Originally Posted by spooltime

Since mostl of the producers of 21" diameter N1 spec tires (i.e., Pirelli, Michelin) apparently choose not to produce enough tires to allow them to be readily available, I've been looking at the non-N rated tires as alternatives. There's basically two alternatives I'm considering, the Vredestein Vorti and the Nokian Z SUV. Apparently, the Nokian tire rated very highly last year in a German based tire test, and as noted above, a set of four can be shipped to my door for only $884. Compare that to the $1,563 it would cost me to have a set of Pirelli Rosso N0 tires shipped to me, and the Nokians become very appealing. Seriously, can the Pirellis be $679 better on a Cayenne that has primary duty of daily commuting?

In the middle, a set of the new to the market Vderestiein Vortis would run $1,265. In taking a look at these tire options, I learned the European Union started requiring tire manufacturers to start labeling their tires back in 2012 with respect to rolling resistance (impacts fuel economy), wet traction, and noise levels. This is where you start to see trade-offs that might be impacted by the cost of producing a tire. As an available N-spec benchmark, the N0 rated Pirelli Rosso is labled "C" for rolling resistance, "B" for wet traction, and has a noise rating of 73 dB. The Vderstein has an "E" label for rolling resistance (worse than a "C"), but shares the same "B" rating for wet traction as does the Pirelli tire. But the Vderestein is very quiet, with a noise rating of only 70 dB. The low-cost option Nokian Z SUV has a "C" rating for rolling resistance, and falls a little short in the wet traction category, with a "C" label there as well. And it's the loudest of the bunch, with a noise label of 75 dB.

So there's trade-offs for sure among the tires, but for normal daily driving, either the Vderesteins or the Nokians seem like affordable, viable 21" tire options. And they're available for immediate shipment, unlike most of the Porsche spec tires.