Tyres- that old chesnut

[laura]

Here I am !!![]. Sorry guys, work has been rather taking over - tax year end - gypsy warning from accountant - all sorts of horrid things like that. Charles hasn't even washed the car since before Christmas though that does mean I don't feel bad taking it out in poor weather and getting it dirty! Back to the topic however (tyres not cudgels - they sound painful[&:]) we have been very happy with the SO2As even if Charles did spin at Clearways in the sprint at Brands. They hadn't even done 200 miles then and still had the nobbly bits on and C's enthusiasm is a match for any tyre including slicks! So far, they seem very confident in the dry and even pushing on in the wet they seem fine. In fairness though we don't feel we have had the opportunity to put them to a "proper" test so far which is why I didn't report earlier. Roll on springtime and Curborough - that might show what they can do!

Laura

 

[Robertb]

Update- ended up with S02-A in the end. The car feels completely different; Much quieter, seems less fidgety, and finally the wheel wobble has gone! Fitter said the old tyres were 7 yrs old and do start to go off and go mis-shapen...

As still bedding in, not explored the handling yet.

Any advice on how long it takes for new tyres to settle in before putting the boot in?

 

[hanhams81]

Despite being a Porsche enthusiast since the 356 days but new to Porsche ownership and probably being a tad dim, I still do not understand the significance of the various N ratings. After wading through most of the messages my concentration waned somewhat but at least I appreciate N rated tyres are essential. If it is about wheel size or model type or wear rate or a combination of these, there is a chance I might understand the differences. When I bought my 993 it was fitted with 17" Conti N1 front, N2 rear. Is this a legitimate and safe combination? The fronts are new, the rears 2/3rd worn so at some point replacements will be needed. For peace of mind I would like to fit the correct combination. Your advice will be most welcome as always.

By way of background I know it is vital to fit one brand all round, and as a Conti user with new munro shocks on the rear I am a very low cast owner. I will strive to do better using the knowledge so readily on tap via the Forum. I look forward to rising above private ridicule.
Richard.

 

[mbrands]

My two cents worth on this whole tyre topic...

I've had Continentals, Pirelli Assymetricos and Bridgestone SO2s, all of the 18" variety.

Personally. I really dislike the Continentals.[&:] They offer the least grip, especially in the rain and perform terribly in low speed emergency stop situations. Like when it's wet, you're going about 15-20mph in close London traffic and suddenly you have to apply full breaks because traffic is stopped in front of you. The Continentals will skid an leave you with a real brown trouser moment as to whether you will stop in time. They are totally inferior to the Bridgestones and Pirellis. I find them substandard and I dislike them intensely.[][:'(]

The SO2 and Assymetricos, on the other hand are in a different league to the Contis. Between the SO2 and the Assymetricos, I found that the Pirellis had more grip, but the SO2 lasted longer. At the limit the SO2s would lose traction more progressivly, and although the Pirellis seem to offer more grip, once you were at the limit, the difference between having grip and not having grip was much more binary in nature.

My driving style is probably more sporting than relaxed, and in defence of the Continentals, I know that there are better drivers than me out there that like them.

Currently, I have P-zero Corsas on the car. Grip is phenominal when it's warm outside, but they don't like the cold. I have not driven them much in the wet, so can't really comment on that aspect. They are not N rated, because they are not made with N ratings in 993 tyre sizes, only in 996 (997?) tyre sizes where they were fitted on the GT3 and/ or GT3 RS.

 

[mbrands]

Hi Maurice, the big red bill is a bit eye watering [] now I look back over the receipt, but here goes...

Front Calipers 339.82 ea.
Rear Calipers 329.77 ea.
RS Brake disc (F) 169.55 ea
RS Brake disc (R) 108.33 ea
2 Back Plates at 17.41 ea
Brake Pads (F) 99.93
Brake Pads (R) 87.91
Pad Sensors (F) 15.28
Pad Sensors (R) 13.02
2 Brake Lines (F) 17.16
4 Brake Sensor Clips 5.72
2L Brake Fluid 21.38

adds up to 2190.16 + VAT = 2573.44

On top of that, there was labour (but don't know the break down as that was part of a larger bill, but figure a couple of hours + VAT) and little things like consumables and environmental disposal, but they added up to about £10.

I have the part numbers, if you are interested. I suppose, in retrospect I could have saved money by ordering the parts from someone like Gert at Carnewal.

The good news is that the brakes are phenomenal (even better than on the 997 - or at least it feels like it, but could be tyres as well, or just my perception). Only thing that bothers me a bit is the 'clack' you get when first applying the breaks after a direction change (from forward to reverse or vice versa) as the pads move fractionally in the calipers. But I understand there are shims that can cure this.

As an aside, and at the risk of going slightly off topic, I know there are various schools of thought on running in procedures for new brakes and pads. I purposely chose the the baptism by fire approach, which I read about somewhere once (in this forum ?). Meaning that once the brakes had some heat in them from regular driving and a few brisk slow downs from 60 to 30 mph, I did three batches of eight maximum-emergency-brake-force runs from 70mph to 3 mph (ie being careful NEVER to come to a complete stop while doing this). After each batch of eight runs (each run done in quick succession) I drove for a few minutes to let the brakes cool before starting the next batch of eight runs. After each batch I also checked the discs to make sure there was a bluish patina forming on them. By the second batch the patina had developed and the job was essentially done. So the third batch of 8 was just for good measure.[]

Psycho ? Yes []. But I'd never done this before - I'd always practiced the softly-softly running in approach, but not anymore tho. Baptism by fire is definitely the way forward; I highly recommend it (as long as there's no one driving behind you, of course).

Re Tracking the car, I am slightly embarrassed to say that I have not taken it out on the track yet. Hopefully this summer.

 

[38F3E1]

ORIGINAL: mbrands
Baptism by fire is definitely the way forward; I highly recommend it (as long as there's no one driving behind you, of course).

LOL. Yes first time I tried this was on the A5 during the day and it was far too dangerous as people don't expect the car in front to suddenly slam on the brakes for no apparent reason.
Ian.

 

[38F3E1]

ORIGINAL: MoC2S

ORIGINAL: ian_uk
on the A5 during the day

Ian.

!! Dunno about baptism by fire .... could have been baptism by impact !! []

cheers, Maurice []

It is a little quieter up by me but yes try to explain that to your insurance company. It is scary how good the brakes are compared to a lot of other cars. Ended up doing it very early one Sunday morning.

 

[38F3E1]

ORIGINAL: MoC2S

Thanks, Marc ! Interesting price, as I got my friend Ted at Silverstone OPC to quote me on it last week ... he offered 20% discount, and including all the back plates and bolts (caliper bolts are one time use!) the price was £2200 (inc VAT IIRC).

Did that price include fitting Maurice or just the parts?

 

[mbrands]

Hi Maurice, I'm not sure whether this guy is any authority, but this is where I read about what I refer to as the baptism by fire approach [].

http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

I don't remember how I came across this link, but I suspect someone on another forum must have mentioned it.

BTW £2200 incl VAT sounds pretty good, especially from an OPC (although labour costs might work against you slightly). In JZM's defence, it was the height of summer when I had mine done and they were booked up pretty solidly at the time, so no huge incentive to offer discounts. But it definitely pays to shop around I see. There's always the option of ordering from Gert and getting an Indie to install them - altho I'd have thought you could slap on a set of big reds in your sleep. []