MrSharps

Hello everyone-

I'm in need of new tires for my '02 boxster s and have a few questions. The tires I am looking to buy will be used for daily driving in seattle, so they must be all season. Also, in this economy, I'm looking for the best tire at a reasonable price. And finally, hopefully, they'll still be fun for the 1 day a year I get to go autocrossing ok, here are my questions

- My local dealer recommended the bridgestone potenza s-02, but told me that a tire must be 'N-rated'. Is this true?
- I've found that the follow tires were the favorites on the board. Given my constraints, are any of these better than the other?
Bridgestone S-03
Kumo Ecsta(sp) MX - ~$750
Toyo T1-S
- is it true that all tires will only last 15k miles on a boxster?

thanks everybody!

smlporsche

I had the S-o2 a's on my car when i purchased them (N rated of course) and loved them.
I subsequently bought Michelin Pilot Sports and didn't think they were as good.
I'm going back the the N rated Bridgestones when these wear out.

The N rating is a particular set of construction requirements ( stiffer sidewall I think) that makes the tires perform better for our cars. Is it required? Of course not. Are they better than non N rated tires? I believe so.

THXBABE

I was the one that voted for the Ecsta MX tires. I got 12K miles with some de's and 7 autocrosses.

They make one that is a little less agressive, I think the SP, and that will be great for autocross as well and should last a few more miles

schwank

I am down in Portland where it also rains. I run Bridgestone Pole Position RE0960. It is a pretty good all season tire. I daily drive the S and have no issues in any of the light snow or standing water we've had this year.

How long your tires will last is a function of driving style and tire compound. I have tracked the Bridgestones twice even along with about 8-9000 road miles and they are fine still. The main concern is the staggered wheel sizes... if you run directional tires you can't rotate to even out wear.

racer

Lots of variables on tire wear, but the consensus seems to be that rear tires don't last that long. Typically replacement ratio is about 2 sets of rears per each set of fronts.

Since tires are the only part of your car to touch the road, i have found paying a bit more for a quality tire to be worth it. You will have them for a while. They are what makes the car handle better.. Remember there is a reason $200-300 tires were used on a Boxster.. because they were $40-60K cars that deserved them!

sjfehr

N rating is just Porsche giving them extensive testing and giving them the seal of approval. But there's nothing unique about Porsche wheels beyond the bolt pattern, and tires work just as well without the N.

If you put 30,000 mile tires on your Porsche, they'll last 30,000 miles. (Well, you might have to get your car realigned to optimize tire life, too) But you'll compromise performance if you do. All that fine engineering and all that extra money you spent to own a Porsche is worthless if you can't put it to the ground! If you're not racing, you probably won't notice the difference between great tires and the best tires, but you owe it to yourself to at least buy a great tire. You're already compromising some performance by going all-season.

mikefocke

A n N rating means Porsche has
certified that this construction and rubber formula is a good match for the handling characteristics of their cars. But that doesn't mean that some other tire (whose manufacturer didn't go through the expense of getting certified) isn't a good tire. So your dealer is just spouting the Porsche corporate line when he says you must have N rated tires.

Your temps in Seattle do require all season tires. All tires are a compromise, all seasons just compromise the tread design and rubber compound in favor of allowing acceptable performance at lower temps and some light snow (you get snow 4 months a year but not much).

Consumer Reports did a review of tires in about October of 2007. They included about 15 brands of All Seasons in the mix. A good article to see the tradeoffs you can make between one tire design and another in terms of about 10 characteristics. Unfortunately I'm not at home where my copy is so I can't summarize. And it isn't posted on-line that I know of. Maybe you can find a copy.

MrSharps

Thanks for the advice everybody. I think I'm going to aim for the kumo's and probably upgrade to the bridgestones next time around when, hopefully, my finances are looking a little better.

ppbskis

I have the Kumho Ecsta SPT's on my 01 Boxster. Originally it had Continentals, the Kumho's seem to be OK, have the Blizzaks in now and just put the Ecstas on at the end of last summer. Cheap enough that if they go quick it doesn't matter. Members of the local PCA have them on many of their cars, 996 tt's even.

wilfred

I don't know what sizes you are looking for but see if Falken makes a tire for your application. I have had many sets in other cars and they were awesome tires on the street, especially on wet roads. Which must be a plus for you since you are in Seattle. I can't comment on how they do on track because I have only been on track on parade laps

Price wise they used to be dirt cheap, like Cooper & General cheap, because they were not a known brand in US until they started sponsoring the drifting crowd in recent years. But the parent company, Ohtsu has been around in Japan for many years.

As far as Kumho, I know many guys love their track oriented tires. But my personal experience (only 1 set) on a Maxima was terrible - very loud & extremely poor wet traction.

lolayay

Toyo is louder than Falken and Michelin in general. Falken is an okay tire, but terrible on the track, melts in two laps. If you aren't running on the track, it's not a bad choice for its price.

Go to Tirerack.com and pick all season tires. You can research all the tires in the same class regarding their wet, dry, corner, etc performance, and comfort. The website is a treasure of tire information.