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The best tyres

James Shunt

James Shunt

New member
It's been a while since the last round of recommendations so here goes...

I've had the misfortune of getting a slow puncture in one of my rear Pirelli P-Zero Rossos - they were only a few months old and had covered less than 2500 miles. Curses. [:mad:] The previous owner had bought those for the rears and committed the heinous crime of mixing tyres - there are Bridgestone S-02s on the fronts - but I presume that's because he couldn't find S-02s anywhere. The S-02s have about 6mm of tread left so could be used for a while (I have no track days planned and money is tight at the moment).

So, any recommendations about tyre types, fitters and suppliers? I'm considering getting the alloys refurbished at the same time, with the hope that a wheel refurb shop will know how to fit them without damaging the alloys, if it's not too expensive. That will need doing sometime soonish anyway. I've got the 18-inch Turbo rims. Your thoughts?

thanks

James
 
James

Call Dave Blackley at Elite Garages (part of group tyre who supply the OPCs) on 0845 458 1080. Elite advertises in PP and offers member discounts. S02s are still available and Dave can get them. Elite does mail order etc.
 
Peter, I have 18" Turbo Alloys that need tidying up. Some fellow Porsche people mentioned "Wicked Wheels" to me and I have just called them for prices etc.

non shot blasting £65+vat per wheel
shot blasting - wheels away for 4-5 days £75+vat

I haven't used them, they told me the Porsche Cambridge use them .... anyway here is the website :

http://www.wicked-wheels.co.uk

As for tyres I have ContiSport2 N2 on my 993 and I very happy with them although they are only 2000 miles old and I had them put on the car when I bought it so can't compare to others.

Rgds Will
 
Thanks Peter and Will.

I may well try Elite as that sounds good. I, er, ahem, haven't joined the PCGB because I'll soon be out of a job and as so many users here didn't feel it offers good value for money, but perhaps I should!

I've also had mytyres.co.uk recommended to me and their prices seem fairly competitive - then it would be a case of taking them to a fitter or refub company to get them put on - and Micheldever Tyres comes in for similar praise.

I've looked around a bit this morning and so far it seems that £75 is about the going rate for alloy refubs - I'll look at Pristine Alloy Wheels, Wicked Wheels and Spit & Polish.

I've also heard that the S-03s are not as good as S-02s, but that the P-Zeros are noiser. Any other views or recommended fitters?

James
 
Cheers Maurice - the voice of reason, as ever!

I may well go for Pristine as the service sounds good and much more comprehensive than some of the "van that does them at your house" outfits. I've tried to take extra care of the alloys but I had one bad moment (a kerb section that stuck out beyond the rest - d'oh[:'(]) and the previous owner seemed to have a problem judging widths when parking! Frankly they are a bit of a mess at present and I'm too embarrassed to show you any pics.

Pilot Sports sound nice, though I've heard mixed reports on the Contis. I'm erring towards S-02 or S-02a as that would avoid the need to mix tyres, and I'm less confident in the wet anyway. (S-03s are actually cheaper than S-02s where I've found them both!) My only worry is that finding S-02s at the next change may be difficult so I'd have to change all four tyres then.

Any more fans of S-02s, P-Zeros or others...?

James
 
also try Diamond Styling in Park Royal, London. Have had 2 of my RUFs straightened and refurb'd there when I drove over a concrete block at speed (broke my solid top mount and put a dent in my bonnet!). They heated and jigged the wheels for £100 each and refurb's are less £400 for 4. I can highly recommend them.

P.S. with great advice like this from genuine enthusiasts, discounts with specialists, the best club magazine around and, if you fancy them, some cracking local and National Events (see the Festival discounts for members) how can it not be good value?
 
Tyres -N rated S02's also avlble from Wraysbury Tyres at Chertsey. 01932 570420. Ask for Steve or Kevin -mention my name.

Can also but echo Peter's comments on Diamond Styling -probably the best!! Chris on 020.8969.9690. Last quote I had on Cup 1's was 262 + VAT for four + 36 + VAT for tyre change.

S03's -from those that have used them, not as good as S02's. BTW, S02's seem to have more wet grip than Pirelli's, but higher wear rate.

Don't mix!! Even same makes with different N-ratings.

Mel
 
Thanks Peter and Melv.

I'll try to remember to report back once I get them sorted out, especially if I go for alloy refurbishment too.

James
 
An update...

After doing more research, I've got these prices for 2 P-Zero Rosso 265/35 18 N4s.
wraysbury 346
black circles 366
micheldever 319
mytyres.co.uk 331 (supply only)
elite 357
AA 552

Only 3 of the suppliers had S-02s and they were £350-£600 for two. They are getting rarer.

I hope that helps someone with sources/prices.

However, looking into it some more, I think I can get my puctured P-Zero safely repaired with a patch. Others in the US have done this on 993s without incident, though they say it reduces your tyre sidewall strength by one rating - so I'll have problems if I exceed 149mph[:D]. The nail is more of a tack so the hole isn't that big. The tyre only lost 12psi in two weeks. Repair also solves a problem - having S02s on the front (which will soon become very difficult to find) and P-Zero Rosso on the rear - I inherited from the previous owner. I don't want to buy just one tyre so the tread wear is uneven or throw away two tyres with only 2500 miles on them.

Has anyone heard about any repairs, successful or otherwise? I'll use a specialist and get it patched from the inside rather than the outside - ie a patch rather than a plug. Is this sensible or suicide, and who should I trust to do it?

James
 
I had one of my rears patched a few years ago after a nail paid the rubber a visit.

We had a long discussion at my local ATS (the hole was approx 1 inch from the edge) and decided that a patch should work. However, they recommended checking the pressure before every journey for the first 5 trips. They said the patch was possibly better wearing than the original rubber !?

I had the rears changed last summer, and believe it or not, the patch was actually very, very slightly proud of the surrounding rubber which seems to imply that it did actually wear as well (possibly slightly better) than the remaining tyre.

I took the car on two track days at Bedford with the patch and had no issues at all. I could have been lucky, but it seems that patches can work.

ps Have Conti CS I's and find them fine. I'll replace with CS II's when the time comes.
 
I've got it sorted now - so here's a quick update and hopefully it will help anyone else with a similar problem in future.

I went to Micheldever in the end and they looked at that rear tyre, agreeing that it needed replacement as the nail was too close to the sidewall. To my utter amazement, while the car was on the jack, I noticed the offside FRONT tyre had something in it - on the tread but towards the inside of the tyre, so not easy to see unless the wheel is at the bottom of its suspension travel. There was ANOTHER nail (a screw this time to be accurate)!!! [:mad:][:mad:][:mad:]

However, the guys there had a long look and said it was no problem to patch this for a tenner. Great, I said, as I'd prefer not to spend shed-loads at this visit and in about 3,000 miles I'll replace the fronts as well, and I have no track days planned until after they'd need replacing anyway. They were very confident the repair patch would be fine, even on the 993 with low-profile tyres.

So there we have it. I've been unlucky but feel relieved to have spent under £200 (for now) on the work. I'll keep an eye on the pressures just in case but the repair looked very strong.

Perhaps the punctures are just part of life on London roads. Either that or I must learn to drive more carefully through builders' yards... [:D]

James
 
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