[happysails2you]

Hi all,



I'm looking at buying 4 new tires for my '92 cabriolet, and I'd appreciate your help on tire recommendations. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



I looked through numerous threads about tire suggestions, and the information was helpful, but naturally diverse based on personal preference, driving needs and conditions, wheel sizes, etc.



My 968 cab is a weekend car, never has seen salt or snow (never will), and will be driven mostly around town and highway driving. Live in the mid-Atlantic area of the U.S., in Annapolis. She is not my daily driver and won't be on a track.



I have stock 16" original wheels and standard suspension. Tiptronic. Current tires are Pirellif (6000's in rear and 7000's in front, I think). I'm open to any brand or style, to meet the following:



- Low road noise (it's a cabriolet, after all, so want minimal noise during top down season)

- Handles well and grips well, including on wet roads in the rain (no winter/snow/ice driving)

- Low mileage per year, less than 5-7,000 miles per year

- Reasonable price



I see positive recommendations for Goodyear F1 GS-D3's, Bridgestone RE70's, and Pirelli P Zero Nero. My mechanic also had recommended the Pirelli P Zero Nero's. I'll check out Tire Rack's recommendations, but would like to get your recommendations please.



I'm also going to have the wheels painted (same as original color) while the tires are off to fix curb rash -- does anyone have any words of wisdom on painted wheels? I'll hire someone local do the paint job, just wanted any gotchas or advice on the table.



Thanks!



Ciao,

Kathy

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[kevinp]

I have a cab in the uk, I have Bridgestone SO2s and use the car every day - no complaints with these and low level road noise



Kevin





[quote name='happysails2you' post='30801' date='Feb 10 2007, 07:19 AM']Hi all,



I'm looking at buying 4 new tires for my '92 cabriolet, and I'd appreciate your help on tire recommendations. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



I looked through numerous threads about tire suggestions, and the information was helpful, but naturally diverse based on personal preference, driving needs and conditions, wheel sizes, etc.



My 968 cab is a weekend car, never has seen salt or snow (never will), and will be driven mostly around town and highway driving. Live in the mid-Atlantic area of the U.S., in Annapolis. She is not my daily driver and won't be on a track.



I have stock 16" original wheels and standard suspension. Tiptronic. Current tires are Pirellif (6000's in rear and 7000's in front, I think). I'm open to any brand or style, to meet the following:



- Low road noise (it's a cabriolet, after all, so want minimal noise during top down season)

- Handles well and grips well, including on wet roads in the rain (no winter/snow/ice driving)

- Low mileage per year, less than 5-7,000 miles per year

- Reasonable price



I see positive recommendations for Goodyear F1 GS-D3's, Bridgestone RE70's, and Pirelli P Zero Nero. My mechanic also had recommended the Pirelli P Zero Nero's. I'll check out Tire Rack's recommendations, but would like to get your recommendations please.



I'm also going to have the wheels painted (same as original color) while the tires are off to fix curb rash -- does anyone have any words of wisdom on painted wheels? I'll hire someone local do the paint job, just wanted any gotchas or advice on the table.



Thanks!



Ciao,

Kathy[/quote]

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[bob blackwell]

Kathy, all of the tires you mention are good choices and I don't think you will be disappointed with any of them. I have used Michelin Pilot Exalto for the last year on my 968 Coupe which is my daily driver. They are very good in the rain and not noisy at all. The Michelin Pilot sport is another good tire, but more expensive. If you have a local shop that does powdercoating for your wheels it will be more durable than just painting the wheels. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[Darryl]

As Bob said, all of the tires you list are great choices...I'm running Toyo Proxes T1R on the 968 and Bridgestone all seasons on the 944. I like the grip of the Proxes and the tread pattern is similar to the Goodyear. I don't do rain if I can help it and the specs for dry, summer, high performance are good for this tire. Not sure if you have a Toyo dealer near you, but I do literally across the street, so I got a decent price on them. I'm also happy with the road noise.



With regards to wheel paint and refinishing, I'm in the middle of doing a set now which has gotten delayed - actually halted - by a recall on the Wurth wheel paint. A body shop should have access to the proper paint. I'm also thinking of powdercoating the second set white to match the car. I picked up a second set of OEM 16" rims to work on that I will switch with the ones on the car when complete. It is a great idea to have them fixed while the tires are off since you will be able to do the inner surfaces and clean all the nooks and crannies. They really need to be clean to insure proper paint adhesion.



- Darryl

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[Anchorman]

I can only repeat my excellent experience with the Goodyear F1 GS-D3.

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[happysails2you]

Thanks guys!



I want to be sure the wheel re-paint job is durable, so thanks for the powdercoating idea. Need to find a shop in my area...other than yellow pages, any suggestions?

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[RPM]

You will be happy with any of the tires you mentioned. I will say that the Tire Rack's site is a bit cagey on actual recommendations. Their ratings are highly detailed and the better quality tires will generally beat the lower cost alternatives. However, the tires you mentioned are all top of the line. The Tire Rack reviews of them will not be significantly different and I suspect that you will not find a clear "winner." The user reviews are even more problematic. I love it when someone goes on and on about how quiet a certain tire is - and they have driven less than a thousand miles on it! My general rule on tires is that if you stick to Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone, etc. you will rarely go wrong. I stick to Bridgestones. Goodyears seem to wear faster to me, but I have never used the F1s. People I know that have them are very happy.



As for wheel paint, one idea is to call your local Porsche dealer's service advisor and ask who they use. In most areas there are paint and wheel specialists who travel around to dealerships and take care of their used cars prior to sale. Some of them can even do a good job of refurbishing wheels without even removing the tires. Another source is always your local PCA region. Good luck.

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[sasilverbullet]

I've run Pirelli's, Michelin Pilot Sports and Goodyear Eagle F1's on my Porsche's and have good friends that have used the cheaper kumho's and the like...



If you can afford it, get the Goodyear Eagle F1's - in my opinion they're quieter and grip a little better than the Michelin Pilot Sports. And the F1's grip better in the rain than the Pilot's. Don't get Pirelli's, they're garbage...



Don't go with the cheaper tires unless you're going to replace them every year. My friends that use them that love them track/de their cars a lot and replace them every 4 months or so. New, the kumho's are almost as good but the problem is they get very noisy and loose their grip pretty quick.

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[porsche]

Hmm, seems that tire mfr and model is a fairly personal choice.



I stick to Porsche approved "N" rated tires. Continental, Michelin and Pirelli are the brands that I have the most experience with. Of these three, my fav is the Pirellis followed by the Michelins and then the Contis.



Not that the Michelins and Contis aren't every bit as fun, grippy, quiet and/or comfy as the Pirellis. However, for me the Red (used to be Yellow), "P-Zero" script on the side wall gives me a woody.



It seems you can usually get the "N" rated tire for nearly the same price as a non-Porsche approved model. As such, no matter which tire you choose, you may wish to opt for the Porsche Approved model!



Also Discount Tire Direct price matches the lowest price out there and does not charge for shipping (nice). They're major competitor does. Hmmmm.



Porsche

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[968Syncro]

Bought some tires. I settled on the BF Goodrich g-Force Sport (i have stock wheels). A few reasons: that is what the PO had put on the rear, and I only needed fronts. Someone here on the forum mentioned that BF Goodrich was bought by Michelin (IIRC), and I considered that a positive since I always had good experience with Michelin. And then there is price / performance, the g-Force are a very good value. The reviews of this tire on the Discount Tire web site were surprisingly very strong. Yes, if I needed 4 tires I would have gone with the Eagle F1.



And then! Again reading the various information here, I got the front wheels aligned. The PO had replaced the motor mounts, and so I wanted to get the alignment done as well.



What a difference, mainly the wheel alignment. The car had chewed up the fronts pretty bad, the toe was way out. So getting both done gives the car a much lighter, much more responsive feel. So if anyone thinks their car feels a little sluggish, alignment sure made it better in my case. (I also notice this when I wash and wax the car, it goes much faster, probably less wind resistance <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> )



The work surfaced one problem if anyone has a suggestion. One of the mounting bolts for the A-arm rear cap doesn't get tight. The tech at the alignment shop pointed it out. Perhaps the alignment procedure includes checking these bolts. It isn't critical, tight enough, but most likely the threads are somewhat stripped -- perhaps some previous mechanic that found/created the problem but didn't get it resolved. I hear potential repairs are helicoil the threads or weld a nut into the body? Any ideas? Thanks.



And thanks for all the prior discussion on tires / alignment.

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[flash]

glad to hear the car is better - many people fail to get an alignment often enough - i do it at least onece a year - that's more than needed, but you should do it any time you change tires



bummer about the castor block mounting hole - that's bad - i think i will have a fix for you very soon though - ring me up and i'll tell you about it

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[rd1cobra]

http://www.bridgestone-firestone.com/news/...id=2007/070514a



May be a good time to buy Bridgestones if anyone needs tires

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[LES]

[quote name='Rick D' post='36117' date='May 29 2007, 10:30 AM']http://www.bridgestone-firestone.com/news/...id=2007/070514a



May be a good time to buy Bridgestones if anyone needs tires[/quote]



I'm looking for new tires and General's Exclaim UHP are ranked number one over at the Tire Rack! Is anyone using these tires? They seem too good to be true for the price!



Doc

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[mustanghusker]

So from everything I read on here tire preference is almost as much subjective as objective. That being said, I need new tires. I have been calling around and the local Firestone guy is suggesting Fuzion ZRi, a performance tire with a W speed rating. I'm not doing anything special with my car in terms of driving, and have an all original set up w/ 225/50 R16 in back and 205/55 R16 in front. I was leaning towards the BFG g Force T/A KDWS b/c my local NTB has them in stock. I have never even heard of Fuzion. I'm running Toyo Proxes FZ4s right now. Any thoughts on this off name tire? My first inclination is to run to NTB and avoid the Fuzion. Thanks

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[JWahlsten]

I have the KDWs and am not too impressed with them. They are noisy and flat spot easily while sitting. Admittedly, I haven't had a chance to autocross or track them yet, but their street manners leave something to be desired.



I liked the Michelin Pilot Sport All Seasons better. However, they are pretty pricey.



My car is on stock 225/45-17s and 255/40-17s, so it will be a little different.



HTH,

Joel

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[Richard]

I don't have any experience with the Fuzions but you can always find good reviews on TireRack for most tires and you can even search reviews just for the 968.



I have put on about 15k miles so far on my Yokohama AVS ES100s and and I like the wet and dry traction. I will easily get another 10k out of them. This is on the stock 16 inch wheels.

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[RPM]

It all comes down to how much you want to spend, how often you want to replace, and how much noise you are willing to endure...



Michelin Pilots and Bridgestone S-02s, in various guises, are usually the best bet. It goes downhill from there. I have found that cheaper brands such as Fuzion, Sumitomo, and Kumho are just that, cheap. They might grip just as well initially, but they wear faster and get very noisy very quickly. The loss in usable mileage easily overcomes any advantage in price.



Having said all of that, I don't spring for the Michelin Pilots that I covet. No, price is an issue for me as well. With the recommendation of my mechanic I am running Bridgestone RE 750s. After nearly 20k they are wearing well, only just now starting to get a little noisy, and the traction is still good. 225/50/16 is $126 from Tire Rack - not bad for a real tire.

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[flash]

i have the bridgestone RE750s on the ragtop E46 bmw, which is used much as your car - OUTSTANDING tire for that use - since she drives the car the most, i wanted something with good wet grip (for the 20 days it rains here), no compromise in dry grip (for when i drive it) and good wear (i already have 2 cars that go through tires and didn't need another) - i also did not want a noisy tire



i got exactly what i wanted



i am averaging about 30k on a pair of rears, and probably nearly 40k on the fronts



budget is really not much of a concern for me when it comes to tires - being the only thing between me and the road, i never cheap out - i get the best thing for the car and its intended use - sometimes it's a less expensive tire, sometimes it's not - over the life of the tire, the cost difference is very negligible - that being said, the RE750 has been a very economical tire



i will be buying more

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[Kim]

[quote name='Richard' post='42314' date='Oct 13 2007, 02:17 PM']I have put on about 15k miles so far on my Yokohama AVS ES100s and and I like the wet and dry traction. I will easily get another 10k out of them. This is on the stock 16 inch wheels.[/quote]





Richard I use the same tires except that I use 245/45 x16 on the rear. I get 17,000 km per set. That's it. Gone through 5 sets in 3 years with no real variation. Must be the wider tire size that causes the wear.



I do find that these tires get very loud as they wear down. There is no chance that I would want to try to squeeze a bit out of them when they are done.

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[mustanghusker]

So I got the new tires on the car today. I had a leak in my right rear that would flatten the tire after about 6 hours, and it was unrepairable b/c the tires were worn, so I didn't really have time to try to shop around. I did some research yesterday but just ended up at NTB today. To my surprise they only had 1 set of tires in stock that would work for me. I had them go ahead and put them on, so I am now running on Yokohoma AS 430s. I'm not really sure how I feel about that. I have no reason to be negative, as I think they are probably on par to what I have been driving. I wasn't sure if I could justify going to a softer compound that would wear out quickly. I have a 30 day money back guarantee if for any reason I don't like them, so I am going to give them a few days.



I also asked to get an alignment done while there. In preparing to do that they said that I need inner tie rods and lower control arm bushings on my right front. Evidently this was part of the reason for my tires wearing out. They have to price it tomorrow b/c they don't carry the parts, but does anyone have any idea what the damage is going to be. I am also going to call the local Porsche dealer, although to date I have been underwhelmed with them. Just thought I might save myself the surprise tomorrow if someone else knew what I am getting into. Thanks to all...

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