betternotbigger
New member
Thought one or two of you might be interested in what I make of the winter tyres I had fitted on Wednesday. Pirelli Sottozeros N-rated for a 997.2 C2s. Standard sizes, ie 19" 235/35 and 295/30. Had a mobile tyre fitter come and fit them to the OEM wheels and put the summer tyres in my garage.
The first 60 miles was a commute on Friday and they were tramlining and wandering on the motorway at 70 which I hope is down to them bedding in. Today I took her on my local spirited run that includes some top, top roads: Settle to Hawes via Ribblehead, A684 Hawes to Sedbergh via Garsdale, A6033 Hebden to Keighley, A682 Colne to Settle etc. 140 miles of fast and roller coasting twisties. Lovely.
Initially they felt a bit "floaty" but that seems to be settling down as the new treatment wears off. The front end definitely feels a bit lighter when cornering or accelerating (doh, it's a 911!!), presumably because the contact area is smaller than with summer tyres (same width but more gaps or sypes or whatever they call them) and the compound is obviously different. This was on dry roads so not their natural hunting ground I guess.
To corner effectively you have to trail brake a little harder than usual to engage the front wheels, and blink once before hitting the throttle or understeer still reigns. Once in the groove though, the car definitely tends more to oversteer (again, I would guess because the contact area on the rear is smaller and the compound less grippy in the dry) but in a way which makes the car feel satisfyingly alive (if you like that sort of thing). [
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I can't talk about snow but I deliberately parked it facing uphill on a wet muddy bank to test the traction from standstill and she pulled up the muddy slope like a dream (they are M+S tyres = mud and snow!!)
Under heavy braking, very reassuring. And I definitely put them through some serious brake tests.
Now for the pleasant surprise. I had read that they might be really noisy but I honestly don't think they're any different to my Michelin PS2s. Whoever reviewed them obviously doesn't drive a Porsche. But that's not the best bit: They are amazingly comfortable. Even on fairly rutted roads I found myself driving around in Sport mode without switching PASM back to Normal. Must be a softer sidewall than the PS2s. What can I say? Result!!
All in all, very satisfied with the first few miles. Bring on the snow!!
The first 60 miles was a commute on Friday and they were tramlining and wandering on the motorway at 70 which I hope is down to them bedding in. Today I took her on my local spirited run that includes some top, top roads: Settle to Hawes via Ribblehead, A684 Hawes to Sedbergh via Garsdale, A6033 Hebden to Keighley, A682 Colne to Settle etc. 140 miles of fast and roller coasting twisties. Lovely.
Initially they felt a bit "floaty" but that seems to be settling down as the new treatment wears off. The front end definitely feels a bit lighter when cornering or accelerating (doh, it's a 911!!), presumably because the contact area is smaller than with summer tyres (same width but more gaps or sypes or whatever they call them) and the compound is obviously different. This was on dry roads so not their natural hunting ground I guess.
To corner effectively you have to trail brake a little harder than usual to engage the front wheels, and blink once before hitting the throttle or understeer still reigns. Once in the groove though, the car definitely tends more to oversteer (again, I would guess because the contact area on the rear is smaller and the compound less grippy in the dry) but in a way which makes the car feel satisfyingly alive (if you like that sort of thing). [
]I can't talk about snow but I deliberately parked it facing uphill on a wet muddy bank to test the traction from standstill and she pulled up the muddy slope like a dream (they are M+S tyres = mud and snow!!)
Under heavy braking, very reassuring. And I definitely put them through some serious brake tests.
Now for the pleasant surprise. I had read that they might be really noisy but I honestly don't think they're any different to my Michelin PS2s. Whoever reviewed them obviously doesn't drive a Porsche. But that's not the best bit: They are amazingly comfortable. Even on fairly rutted roads I found myself driving around in Sport mode without switching PASM back to Normal. Must be a softer sidewall than the PS2s. What can I say? Result!!
All in all, very satisfied with the first few miles. Bring on the snow!!
