CtrUSA

My rear tires have 11.5k miles and are in need of replacement.
I currently have Pirelli PZero Rosso which I do not particularly like.

Porsche dealer suggested putting PSS in front with PS2 in rear and once rear use, hopefully PSS will be available in the size I need. PS2 is not available in my front size, so can't go all PS2. I was a bit surprised about offering to put different tires but don't know enough about these two. I can't imagine them being both Michelins would make it ok and there must be enough differences to have a different label.

I might start tracking a little bit if I can find the time, noise was an issue with the used Pirellis (even when they were new). I know road noise will always be there on these cars especially on low profiles like mine, but no sense in picking some of the loudest ones either.

Any thoughts on this.

Fronts are: 245/30/20"
Rear: 305/25/20"

Thanks!

GSIRM3

I wouldn't do it if it was mine.

Dr. No

Bad idea. Can't believe dealer would suggest this.

ahimanic

I am surprised the dealer even suggested the PSS because it's not a Porsche approved "N" rated tire. I couldn't get any dealers in my area to sell me PSS. The PS2 is Porsche approved.

I have the same predicament, half-worn front Pzero and worn-out rear Pzero. If I want to go with PSS everyone is telling me to replace all four.

If you plan on tracking the car I think it would be prudent to go with Porsche approved tires and especially the same tires for all 4. Somewhere in this forum there is a thread with an almost-tragic ending when different tires were used front and back.

Mike in CA

I wouldn't mix brands or even different models of the same brand. I'm also surprised the dealer would suggest this.

CtrUSA

Frankly I was surprised as well.
The problem is; there simply aren't very many options.
PS2 won't fit on fronts, PSS won't fit on rears. I have Pzero's now, but would rather no get those again.

I think Yokohama has a set and Continental as well.... little choice!

wc11

I was told that it's more normal than not to go 2 sets of rears per set of fronts.
I have PZero Rosso's as well and had half tread left on the fronts so I opted to replace rears with the same and then I'll switch all 4 next time round.
But I do know never to mix brands and models/styles front & rear.

CtrUSA

I understand about not mixing... which is why I posted initially. I was quite surprised a Porsche dealer would suggest this.
My secondary question I guess is; so now what.
I don't like the Pirelli's much but am looking for opinions on anything that might fit.
For now the list is just Conti or Yokohama - narrow list to choose from!

Byprodriver

It's OK to mix tires as long as they are comparable tires in their handling characteristics. Go to Tirerack.com & enter the size you need for the back. Filter by performance level to match old tires. Choose the tire you want (Michelin if you are not too concerned about the cost) That's what PSM is for!

Mike in CA

Have you considered going with the same sizes for 20" wheels that Porsche uses on the 991, ie 245x35x20 F and 295x30x20 R ? That would open your choices to include the Pirelli P Zero, which is a superior tire to the P Zero Rosso, and also the Michelin Pilot SS.

Dr. No

Isn't the diameter of the 991 wheel larger than that of the 997? In which case you'd sacrifice acceleration and speedo accuracy.

If you go to the dealer they should recommend only n-rated tires. There may be some other stuff on tirerack that is also good but lacks the n-rating.

Mike in CA

Stock, yes, but the OP posted that he already has 20" wheels on his 997, the same as the 991S.

CtrUSA

Hi Mike,

That is absolutely correct; I do have 20" tires - not stock and I have asked the dealership about sizing and tires used on the 991... no straight answer yet. By now, I'm guessing many of you are thinking I need to look elsewhere for service.... if you are thinking that; I would second the thought. The tire slection is far down my list of considerations for changing.
The only thing holding me back is that I live in the boonies and that 1h15mn is plnety far enough without wanting to add any Xtra time for service (Also where I bought new... you'd think service would be up to par!)

At this point and not knowing any better, I'm thinking either:
- Bite the bullet and replace the rears with what I have (not happy with that!)
- Probably Continental's?
- I don't think I want the Yokohamas

If anyone knows of another set of tires to consider or a website which will list all options; I'm all ears!

CtrUSA

Oh; and Mike.
I've got:
Front; 245-30/20"
Rear; 305-25/20"

Not sure how that would mesh with the 991 setup. Fronts perhaps, as same width, but rears, no go and would likely need recalibrating the speedo?
Almost tempting to go with 2 more P-Zero Rosso's to see if Michelin come up with a 305/25-20" for me rears in the next 10k (which takes me a long time to go through).
Also; I'm considering the simple age of the fronts and not just the mileage or sue... they are around 4 years now... if it takes me another 3 years to beat up my rears, I can't see having the same "crap" on the rears and 7 year old tires up front.
When I come back from Europe I feel like I'm driving square tires for 3 days as it is!!!

Aren't these cars great :-)

Mike in CA

CtrUSA, out of curiousity I looked at the Tire Rack web site when I saw your initial post and you're right, you don't have a lot of options with the 20's in those sizes. That's why I suggested the tires that are on the 991's with 20" wheels, even though the 295's on the 991 are a bit narrower than your 305's. You lose a little width, but you gain a better choice of tires.

As for speedo recalibration, the 295x30x20's the 991 uses are about 26.97" diameter 748 revs per mile, and 305x25x20's are 26.00" and 777 revs per mile. That's a difference of only 3.7% which will put your speedo off by a bit over 2 MPH @70 MPH. Not much. Anyway, it was just a thought.

BTW, unless I missed something I didn't see Continentals in the 305x25x30 size, at least on the Tire Rack site. FWIW, I've had some good luck with Yokohama tires although I have no experience with the particular ADVAN Sport tires that are available in your sizes.

You make a good point about the age of your tires; another good reason not to mix between the front and rear. And yeah, these cars are great, even if buying tires for them can be difficult sometimes, not to mention expensive! Good luck.