-rated tire is unsafe, slower than N-rated, etc... you can't conclude the contrary either (that it is for sure safe, it's for sure will perform as intended by Porsche, etc...).

swajames

Your other point was equally fair - Porsche has indeed tested the tires granted an N-rating and they have found them to meet whatever standards they chose to set. The only area where we disagree is whether we feel comfortable running with a non N-rated tire. While I feel those that choose not to are missing out on some great tires, I do understand why some prefer to stick to the OEM offerings.

alexb76

I don't believe that either. All I am saying is that Porsche has taken out the guessing game of trying different tires to see which fits best.

I for one am quite happy with PS2 performance in dry and wet, and IF it wasn't as expensive as it is, would have never considered another tire. I probably would when it's time to change them but it's not because Porsche didn't do their homework right!

I am sure there are tires that laps a track faster, will do better in wet, will have less noise, etc... but not to do ALL of the above better. An N-rated tire provides a great balance between all areas of tire design that is fit for a Porsche.

Mike@AWDMotorsports

Ran the Re-11 on my 997tt and worked great at Sebring for Low 2:30's and im a pretty novice driver.. I was 8 Seconds faster than running on some POS Dunlop i had before those.. I ran a 1hr 30min session and they never got over heated either and greasy like some other tires i have used..

alexb76

Exactly, in almost ALL of my previous cars I had to go through multiple tires, read all the reviews, try other people's cars to see how their tires performed, etc... to see which tire is best for that particular car (from Honda to VW, to BMW, to Opel, to Audi). I am actually glad Porsche has done that work for me, and I can rely on their expertise to pick the right tire for the car, specially since they've tested those tires in track conditions too.

Cheers back at you!

Nugget

Why would you assume this?

Jake951

Have the ambient temperatures changed? That by itself could explain the difference in grip. Here in New England, we're sometimes seeing temperatures now in the low 30's in the early morning and summer tires don't grip worth beans under those conditions.

chago996

Going back to the OP question, nobody touched on his idea of changing to size 305 in the rears, from 295 I supposed. I've read that in order to do that, front tire size stays the same at 235, but wheel size in front is half an inch wider from factory, to compensate for increased understeer, due to higher grip in the back. The 997.2 owners manual also shows 1/2 inch wider wheels in the back. Not sure on 997.1