hpowders

I am going to check out a 2007 base Carrera in another state tomorrow and was told in advance by the dealer (not a Porsche dealer) that the car will ride noisy because the rear 19" tires (12k miles) need replacing. He ordered the new tires but they will not be there in time for my test drive tomorrow.

If I indeed find the car noisy as he says, would replacing the 19" rear tires be the true fix?

Thanks.

Betternotbigger

The tyres are all noisy in my opinion. The least enjoyable part of Porsche ownership. I'm talking about tyre roar not the exhaust, which is a delicious sound. But you want neither at a steady 70 on the Interstate or whatever you call motorways over there.

And in my experience with Michelins, they get quieter as they wear, with Pirellis it's the other way. Just my experience, mind.

gota911

Make sure that you find out which tires (N number) they are getting as replacement tires. At the very least the new tires should match the existing front tires (make and model), and better yet, they should also be the same "N" version (i.e. N0, N1 N2, etc.).

hpowders

Yes, the Interstate! Thanks. Not sure what tires they are.

hpowders

The dealer special ordered them so I'm pretty sure they will match. Thanks.

gota911

I just wanted to make sure you checked this out since you said it was not a Porsche dealer. While Porsche dealers will automatically do this (match the tires correctly) because they know about Porsche's "N" ratings, non-Porsche dealers may not be familiar with the "N" ratings.

hpowders

Okay. Thanks. Will do!

Macster

Probably. Worn tires and some brands worse than others -- Pirelli is my experience -- get noisy when they get worn down.

Now there is a slight chance the tire noise is masking a noisy wheel bearing or some other drivetrain related noise, but the odds are in favor of this *not* being the case.

Have the seller take you on a long test ride, 15 miles or so, mixed driving. Then when over you take the car out as a driver and follow the same route, drive the car the same way.

Give the tires a chance to get noisy but give anything else that might be acting up a change to act up as well.

Don't over focus on tire noise to the point you don't properly evaluate the car's overall condition and state.

Sincerely,

Macster.

hpowders

Thanks. Will do.

theporscheguy

Purchased a few cars like this and worn tires will make the car louder. I found a '02 Carrera for my brother and shipped in to San Jose knowing that the rears needed to be replaced. He was really amazed at how much quieter the car was when he had new tires put on.

hpowders

Thanks.

swajames

FWIW the RE-11s I now have on my 997 are quieter (yet still grip much better) than the two OEM tires I've had on my 997s. I've had the OEM PS2 and the older OEM P-Zero. I've heard that the latest P-Zero is a better tire than the original N-spec tire Porsche was using. Michelin also has a couple of new tires about to hit the market so I'd guess the PS2's days as an OEM tire are limited.

hpowders

I do believe the dealer ordered P-Zero tires, if I recall our telephone conversation correctly.

mal28

The road surfac makes a big difference, on asphalt, my PS2's are ok, but on concrete they are very noisy