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I ran 18" OE wheels with Michelin Latitude Alpin winter tires on my Cayenne. It performed very well. The taller side wall is very nice if you drive in places where there are lots of pot holes or poor quality roads. You're much less likely to bend or damage a wheel with a smaller diameter wheel.
Thanks for the replies all helpful. I have narrowed it down to the Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow (this forum's unanimous favorite) and the new Blizzak LM-80. I am sure both excellent tires. I will be ordering soon.
I also run the Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow in 255/55/18 N1 rated Porsche approved tires. I live up here in Canada and we get a lot of snow! They work great for going up the mountains snowboarding and everyday highway driving. For winter tires the narrower the better as they say.
I lived many years in the upper Midwest. Stiff sidewalls will hurt you in slippery conditions. If I were you I would opt for a lower priced set of 18" wheels and good winter tires, with wheels dedicated to winter only. Then put on what you want for warm weather. That's my advice, and I'm sticking to it. The first time you slide sideways into a curb or hit one in snow when you can't see it, you'll be happy you are using those cheap winter wheels.
An interesting point of data on the N spec Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow tires. I just mounted a 20" set on a set of factory Sport Design wheels for use as my winter set-up. I was able to get Hunter Road Force Variation readings as low as 6 for two of the wheel/tire assemblies; the others came in at 11 and 12. These are superior results for any type of tire if lack of vibration matters to you. These Pirelli tires are extremely well made and very uniform in size.
To put these results in perspective, consider that the Hunter GSP9700 comes from the factory "spec'ed" to say that for most purposes, a RFV of 26 or under is okay (per its operations manual):
"Every vehicle platform has a different sensitivity level and tolerance to RFV and imbalance. Known sensitive vehicles may require lower limits to resolve ride disturbance issues. For example, in some cases, an extremely sensitive vehicle may be affected when the tire/wheel assembly is above 15 lbs. RFM. A setting of 26 lbs. for P Tires and P/SUV Tires is often used as a “middle of the road” limit and does a reasonable job of identifying tires or wheels that may cause a problem. Limits in the Light Truck column are set higher to address the decreased vehicle sensitivity.
Hunter Engineering suggests that advanced users consider setting the default specs to a lower value for “P” setting and use the limit title “P” for sensitive applications. set to the original 26 lbs. This will give the operator three selections to choose from, P, P/SUV and LT."
Let's just say my Cayenne will be rolling really smooth with the Scorpions on it.
Need a little help here on winter tire selection. I've read through a number of comments regarding tire preference in various conditions. I've narrowed it down to the Pirelli Scorpion Winter and the Scorpion Winter Ice and Snow. Most of the winter I'll be on cold but dry (or well plowed) roads but I need a tire I can drive in heavy snow areas too. Is there a significant noise difference between the two? Any other thoughts? I also have a couple rookie questions. Should I focus on the serv. desc. (109V vs 105V) or N1 vs N0? I currently have Michelin Latitude Tour HP 255/55/R18 109V N1 on my '09 Cayenne S.
Awesome man, those 6 numbers will be awesome on the front 2 wheels. The 11 and 12 can go in the rear. I would try matching them even further and maybe you can get the rears under 10?
Originally Posted by spooltime
An interesting point of data on the N spec Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow tires. I just mounted a 20" set on a set of factory Sport Design wheels for use as my winter set-up. I was able to get Hunter Road Force Variation readings as low as 6 for two of the wheel/tire assemblies; the others came in at 11 and 12. These are superior results for any type of tire if lack of vibration matters to you. These Pirelli tires are extremely well made and very uniform in size.
To put these results in perspective, consider that the Hunter GSP9700 comes from the factory "spec'ed" to say that for most purposes, a RFV of 26 or under is okay (per its operations manual):
"Every vehicle platform has a different sensitivity level and tolerance to RFV and imbalance. Known sensitive vehicles may require lower limits to resolve ride disturbance issues. For example, in some cases, an extremely sensitive vehicle may be affected when the tire/wheel assembly is above 15 lbs. RFM. A setting of 26 lbs. for P Tires and P/SUV Tires is often used as a “middle of the road” limit and does a reasonable job of identifying tires or wheels that may cause a problem. Limits in the Light Truck column are set higher to address the decreased vehicle sensitivity.
Hunter Engineering suggests that advanced users consider setting the default specs to a lower value for “P” setting and use the limit title “P” for sensitive applications. set to the original 26 lbs. This will give the operator three selections to choose from, P, P/SUV and LT."
Let's just say my Cayenne will be rolling really smooth with the Scorpions on it.
Wanted to quickly chime in and share my experience here -- 2016 Cayenne S E-Hybrid, stock coil suspension with PASM, Turbo 19" wheels.
I opted to go for the Falken Wildpeak AT Trail in a size I haven't seen anyone run in the forums, 255/60r19. Zero issues with rubbing on road. I've yet to take it off road, so we'll see how that plays out. Otherwise, a nice additional option for anyone wondering and wanting to keep your 19" wheels. Thanks!
you may wanna consider a new generation of tires with the "mountain peak" symbol good for all year round regardless of the season kinda pricey but saves you space in storing dedicated snow tires as well as the aggravation of mounting them
10-01-2014, 02:11 PM
