rw229

I have a new to me 997.2 Carrera S (PASM) which will need new tires before heading to the track and I'm trying to decide on tires and need advice on alignment specs.

It's been about 8 years since I've done a DE. I had just started running solo. I will pretty much be starting over, but not a total newbie. I don't aspire to be a pro racer, just enjoy the capabilities or the car on the track. (no interest in dedicated track wheels/tires)

The car is a weekend / fair weather / summer driver, maybe 2-3k street miles per year and I plan to do 2 or 3 weekends at the track, maybe an autocross once in a while.

Tires-

The stock tires are 235/35/19 and 295/30/19 (I think 8/11" wide wheels) and I assume I should stick with those sizes. I am considering PS4S, AD08R or RE71R with the understanding that the later will be better on track with compromises on the street vs. the Michelins. From what I have read so far...

PS4S - great street tire, but may not be able to handle the heat and get greasy fairly quickly on the track.
AD08R - stiff tire, sticky, will handle the heat better, good wear.
RE71R - recommended by my Indy, very sticky, but maybe poor wear... but maybe not a big deal given my use.

Any real-world input on these tires or others I haven't considered is appreciated.

Alignment -

I'd like to maximize the stock suspensions potential on the track without changing any suspension components or making it a total pain to drive on the street. I'm assuming that maxing out the negative camber front and rear is the way to go, but not sure about caster and toe. I'd like the car to be as neutral as possible and prefer to have to "turn" the car rather than twitchy steering.

Again, any input based on experience is greatly appreciated!

Oh, and brakes.. fresh fluid / stock pads and will assess after my first DE, unless the recommendation is to do something different.

wjk_glynn

Bill Lehman

Of the tires suggested, I'd pick the RE71R. Decent grip and acceptable wear and reasonable price. I ran them on my GT4 as track tires before switching to Hoosiers. You want to max front camber but there's not a lot to be found with the OEM system. A compromise would be adding front camber plates which would add about 1 degree. There's no caster adjustment without aftermarket parts although some camber plates include this adjustment. I like 0 front toe for a street/track car..

Nickshu

+1 on Bridgestone RE-71Rs. I ran them on my Lotus as well as my 996 before going to slicks. They are excellent on the track and they grip until they cord and don't get too greasy when really hot out.

AAK GTS

I have the same question as the OP except I have a 991 911 GTS. I would max out the camber with the OEM system and you suggest zero front toe. What about rear toe? Is that adjustable or is the stock setting good? The front toe setting you suggest would help reduce understeer but we reduce the rear toe will it begin to make the car oversteer?
Thanks.

mdrums

On my 997.2 cars I ran the Yoko AD08R and on the street and autocross it was fantastic. I did a track day with it but my 18" wheels with Nitto NT01 were much faster. I hear great things about the RE71R now and it is probably more advanced than the older AD08R Yoko tire.

If you get a set of 18" wheels..FYI...Nitto NT01 245/40/18 fronts and 305/35/18 rears are the same overall diameter as the stock 235/305 19's...so you won't have any ABS or PSM issues. Ran this size for years and years with great success.

As far as alignment....with 997 cars you want more front camber than rear. However on stock none adjustable lower control arms all you can get on Carrera S cars with PASM is around -1.2 or maybe.3....with Sport PASM you might see -1.4 front.

So with that in mind....I'd go max front camber you can get and make it close to the same in the rear. If you decide to put on GT3 Lower front control arms then you can got more front camber. Rule of thumb starting for 997 cars on street tires and/or DOT R Compound Street Tires is -2.5 front zero toe per side and -2 rear 2mm toe in per side. I used this for years and had no bad effects on the street either. This alignment can change a little depending on your driving style, tires and tire pressure and the track or tracks you run on. On the lesser side of this spec you can run -2 front and -1.5 rear same toe specs and be really fast and run street or R-Comp tires with no bad effects or the track or street.

Have fun!

mdrums

991 cars are totally different and normally do not need as much camber as 996 and 997 cars. My 2017 GTS is running stock 20" sizes on Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires with -1.5 front and rear. Tire wear is really about even. I do have rear steering so that helps rear tire wear and I need a little less toe in on rear.

Bill Lehman

I don't know 991 suspension but generally you do not want to reduce rear toe. Oversteer is one issue, on some cars rear stability under hard braking is an issue.

erko1905

PS4S wears really well; it's decent in rain, and is a great learning tool (I thought), very linear, easy to control behavior. I ran them for 15 track days last season, novice level, and looks like they still have some life left. Grip is definitely limited but with hot pressures around mid 30s they don't get that greasy. If you have extensive experience from your previous HPDE life they might not cut it; they're definitely slower than a RE71 or Cup2 but they're much more compliant on the street.

wjk_glynn

AAK GTS

Where you able to get -1.5 f/r camber from the stock suspension? Did you leave the front toe within the stock parameters? My car is still wearing the stock P-zeros.
Thanks.

Davito

can somebody chime in on the road noise of the RE-71R for street use? I have them on my track car but is gutted so I can't compare. Right now I have MPSS on my 991.1 and the difference on grip is significant.

mdrums

mdrums

Jabs1542