WFBlue

I am very interested in ordering the 21" 911 turbo II wheel for a 2012 Cayenne (August allocation). I understand that the 21's will wear more quickly than a smaller size tire (as well as being more expensive to replace), but wanted to get a sense from forum members what their experiences are with the larger tire size. The salesmen indicated that longevity would be between 10,000 and 20,000 miles depending on how aggressive the driver was. Does this seem about right? I love the larger wheel, but not sure I want to replace the tires more than once a year; I drive about 15,000 per year so 20K miles would be fine.

Dennis C

Cayennes are heavy, and they do tend to wear soft summer rubber pretty quickly. I have 20" wheels on my Cayenne. The first set was replaced at approximately 26,000 miles, and they were totally shot. My next set lasted 30,000 miles. One option you might consider is replacing the OEM tires with tires that have a longer expected tread life. You'll give up a little bit in performance, but you won't buy tires quite as often.

cordsig79

look for harder or UTOG?(sp) quotient.....the higher the longer your tires will last......diamars which are OEM are like 250 and go after 15k miles......I run 500 or higher now and get 25k plus on each set of tires.

harder tires will slip more on ice and water.

WFBlue

thanks for the info. Ice and snow not generally a problem here in NC except once or twice a year.

Andy E.

I ran the factory Yoko 21's last summer on my GTS and accumulated 24,000 km (15,000 miles) before the treadwear indicators started to slightly show. Repeated tire rotation is a definite must for longevity. The Cayenne also tends to wear tires unevenly as increased wear on the outer edges is quite evident with this massive tire width. I figure I may still have a few more thousand km's before they're completely finished however, I'm not ready to take that risk due to heavy rainfall in the spring.

I've started to shop around and I find the prices to be phenomenally high. 21'' is not a common size as is the case with 20'' where the prices seem to fall dramatically. The UTQG treadwear rating (Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standard) was 280 for the Yokos however I found the Pirelli PZero Rossos to have a higher 330 rating and at a lower price.

A rough rule of thumb is to multiply the treadwear rating by 100 to get an approximate tire life average in kilometers. In other words, 280 should yield approximately 28,000 km. This of course depending on your driving habits.

One more thing, shop around. I've been getting quotes of $705/tire up here in Montreal. One hour away in Vermont, I've been quoted $380 for the exact same tire.

WFBlue

Thanks. I wish the 911 turbo came in a 20', but it is what it is. The 21" look great and appear easy to clean.

Dennis C

I'm running Continental Extreme Contact DWS on my Cayenne right now. It's an all-season tire, but it's a good combination of traction and treadlife. It's also not bad in the snow. It's certainly not as good as a dedicated snow tire, but it's reasonable in a place where significant snow isn't an issue.

Bill P.

Along the same lines, can the tires be safely replaced by a good independent? My salesman indicated that due to the high tech sensors attached to the wheel that it would be best handled by the dealer. That just doesn’t sound right....

Andy E.

Those same high-tech sensors are found on Kias and Hyundais today. Almost all tire shops have purchased the newer tire machines which use a smaller ''finger'' when separating the rubber from the rim.

marcboxx

I have 22" rims on mine and they came with Yokohama Parada Spec-X 265 40 22's ($240). Tire Rack and Discount Tire forums have a number of Cayenne and other makes getting almost 40k miles! They have a good low profile sporty look, but are fantastic in both the dry and wet. The ride has virtually little noise. Another option I am hearing good things about is the Falken Ziex ($200) with comparable mileage of course with proper rotations. One thing to make sure you get is the warranty as my wife hit a massive pot hole here in Houston in which cause damage to the passenger front and rears to the tune of $600. Lastly, be prepared to park your ride if something like this happens to you as many times these size tires are special order out of the distribution center and not likely in stock....

cordsig79

Sorry but Im gonna take the noob comment of "what should I think of before buying a cayenne".....but on the 22's or 20's....I really want 20's but dont find the widths I like...........and 22's seem to be the only ones going from 10, 10.5, and sometimes 11's...........

I guess the width will mean a high cost due to added rubber......anyone got comments on the wider wheels, aftermarket, OEM, and reps...

InHocSigno

I'm lucky to get 10,000 miles on any set of tires.

As for having a dealer mounting the tires..That's a load of bull****. Any decent tire shop can mount tires.

cordsig79

In Hoc a lougie brother......Sig here too.

leek

Two sets of P Zero Rossos (21") each ran around 15,000 miles. Discount changes them ok but they forget about the suspension (air) being locked so you need to watch them. The winters went 30K (Pirelli scorpion ice and snow) before needing replacement

PeterN

Have had both Pirelli and Michelin on 03 and 06 CSs. Most i ever got is 20,000. Would like to find a set that got closer to 30,000 on current 09 GTS with 21" factory rims. Suggestions