Different brand tyres front to back

[Duncan146294]

Hi,

I have a 981 Cayman and I need to replace the front tyres which are Pirellis, last year I replaced the rear with 2 new Pirellis which was what was on the car, I have been advised that Goodyear suit the car better (after I'd paid out nearly £500 on the rear) and I am just wondering if it would be a good idea to replace the front with Goodyears but that would mean different tyres on the rear to the front. It is of course essential that the same tyres are on each side of each axle but according to the pundits, tyre websites etc it is acceptable for different brands (on a 2 wheel drive car) front to back. However, this is a Porsche and I'm inclined to keep all 4 tyres the same but the Goodyears are quite a bit cheaper and were fitted by Porsche as original equipment (or so I am told).

Views?

(just in case anyone asks the current tyres are 235/35 ZR19)

 

[Peter_Bull]

Personally I would keep the same tyres all round. It may handle differently with different tyres on each axle. I had Pirelli's when I had a 981 and they were superb. There's lots of traffic on the web as to the type of tyres are suitable for each car, but really the choice is down to you.

If you want to go down the route of different tyres, then I would at least pass it by your insurance comanpy. We all know how they will use any clause to refuse a claim.

Good luck.

 

[Duncan146294]

Thanks - that really confirms my gut view

 

[gpm993]

+1 to Peter's answer

 

[malarcy]

Has anyone ever actually had any indication from an insurance company that the tyres need to be anything other then appropriate size and rating and legal? If so - are we all uninsured when we put on a space saver spare? - I know of someone who asked about N rated tyres, only to be asked "whats N rated mean?" by the insurance company.

Porsche have rules about tyres as it pertains to their warranty ( manufacturers or extended ) , but that's not anything to do with insurance.

As to the original question - personally I would try to keep same brand/spec tyres all round - but honestly I doubt you would have any issue with swapping one axle set, unless you are pushing hard - but only you can make that call.

 

[paulus]

I agree that different brands front & rear aren't ideal - although legal.
Personal experience on a BMW M3 showed that the different sidewall stiffness' between different brands on the same size made the car handle less than brilliantly because on mine the softer sidewalls were on the back & you could feel the tyre rolling more on the rim than the fronts as you started to turn into a corner - it felt like you were starting to oversteer, then it stabilised once the steering lock wasn't changing.
It felt most noticable when not driving hard - as the steering inputs are typically slower.
It didn't feel "unsafe", but id feel odd & didn't inspire confidence.
I changed the rears to be the same as the fronts as soon as I could justify the cost (fortunately the rears used to wear out quite fast - lol)

 

[MartinBott]

I am interested in any views on Pirelli v Goodyear on a 981. If I want N rated tyres these brands are my only choices for 18 “ wheels. I currently have Pirelli P Zero’s and want to replace all 4 tyres. Goodyear are cheaper but do you get what you pay for etc. More views and comments welcome.

 

[Scrounger]

From what I’ve heard on other forums, N rated tyres are no longer required to maintain Porsche warranties. It may be worth giving Porsche GB a call and ask the question and then ask the same question to your insurer.

Dan

 

[911hillclimber]

Mixed brands will always irritate your mind.
I'm with the 'same brand' opinion, but if the ones you have are deemed poor grip etc, then bite the bullet and fit a set of preferred brand on the car.
The car will drive so well on fresh rubber.

Peace of mind and performance you want depending on what you use the car for. Nice.

 

[Mcmikey62]

Has anyone ever actually had any indication from an insurance company that the tyres need to be anything other then appropriate size and rating and legal? If so - are we all uninsured when we put on a space saver spare? - I know of someone who asked about N rated tyres, only to be asked "whats N rated mean?" by the insurance company.

Porsche have rules about tyres as it pertains to their warranty ( manufacturers or extended ) , but that's not anything to do with insurance.

As to the original question - personally I would try to keep same brand/spec tyres all round - but honestly I doubt you would have any issue with swapping one axle set, unless you are pushing hard - but only you can make that call.

Interesting question. I had an unfortunate incident running Cup2's in torrential rain on the M62, 2-3" deep river suddenly appeared in front of me. I was running GT4 sizes on aftermarket wheels and the different wheel sizes were specified on the policy, as is every other modification to my GTS, but the tyre choice was not identified. Cup2's are known to be treacherous in standing water but the insurance company made no issue of the tyres when paying out for the cosmetic but expensive damage. The repairer merely checked the declared modifications and they paid up.

 

[kitchens]

I have the 981 Box but are on 20" Pirelli N rated ,will need to change at some point but doubt will go down the same brand and will not particularly go for N rated .MPS4S set £1136 Goodyear eagle F1 £986 Continental Sport 7 £880 Toyo Prox SP2 £720 all supply and fit via Black Circles site .no doubt shopping around can bring up deals

 

[Motorhead]

Hi Duncan,

I’m in the “same tyres front and rear” camp. It’s a high performance car and I’m always mindful that tyres and brakes are the first considerations when it comes to safety.

You don’t say how old your 981 is but bear in mind that according to the 718 Porsche Configurator, if you require N-rated tyres for 19” wheels there appear to be only three options: Hankook Ventus S1 EVO3; Pirelli P Zero and Yokohama Advan Sport V105. The N-rated tyre selection may be different for a 981, but most likely they will be rated for older versions of the tyres which were available when the 981 was in production, e.g. Michelin PS2 versus the latest PS4 and PS5 specs.

Anecdotally, some time ago I had Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 tyres on my Mk5 Golf GTi and was very happy with their overall performance. I would imagine that in the latest Asymmetric 6 spec they’ll be fine if you choose that route.

Jeff

 

[Duncan146294]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed - the person who advised Goodyear (after I'd bought the Pirellis for the rear) I trust, but like everyone else I feel uncomfortable with differing tyres front to back on any car let alone a performance vehicle but I thought I'd ask to see what other people's experience was. I have to say Pirelli are one of my preferred tyre brands, I had them on my XJ6 & XJ8 and they were excellent, my other goto brand is Michelin but mainly because of historical (for me) reasons, I am old enough to remember the original Michelin steel braced radial and they just never wore out (no grip but they lasted ages ) . Many, many years ago I was a tyre fitter for a then well known company (I was a student) and we always said at the time, Pirelli were the best tyre money could buy but were expensive, Dunlop and Goodyear the best for grip and Michelin the longest lasting. Tyre technology has evolved in the last 50 years but I think certainly for Porsche , Pirelli are probably one of the best so I will will bite the bullet and pay the extra.

Thanks for all your help, maybe see some of you at an event some time

Duncan