[quote name='flash' post='36666' date='Jun 8 2007, 02:37 PM']first, i am stunned a bit that i am taking the conservative position here, as i am usually the proponent of all things maximum performance
this one is give and get, and very situational - the tire i choose for the denali is not the same tire i choose for the bmw and not the same as for the 968, even though the first two are driven at pretty much the same speeds and situations, they need very different tires for different reasons
that being said, 16s define limits all by themselves - can you actually see the limits of a high performance tire on them? likely not - is there a big difference between w and y on this car? likely not - sure there is a huge difference between an h and a y, and i don't think anybody is questioning the need for a performance tire, but one needs to consider the limitations of the rest of the car
that is why i put the RE750 on the bmw and not the S0-3 - that car will never need the S0-3, and actually would drive worse with it - while it might corner a bit better, it would wander a lot more, and be a rougher ride, and with the stock suspension, would probably be a bit twitchy when the tire flexed
ultimate performance is not the only thing to be considered in choosing a tire on a street car, and my gut says that a y over a w on this car on 16s is gilding the lily[/quote]
Flash,
When I see you taking the approach of "less" when it comes to the performance aspect of this thread, I'm suprised, too! Could it be that the earth is off its axis?
Let me first say that some (and perhaps most) drivers never exploit the full potential of their Porsches. I include myself in this category since I don't autocross my 911, nor do I participate in DE events or club racing. Although ten years of autocrossing are behind me, these days I find that I like to drive "briskly" on the road whenever I can in order to extract whatever performance is available to me, being sensible about it and without being a danger to others or myself.
I enjoy "fun run" events in particular where the pace is quick and the roads are challenging for car and driver alike, and I feel that although I'm not driving at 10/10s as one might be during a race or autocross, I'm sometimes driving at eight or nine tenths during portions of these fun events.
Now, as Porsche owners, we can decide to:
1. Make our cars better by modifying them with aftermarket parts (as you have done, with great success);
2. Keep them original by using Porsche/OEM equivalent parts/Porsche-recommended parts, in order to maintain the level of specification and performance with which the car was built; or
3. Replace worn/broken parts with lower spec or lesser quality replacements that may degrade the car's safety or performance.
I've been following the second path - I admit to using Porsche anti-freeze, 0W-40 Mobil 1, and N-spec tires, for example. However, I recognize that some people choose the third path because of budget limitations or because the owner is not aware (or convinced) that the parts selected are a lesser specification or lower quality with the potential for a negative impact on performance capability/safety.
With regard to tire selection, I suppose someone can talk himself out of an N-spec tire or willingly purchase a lower spec tire because they don't ever push their car to the upper limits of its performance. If we assume that this kind of choice reduces upper limit dynamic capabilities, then I wonder why one is driving a Porsche in the first place.
I'm not being critical of Doc for looking at the Generals, and he's doing some important homework by looking at survey results on the Tire Rack website. But as the Frank Ranelli article points out (see the corrected link in my post #19), not only do lower spec tires impact performance at the limits, they also provide less performance in everyday driving.
So what does all this rambling mean? Tires are important, and we're driving high performance sports cars. In my mind, the tires should be up to the job. When I'm whizzing around an on-ramp or off-ramp, the last thing I want to worry about is whether or not the tires are up to the task.
Peace.
