stout

Should have similar treadlife, but YMMV. The Bridgestones are $225 front and $344 rear against $304/$442 for the Pirellis and $327.00(special)/$549.00 for the Michelins. Tire Rack says the Bridgestone fronts weigh three more pounds, while the rears are the same. You can learn more here and compare all the details:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...&filterType=oe

Here's what we — and more importantly, August Achleitner at Porsche AG — had to say in our 997-2 Turbo first drive story:

Michelin’s Pilot Sport Cup tires, which were available as an option in Europe on the last Turbo but standard on the GT2 and GT3, produce incredible grip on dry roads, and even when it is just wet. Though their modest tread depth makes them dangerous if there’s any standing water, many owners couldn’t resist their advantage in dry conditions. Unfortunately, the sticky compounds used in the current Cup — as well as some normal tires — will soon fall victim to new Euro*pean legislation on polluting chemicals used in tire manufacturing.

Interestingly, says project manager August Achleitner, Bridgestone recently introduced a normal high-performance tire called the Potenza RE050A. The N1 version is Porsche-specific and used on the new Turbo. The surprise, says Achleitner, is that its grip levels are not far off Michelin’s Cup tire. Being a normal tire, it also has enough tread depth when new to offer good aquaplaning resistance in wet-weather conditions.

“Pirelli has a new PZero N2 on the way that will also be good in the wet, but not quite as good as the Bridgestone,” he says. “The current Michelin is better than the Bridgestone in rolling resistance, so it is slightly quieter and offers marginally better fuel economy. Meanwhile, all our suppliers are working on Cup tire compounds that meet the pollution regulations, and we are expecting them to offer even more spectacular wet and dry performance. We are really looking forward to testing these new tires.”

WalkerInTN

Been running the PS2's for almost 3 years now, I'm very happy with them. Been caught in a few serious downpours, but they've always inspired confidence.

They are also "Tail of the Dragon" & "Cherohala Skyway" approved.

Haku

Now there's an endorsement if ever there was one!

KINGSRULE

Fair enough. I guess I was a little exuberant.

But the topic has been beaten to death both here and on 6speed.....

Haku

Gj, no worries.

I'm not on 6speed... as it is I spend far too much time online!

Land Jet

I've been reading a lot of good things about the Bridgestone RE-11's. Great grip and good in the wet. They are a little heavier. Might want to check them out.

PNUT

i will be installing a set of bridgestone re-11's this week. already wore out the mpsc's with only 5,000 miles. i wanted a better all aroud tire and so many have recommended the re-11 over the ps-2's. i paid 250 ea front (245/35/19) and 290 ea for 305/30/19 for my 2010 gt3. going a little wider in front. i hope all who have recommended them are right. am also hoping that the manufacturers start making a better selection in 19's as the choices are limited.

in regards to the re-050a's, i have them on my 997 turbo and they are great tires. should last over 30,000 miles and display great dry traction and are excellent in wet. they came from the factory and i have no complaints.

Haku

PNUT, once you've installed them I'd be very interested to know what your first impressions are about the BS's. Also any issues that you discover with the wider fronts. Thanks in advance.

Nugget

I just put RE-11s on my car before the holidays. I've only got about 800 miles on them so far, mostly highway and entirely cold, so I don't have a very broad range of experience with them. I can say unreservedly that I like them more than PS2 Cups and I like them a lot more than PZero Rossos.

I paid $1400 for all four installed.

KBS911

Haku,

I did exactly what you are planning. Swapped my Cups for PS2's. The PS2's are very familiar to me, having had them on my previous C2S. I am very happy with them and they have been Dragon Tail and Cherohala Hiway tested. I only put 250 miles on the Cups so i can't really attest to their track performance. I just took my cups to the dealer today so he can swap out the 2's for Cups in preparartion for Roebling Road later this month.
I don't think you can go wrong with the PS2's. Good luck.

RonCT

In a nut shell, the 19" Cups and PS2s are almost the same exact tire with the Cup giving maybe 2% more grip in the dry / warm, which mobody on the street would ever see. On the track the PS2 and PSCup telemetry numbers are almost exactly the same.

TripleM

Probably the best street tires out there the PS2 that is....durable, light , comfortable and decent road performance as well. Another good one is PZERO and Potenza RE11
cant go wrong with these 3 tires for DD

mxdave74

Just a data point, not a fire starter My experience is quite different between Cups and PS2... Sport Cups are markedly better on the track than the PS2, which starts to go off after just a few laps. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate them like this, (with higher performing tires included for context):

PS2 = 6
Sport Cup = 8.5
R888 (or equivalent) = 9
name your fav. slick = 10

Granted, I'm a 996 guy, so I've never run the OEM N spec Sport Cups that most are probably referencing experience with in this thread?. I'm sure the rubber formulation is somewhat different than the "standard" SC, and I know the 997 OEM Cup has a smidge more tread depth.

RonCT

There's the HUGE difference. You are running on Real Cups, which I have plenty of experience on too. Boy do I wish Michelin made a real cup with the correct sizes for our 997 products (our rear tire diameter is 1" larger than yours).

Several of us have posted data in the past on the Porsche N 19" Cup, including a side-by-side photo comparison posted by somebody from Tire Rack. Michelin / Porsche have stated in brochures, articles, etc. that they "reformulated" the Cup for improved cold performance, wet performance, etc. Physically, it looks like a cup, but the rain channels are 2x wider than on the real cups. The rubber compound feels and performs just like the PS2 compound. Lateral and braking grip between 19" N cup and PS2 are almost exactly the same, and both perform the same in the real cold (ie: Those 25 degree early morning days at Watkins Glen or Lime Rock).

LERA GT2

Just changed to PS2s and could not be happier. To the average driver they are the same and will give you double the miles. If you are going to have one set of rims, stick to PS2s. If you are planning to have more rims, get 18 inches and proper rubber for the track.