Tyre choice - I know, it's that old chestnut again but....

[OGiii]

I've had a good search around the forum and, as expected, the choice is very subjective.

There are a number of posts which refer to the FAQ in the General section but this just links to the Porsche homepage and a search on there reveals nothing!

I need to replace the fronts for sure but will probably swap the rears at the same time because they are close to the end.

My car is a MY99 996 C2 with option 030 (Sports Chasis - 10mm lowered) on 18" Sport Design wheels.

Whilst i drive the car hardish occasionally, I rarely go anywhere near it's limits and don't intend to track it, therefore comfort/noise/wear rate are probably more important to me than balls out performance.

I seem to be drawn to the Pirelli Pzero Rosso N4 based on what I've read so far and the fact that there appears to be some good deals on these at the moment ~£500 for all four fitted which is a lot less than I'd expected

Without boring everybody who is sick of reading 'Which tyre threads' does anybody have a take on this or have any links to any good info resource on this choice before I go ahead.

Many thanks.

Paul

 

[Hasan]

Hi Paul,

I've just replaced all four of my tyres, and I also have 18" GT3 wheels.

I went for the Pirelli Assimetrico N3's all round at £529 inc VAT for all 4. They are much quieter than the Continental Sportcontacts that were on before. They feel much better, especially as I've done a full geometry now too.
£500 is a very good price, so I'd say go for it.

 

[Michael Downing]

Paul - I'm in the same situation although on the 18" turbo-look wheels that come as standard on the 4S.

Can I ask where the £500 quote is from? []

 

[Rotorhead]

The Rossos (N4) are designed for the 996 and they are specifically intended to be quieter and more compliant than assimetricos.

 

[OGiii]

Thanks for the replies.

The local dealer I've uased for years have quoted me £550 for the Assimetrico N3's, I was considering those because of Hasan's comments (glad to see you 'love' your 996 by the way, I remember seeing your for sale pics of your 993 which looked fantastic!)

Believe it or not, kwikfit.com are quoting £516.50 for the Rosso N4's, their quote is made up as follows

Make Model Tyre Size Price Quantity Total
Pirelli P zero Rosso N4 Porsche 225/40Z18 £146.00 01234567 x2 £292.00
Pirelli P zero Rosso N4 Porsche 265/35Z18 £173.00 01234567 x2 £346.00
25% Pirelli Tyre Discount £159.50
Valve and Balance £8.50 x 4 £34.00
Tyre Disposal Charge £1.00 x 4 £4.00

Total £516.50


I'm going to try a couple of other places for the Rossos before I decide.

Thanks again

 

[garyw]

I went for Rosso, but another choice comes in relation to sizes, I have GT3 wheels and not all the siazes are available in N5 or N4.
The size was available as a matched foursome in N3..
Very happy with them, although I found the Conti's to be quieter !!

garyw

 

[garyw]

Also to add check the Pirelli web site as they had a cashback offer if you registered and bought tyres within a certain period... I won a free driving experience at Thruxton from it.[]

garyw

 

[OGiii]

Conti's to be quieter !!

I've got Contis on the back at the moment with Falken (I didn't buy them) on the front. I was hoping for something quieter[]

 

[hothatch2002]

I'm glad this thread came up as I'm due a set shortly, and the most surprising thing was the prices that have been quoted, I thought they would be more expensive bearing in mind that my S-Type tyres came to a £1000 (inc. vat) - I will look for a better deal on the 996. Just out of interest, what does the N number stand for?

Simon Hill

 

[Guest]

i'm looking for a couple of rears (285x30x18) (Michelin pilot sport 2) for mine but mytyres.co.uk doesnt seem to list them??
I like the rim protectors on the PS2's!
anyone know where to them without getting robbed in the process?

 

[Hasan]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your comments....will try and post pictures very soon!

I used a website called www.blackcircles.com and they were very efficient indeed and the prices were very good too.
Chillo, I would check the above site as you may be in luck.

 

[garyw]

Sometimes its worth paying the little bit extra to get a specialist to fit the tyres, cheap tyres and wrecked rims can go hand in hand...[:'(]

garyw

 

[Hasan]

No one above is talking about fitting 'cheap tyres' as in brand!...N rated Pirellis, Conti's are recommended by Porsche. We just want to save a bit of money without compromising on quality. I'm sure everyone is in favour of that []

My Pirellis were fitted by JZ machtech...so an excellent specialist. You can order from the internet companies mentioned as a tyre is a tyre, no matter who sells it and then you can get it fitted by an outfit you trust []

 

[garyw]

Hasan, your have slightly missed my point...
shopping around to save money on tyres is worthless if you buy the "expensive tyres" from a cheaper supplier who then wrecks your rims.
I'm sure no one is adversed to saving money on the tyres, but buying on price alone can work out costly..

garyw

 

[Hasan]

I understand your point Gary....so what I am suggesting is that you can still buy tyres from these places but have them fitted by someone you trust and not the supplying company.

 

[OGiii]

I'd never considered them damaging a wheel.....

I know Kwik Fit aren't considered to be top drawer but how hard can it be to change a tyre when you are doing it all day? Does anybody have any experience of them cocking up?

Thanks

 

[Rotorhead]

YES!

I would be very careful who I trusted with my wheels. These are stiff tyres and considerable damage can be done (to the wheels and tyres) if they are not removed and fitted with great care.

Also, ideally, weights should not be fitted to the outer rims.

 

[Michael Downing]

ORIGINAL: OGiii
Does anybody have any experience of them cocking up?

Oh yes ... took my previous BMW in to have its third set of tyres, and the fitter pointed out a neat circular scratch around the inner rim. Sharp intake of breath .... "look at that mate ... caused by letting the tyre lever hit the rim while the wheel is rotating .. where did you get the last set done then?"

"Errr ... here as a matter of fact!" []

 

[garyw]

Yes, and was my reason for the above post... a well respected garage local to me..I had a puncture and couldn't get the car to Warwick for my usual guys to do it. It was still inflated somewhat when I arrived.
They drove the car on a flat tyre and when they refitted the tyre, not only did they drop it face down and scratch the rim, they tightened the nut up with an air gun[].
they then wondered why I wasn't asking them to supply a new tyre as "they could get them next day"

garyw

 

[mbrands]

If your wheels aren't scratched up, I would recommend documenting this with the fitter before they are taken off the car and the new tyres fitted.

That way, if they accidentally scratch a wheel, they won't be able to tell you it was already like that, which is what once happened to me.

You'd be surprised how careless some fitters can be; either scratching a wheel on the machine while putting the new tyre on, or just putting the wheel face down on a rough cement floor, like garyw mentioned.