Need four new tires for my 997.2 and PS2's are mighty hard if not impossible to come by - backordered until April 6 at TireRack and my local P dealer. I have a DE event April 10-12 and that's cutting it a little too close. Spoke to TireRack and they think Pilot Super Sport is about to get the N Spec. Anyone see any problem (other than losing the N Spec) with going with PSS's over PS2's? How big a deal is not having the N Spec? I read the posts started by gota911 on 12/22/11 and feel pretty good about making the move.

 

PSS should have a N-rating by now. I am in favor of N-rated tires but this is the exception. The tire was developed for the 997 and with PAG's cooperation. PAG is probably waiting until Michelin has a 20" to N-rate it for the 991. I know dealers installing PSS without any problems.

 

My Carrera GTS came with PS2's. I wore them out in 2700 miles (lots of track time) and replaced them with Pilot Super Sports. I've drive the PSS's on road and track and I think they're better (and cheaper!) that the PS2's. They last longer, ride better and handle better than the PS2's. I think the only difference that an "N" rating will make is that the price of the tire will increase. Get 'em now before the prices go up.

With that said, it's not like the PSS's last forever. I'm now on my 2nd set of PSS's in front and my 3rd set in back. They still wear out - quickly - but not as quickly as the PS2's.


DMoore
'11 GTS
'10 Panamera 4S

 

How many miles are you getting front/rear? Can you decouple your track usage and extrapolate normal street miles for a PSS vs PS2? Michelin claims a 50% increase.

 

ADias: It's really hard to separate track from road, because I've also increased the negative camber to about -1 degree, front and rear. That negative camber increases tire wear (inside edges) in street use. For a while I had the rear wheels set at close to -2 degrees, I'd overdone it, and wore out a set of rears in 5K miles without any track work during that time. I recently dialed down the rear camber setting. It feels better now on the track and I expect street driving won't kill the rears so quickly.

My car has just over 15K miles. My PS2 fronts were corded at 2700 miles. I just replaced the first set of PSS fronts last month, so I probably got a bit over 10K miles on those tires. In back the tires went much more quickly, but my excessive camber setting killed the tires. I'd estimate that I was burning through the rears at a signficantly higher rate than the usual "2 for 1" ratio rear/front that usually applies to our cars.

I think a claim of 50% greater mileage is pretty - or wildly - optimistic, but the PSS's do seem to last longer than the PS2's did. They handle better as well. I can't quantify the improvements, but since the PSS's are (for now, anyway) cheaper than the PS2's, for me they're a no-brainer.

DMoore
'11 GTS
'10 Panamera 4S

 

N-Spec doesn't really mean much if you are getting Michelin Super Sport...get them you'll be happy

 

I put a set of Pilot Super Sports on my C2S in January and I'm very pleased with these tires. I had it out in 80F weather yesterday for some spirited driving and never felt squeamish. The handling is great, road noise is low and they look fantastic. I had the RE050 on it before and in my opinion there a night and day difference. Michelin is a superior tire.

 

I spoke to the Michelin rep at Sebring this weekend and asked him specifically about the N rating. In short the N rating means that it is OEM/Porsche approved and that requires money to do the testing internally. Porsche isn't droppping the dime to do that at this time. Not having an N rating does not at all compromise the rating or performance of the tire as stated by Michelin. You will get what you paid for and Michelin will stand behind their product. My 12 GTS came with PS2's and I bought another set of wheel and installed the PSS's. I swap them out periodically. I prefer the PSS's.

 

Looks like PSS's are a no-brainer. This forum is a great resource. Many thanks to all for the info!

 

Stu,

Where do you plan to purchase the tires. You can order them from Costco for a price that is less than TireRack. But you need to pay sales tax. Mark

 

This is a no brainer IMHO
Bought them from Costco and my dealer installed them. The dealer assured me no warranty issues.
Outstanding all around tire.

 

If anyone needs a set I should have a set of 235.35.19 and 305.30.19 PS2s with about 1800 miles on them next week. Street only no track miles. I hope to have a new set of wheels and tires on my GTS by the end of next week.

$800 plus shipping for the set of 4.

 

PM sent. I'd like the fronts.

 

Thanks anyway. Ordered from TireRack yesterday. Good base price, no shipping charge, no tax, plus got $70 rebate coming from Michelin for buying all 4. Tires arrived at my installer this morning. So far I couldn't be happier.

 

Are you sure? That's new to me. They always charge for shipping unless you do a local install, but then are charged for taxes. Please tell more.