[williamoss]

Since it seems everyone has an opinion on this subject I like round black ones.

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[ds968]

Since it seems everyone has an opinion on this subject I like round black ones.

You're such a conformist ! :-).

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[ds968]

   

   


I guess none of you guys bought into the hype of these tires becoming the new standard of excellence ?

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[ds968]

Well, looks like those “ventilated” tires may become a reality . The Michelin man on a diet ?

https://news.yahoo.com/michelin-gm-launc...40200.html

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[rxter]

I wonder if this means we'll get our sidewalls back...

 

Michelin PS4S is a great tire if you can find it in the size for the 968.  That was my biggest problem with new tires as the wheels just keep getting bigger.  The wheels on the 992 look almost cartoonish they are so big.  ContiSportContacts are also very good - sticky.  My son has those on his s2000 and loves them.

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[ds968]

Michelin PS4S is a great tire if you can find it in the size for the 968 .

I hope they’re still available for 17s. I’m due for a new set pretty soon.

As for the crazy new tires I’m sure they have been engineered for maybe 80 % of typical driving conditions ( not overly aggressive turns , or sustained triple digit speeds ) but I can’t imagine how well their will protect the rim when you hit a pot hole .. the video shows the tire’ s flex attributes going over a curb ( slowly ) but I’m a bit skeptical about the pot hole scenario . Since many of California’s highways look like Swiss cheese when it comes to pot holes, I’m not so sure how those tires would hold up and not have you end up with a bent or cracked wheel . Not that I care, they’re so F-ugly I’d never put them on a car . A tractor maybe, if I had one ..

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[PoshGG]

I've been having a hard time finding Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s.  Most of my good tire sources in town show these on "indefinite" backorder.  The 4S seems to be discontinued.  So that only leaves the AS3+.  What is the opinion of the forum...go with the Michelin AS3+ or perhaps another brand like Bridgestone or Pirelli? FYI, I don't need a track tire and prefer a quieter smoother tire.

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[ds968]

Too bad about the 4 S , it’s a great tire . I have them on my Maserati so I wonder if they have discontinued them in all sizes or just some sizes. The latter seems to happen quite often with what they consider “smaller” wheel sizes like 17s or even 18s. Surprised they haven’t diacontinued the PS2, but that might explain the backorder. IIRC, I was looking for Super Sport also but was told they don’t make them in anything smaller than 18s. Pity, but when most cars in the last ten years or so have 19 or 20 wheels, I suppose that’s not surprising .

AS3 should be fine, can’t really beat Michelins on the quiet factor, and on almost everything else they’re pretty much always in the top two . Pirellis are typically very soft and you won’t get much longevity from them for your money . No idea about Bridgestone but heard good things about some models . Tire Rack’s site has a very good comparison chart where you can enter any tires you choose and see the ratings side by side for all of the ride comfort , and performance factors .

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[Spokayman]

Because I didnt want to pay the price of Michelin PS2s and because they dont make the PS4s in our cars size I opted for Continental ExtremeContact Sports for my 17 Cup2 wheels.


I like them, and considering the mid level price and trusting in the typically good Continental quality Ive been pleased.

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[Chris Vais]

I've been running Bridgestone SO-4 Pole Positions on the 968 for years. No issues with performance and offer good grip in the Bay Areas wet winters. Average 35K miles per set. Tend to tram track on certain road surfaces. 

 

I had Conti DWS extreme contacts on my A5, got just shy of 40K miles out of them. Very good, quiet runners. Now that I live in Oregon, I replaced them with the Michelin Pilot Sport AS/3 Plus.

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[No.15]

I've been running Bridgestone SO-4 Pole Positions on the 968 for years. No issues with performance and offer good grip in the Bay Areas wet winters. Average 35K miles per set. Tend to tram track on certain road surfaces. 

 

I had Conti DWS extreme contacts on my A5, got just shy of 40K miles out of them. Very good, quiet runners. Now that I live in Oregon, I replaced them with the Michelin Pilot Sport AS/3 Plus.

Glad to hear a good report on the Pole Positions,  I'm getting a set on my car in the morning.  Replacing a set of extreme contact's that have less than 2k miles, but they are 10 years old

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[ds968]

I ordered new tires today ( from America’s Tire ) and will have them installed next Tuesday . Much to my pleasant surprise PS2 is still available in the stock 17 sizes . The 255s are at a local warehouse, the 225s are being shipped from another state. I asked about the S4 just out of curiosity, but the rep said they’re not made in the 255 size, however , seem to be available in the 225. That’s very odd since I was under the impression the 255 40 is a fairly popular size, and that the fronts size were the ones which are in less demand . In any event , also according to him the PS2 is a slightly better handling tire than the 4 S is , for those who really drive the car to its limits. Allegedly .. The total price is fairly inexpensive ( I think ) - after all the tax, install, etc. $ 1,050.


The shop will be puzzled when they replace what looks like almost new tires on my car, but they’re 10 years old and no matter how good they may look or how deep the tread still is, that’s an age that puts them in the “ too close for comfort “ zone . Remembering Paul Walker ( RIP ) with nine year old tires on that GT to which every expert pointed as the main culprit in the loss of control .

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[Waylander]

I have just ordered a set of china specials, after driving my buddies 968 Turbo on these tyres

 

Nankang NS2, they are cheap but could put up with 480BHP and handled well, the online reviews are good to, I have had GT radial Champiro HPY for the last 5 years and they have been great, just as good as the Goodyear Eagles that came off

 

 

 

they cost me £300 Fitted, so whats that $450,

 

I dont race my car or explore it limits on the road, do 3000 miles a year, why spend 1000 on a set of tyres that will be old before bald.........

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[ds968]

they cost me £300 Fitted, so whats that $450, .

At the current exchange rate, that’s only about $ 370 . Had to chime in on that , since I was on a business call with an insurance group in UK yesterday who work frequently with foreign currencies and they were complaining about how quickly the GBP is dropping.


But yeah, I suppose no sense in spending a lot of money on tires if you drive few miles annually , and not really push the car or drive too fast on the highway ..as in the triple digit range .


Regardless, the thought of Chinese tires is not something that I could come to grips with ..probably not a well supported concern, but I don’t trust the quality of anything manufactured there, much less the most critical ( ok, not THE, but second only to brakes ) thing between me, my car and the road .

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[Waylander]

You would be surprised just how many named brands are made in Malaysia, Thailand, China


Then the next places Eastern Europe that are just as bad as the aforementioned places, a lot of the budget tyres are made in the same factories as the big names


Maxxis > Pirelli

Nexen > Michelin


And so on,


10 years ago I would have agreed but not now, the GT Radials have been brilliant I also have them on my Audi A4, they are just as good as the Pirelli P7 that came off and they are quieter on the road

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[ds968]

Good to know,  haven't really followed developments in that domain for ages, but i suppose since everything is so much more automated, as long as one has the technology specs and the machinery to produce it to those specs, it does not matter much where they're made.  Probably even the quality control is all computer performed. 

 

And now for my Tuesday appointment where I need to remind the service folks to have the center cap crests pointing at the valve stems.    The wheels have to be off to remove and re-mount the caps because they're secured with pressure screws from inside the rim.  So they have to do that, I can't point them myself once the wheels are on.    Those guys always roll their eyes at the instruction; they probably think that if they look up " douchebag " in the Webster dictionary it'll read " just another anal retentive Porsche jerk who gives a crap as to how the wheel crests line up "  :glare:                    

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[Waylander]

Ha ha, the important things in life

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[MCL968]

I was kind of in the same position as Martin. I was trying 17s on my car and didn't want to spend a boatload of money on them in case I went back to the 16s. I went with Riken Raptors, and I have been extraordinarily impressed. One of the best things about them is they have a bead that extends past the edge of the rim, so when you are parking by Braille you don't rash up the rims.

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[ds968]

One of the best things about them is they have a bead that extends past the edge of the rim, so when you are parking by Braille you don't rash up the rims.

Yup, less and less tires have that extra lip to protect the wheels from curb rash . If I was a conspiracy theorist I’d argue that’s deliberate to keep the wheel refurbishing and / or new wheels sales business going strong..

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[J.Elenbaas]

You can also try to park with a bit of distance from the sidewalk to prefent rashing the wheels.

 

Or buy tyres with this extra bit of protection.

 

Search for:

Dunlop's with the code MFS on the side for the extra protection:

Continental - FR code

Goodyear - FP or RFP

Pirelli - CORD, etc.

 

Then still it depends on how your parking skills are developed, some people will still be able to destroy their rims.

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