Hello,

I was hoping to get some advice on how to identify if a set of tires are not optimal. I purchased a 2007 Cayman S last December from south Florida. Car came with 40k miles and a set of Pilot Supersport Cup 2 tires. Cayman came with a bunch of modifications along with gt3 calipers. My first day at track with car was last March (in NJ which is where I live). 2nd session of day, first warmup lap, I spin off track coming out of turn one and get stuck in mud. Pretty embarrassing considering the tow truck also got stuck in mud and entire session got red flagged. I had a year of track experience in a Boxster S on Falken Azenis before starting with my Cayman without any incidents of being completely out of control (which I was at that moment on turn 1). Obviously this was a huge confidence killer which led me to believe my tires suck, or I suck, or somewhere in the middle, or fully both. I had an extra set of 18" wheels so for next event I started with fresh Toyo R888Rs which lasted most of the season and then ended it with a take-off set of Hoosier R7s. I was able to build some confidence over the 14 DE events I completed.

Now thinking about what I'm going to start next year's DE events with (March in New Jersey) which will be cold. I have a 2nd set of R7s but I would not want to drive on these in March cold weather.

This leads me back to the question of my original tires. I never realized how expensive and highly reviewed these super sport tires are. The tread is probably at 85% life but I have no clue how old the tires are. Is it possible the tires really are good but I was just not use to them and didn't get them warmed up enough? Is it possible the rubber is compromised from sitting in the Florida sun for 5 years? If this is the case, how can I determine this? I don't want to trash an $1500 set of tires, but I also don't want to drive on compromised tires. What red flags should I look for? Or should these tires be fine and I'm over thinking it?

 

What are the DOT code dates? It will be week/year stamped on the sidewall.

Anything over 5 years is very suspect. Porsche says 6. Not sure about Cups.

 

thanks for the reply. I never knew tires were date stamped. Just checked, they are 2018's. Not as old as I thought so I guess that answers my question?

 

They were made in the 20th week of 2018, so they're about 3.5 years old. They aren't dangerously old, but they aren't fresh, either. I don't know how the vehicle was stored in Florida, but lots of UV can "dry out" the tires and make them less flexible and grippy long before you see obvious UV damage, like cracking sidewalls.

If I had to guess, I'd guess you pushed a little too hard too soon in your second session and, unfortunately, got bit by it. Confidence is slowly gained, and quickly lost, so I can understand your hesitation to run those tires again at the track. I'd either just run them on the street, or take them to the track with the mindset that they're crappy tires that will quickly challenge your car control skills. The reality is that they probably aren't that crappy, but if you warily approach their limits you may have some fun and get some use out of them.

 

NEVER get rid of a potential spare tire. If you think we are facing a supply chain crisis now, just wait until the collapse and reset. Not only are you going to have difficulties finding a high quality tire, you're gonna have trouble finding a tire for mom's Buick. Same for wheels...