Tyre Wear

[jerry]

I know a lot has been said about tyres on this forum before! I was rather surprised to discover that my rear P zero 265/35/18 tyres only lasted 3500 miles !! I have not taken part in any track days and consider myself a reasonably steady driver. I am told by my tyre supplier that Boxster owners rarely get more than 4000 miles from these type of tyres. I was just wondering if anyone else has had similar wear?

 

[Motorhead]

Did yours wear evenly Jerry? 3,500 miles seems rather excessive to me for general road use and I'd get the alignment checked to make sure that it's within spec, especially if the wear is uneven. The P-Zero 265/35 ZR19 rears on my Cayman wore to about 3mm in the centre in about 9,000miles. I always stick to the recommended tyre pressures and, at that time, hadn't had the car on track but I think that P-Zeros seem to wear faster than some of the competitor tyres. Jeff

 

[DavidB]

Ouch! Never had Pirellis on mine, but I get 12k plus out of the rear Michelins.

 

[spyderman]

ORIGINAL: jerry I am told by my tyre supplier that Boxster owners rarely get more than 4000 miles from these type of tyres.

I bet your tyre supplier really likes you! But what he's said is tosh! I have had PZero Rossos on my 2004 986 S since purchase. From June 2008 I've done 23000 miles and about 20 track days and have only just started on my third set. Get your geo done - by someone other than your tyre supplier! Chris.

 

[Gordon Attar]

Thats down right ridiculous..... Did they wear evenly? Change your tyre supplier, make sure that you get new tyres with 8mm on them! check the geometry settings and finally change tyre manufacturer

 

[rob.kellock]

My Bridgestones have done 14k miles including 3 track days and are still have plenty of life in them. The Bridgestones do seem to last longer than the Pirellis and I'm quite happy with the way the car drives.

 

[chrisH]

I can confirm Jeffs experience with Pirelli p Zeros. I have posted these details before, the tyre dealer's tracking techie said the wear characteristics looked normal and 9k miles was about right with 3 mm left on the rears just like Jeffs on Gen II S. Meanwhile the fronts are not even half worn. Chris

 

[Jonathan G]

I have 18 inch 265/35 Continental SportContact 2 on the rear of my 2002 Boxster S. They have done 4000 miles and still have 5mm left. I expect them to do 8000 miles but I do accelerate hard and often, to get the most enjoyment out of my two outings a week! If you are a steady driver I would expect at least 10000 miles from the rears unless they are unusually soft or not correctly inflated. Bad Geometry set up could be another explanation if you have uneven tyre wear.

 

[Buddy]

I had Pirelli's on my 986 S and wasn't impressed with the grip at the limits as the let go point came suddenly but was controllable, wear rate was also high but they weren't so bad as to wear at the rate you've experienced, after about 10,000 miles they needed replacement, so do get the full set up done one your suspension as your tyre supplier sounds dubious. Most of them only understand the basics of tracking on the front axle! The Boxster S ran on 17" rims. On the 986S with advise from a mate who had worked in tyre testing for Aston Martin I changed to Michelins which had a more gradual loss of grip and wore far more slowly. Following that when I came to the Cayman ( on 19" rims ) it was fitted with Continentals which wore very quickly then again Michelins which did about 20,000 followed by the current Bridgestones and I have no complaints with them, good feel and wear. However through the winter I have had Michelin Alpins on 18" wheels and they have fantastic cold and wet grip plus the wear rate is very low. I don't know about others experiences but for me it seems that the amount of wear on the fronts is approximately 60% of the rate at which the rears wear and so if you an replace the rears with like for like then the fronts will be worn just before the rears become due. Unfortunately, each time I've wanted new tyres either the N rating has changed or that brand is unavailable!!![]

 

[jerry]

Just had the old tyres removed they had worn evenly. Guess I will just have to put this one down to experience! Thanks to everyone who replied.

 

[c13sjw]

sounds like i need Bridgestones I`m needing replacements also and running 19" my 987 s has continentals on currently and ive got a loose bum atm in wet conditions not good! so which Bridgestones are we talking please? intersting thread thanks for posting[]

 

[spyderman]

ORIGINAL: jerry Just had the old tyres removed they had worn evenly.

Was going to say that I wonder if your tyre pressure gauge is inaccurate - but you'd likely notice uneven wear across the tread if that was the case. Chris.

 

[Buddy]

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A N1 seem to wear well and are both in my experience comparable and cheaper than the Michelins

 

[c13sjw]

thank you was pricing Bridgestones today we were wondering on the type (I know now)

 

[khalb]

Just replaced my rears for the second time. Consistently getting 26,000 miles out of each set of rears. Michelins. []

 

[BartyB]

I replaced my P Zero rears (same spec as yours) last year after clocking up well over 18,000 miles on them including a track day and an IAM performance driving day. The previous rears, also Pirelli PZeros, achieved 20k so I'm astonished that you've managed so few on yours. As others have said it suggests some alignment, pressure or driving issues.