981 19" Tyres

[TwoHeadsTas]

What'e everyone running on 2013 981 Boxster?  Current tyres P Zero 265/40 ZR19 and 235/40ZR19.  Not keen on P Zeros as replacements again, seems Pilot Sport Cup 2s and Yoko V105s are about the only ones available in both sizes.  Given the Cup 2s are probably overkill as a daily drive and I've read they're not ideal in the wet, looking like V105s may be the go.

Any other options?

[Ian718]

Michelin PS4S come in 235/40ZR19 and 265/40ZR19.

I would have chosen the Cup 2s if I was in your position though

[Kammo]

I run Hankook RS3s as a daily tyre on my 911, though the current updated tyre is the RS4, which I have my 200SX. Similar to AD08Rs you need some heat in them to get the going then they're pretty close to a semi slick. Softer sidewall and 200 UTQG rating makes them more of a street tyre though. If you don't occasionally track your car probably no point and the aforementioned PS4S would be fine, or even the V105s and you'll get longer life as a bonus.

[donR]

I have the PS4S on my 718 (265 rear, 235 front) and just did a 1600km drive weekend through Snowy Mountains and Kosciuszko and they are pretty impressive to say the least. Pulled up to 1.36G at about 8/10s. Not really any traction issues although I've found if braking isn't perfect there is a chronic understeer, happened about 4 times now. 

I've thought about larger Cup 2 tyres (295, 255) to help with understeer and provide more grip but I was wondering how they go in cold weather, say -1 to 10 C? Or is it just the rain that is the problem?

I'd be interested to hear from any Porsche drivers whether the Cup 2s instill confidence through cold mountain style roads. I do notice the it helps to get the heat into the PS4Ss but they do warm up quickly regardless. Definitely a great road tire.

[9fan]

 

40 minutes ago, donR said:

I have the PS4S on my 718 (265 rear, 235 front) and just did a 1600km drive weekend through Snowy Mountains and Kosciuszko and they are pretty impressive to say the least. Pulled up to 1.36G at about 8/10s. Not really any traction issues although I've found if braking isn't perfect there is a chronic understeer, happened about 4 times now. 

I've thought about larger Cup 2 tyres (295, 255) to help with understeer and provide more grip but I was wondering how they go in cold weather, say -1 to 10 C? Or is it just the rain that is the problem?

I'd be interested to hear from any Porsche drivers whether the Cup 2s instill confidence through cold mountain style roads. I do notice the it helps to get the heat into the PS4Ss but they do warm up quickly regardless. Definitely a great road tire.

I suggest by increasing size both front and rear with the same driving style through corners you will still get understeer.

[TwoHeadsTas]

Although there is a greater range of tyres available should I look to 275/35 & 245/35s, with only a minor variation in circumference (about 2.5%), I'm a little reluctant to go the wider tyres on the front, as even the 40's foul the front shroud at full lock, 245/35 would, I expect, be even worse.  Car is  my wife's daily drive, and even though she enjoys driving it enthusiastically, would rarely, if ever go even close to the limits.  Might end up looking at what additional options I have in 275/35 back and 235/40 fronts

[donR]

On 19/06/2019 at 20:58, 9fan said:

 

I suggest by increasing size both front and rear with the same driving style through corners you will still get understeer.

I agree, reducing understeer is mainly a factor of driving error/style. Although, my old Audi had the weight of the engine over 265 front tires so that might have helped with turn in.

The understeer I'm getting in the Cayman I think is more due to braking too late and too heavy on turn in. ABS doesn't even seem to work with that combination.

OP and Ian mentioned the Cup 2s so I'd still be interested in people's experience with them on cold targa style roads. I don't think it hurts to have more grip on those type of roads but less grip under certain condition such as the wet and maybe the cold would not be good. Although rarely is it really wet in NSW but it does get cold. 

I understand all the GT cars have Cup 2 tires but is it that they do not go too well in the wet and/or cold conditions?

One thing I was surprised by after the weekend alpine drive was how the tire pressure varies so much with temperature, a range of 33 to 38 psi, suggesting under some conditions the tyres don't really warm up. 

[TwoHeadsTas]

Ended up settling on the Yoko V105s.  Big problem was actually availability of the alternatives.  Whilst there was probably 1/2 doz choices in the end, the Yoko's were pretty much all that was available.  Even Australia wide the wholesalers couldn't put together a full matching set of the other choices.  Being in Tassie we're somewhat dependent on the wholesaler having stock, as most of our tyre fitters don't keep stock due to low demand (unlike probably Sydney or Melbourne) and I have had a very long association with our local Tyrepower as they have been clients for 20+ years, so wouldn't get from Tyresales and just ask them to fit......

Interesting though, I just had a set of PS2s fitted to my 996  today though (had got these a couple of months ago but hadn't needed to fit them yet).  positively transformed the steering and ride, I hadn't realised how bad the old tyres were, I was thinking I'd need another alignment as the steering has been very vague (despite having one 6 months ago).  Very impressed in these.....

[moosey]

Good info. I’m probably going to be needing tyres in the next 12 months. Thoughts on the Yokohamas?

[TwoHeadsTas]

7 minutes ago, moosey said:

Good info. I’m probably going to be needing tyres in the next 12 months. Thoughts on the Yokohamas?

Haven't pushed the car seriously since we got them on, but on casual driving handling seems a lot more positive, but the old P Zeros were getting on for 6 years old and I think they were getting a bit hard.  Wife has noticed that they don't rub on the wheel well lining on full lock like the P Zeros did, so she's happy about that 🙂 

I think the stock problems on the other brands were only temporary, as I'm pretty sure the wholesalers were expecting shipments late this month / early next month.  When you're ready see what is available at the time, and being in Melburg, the larger tyre centres there may well have stock anyway....

[moosey]

Thanks. Having the same issues with my OE PZeros. Definitely past their best in terms of performance.

[TwoHeadsTas]

Yep, the ones we replaced were the OE ones too.  Never really had a good run with Pirellis, but admittedly these were 5 years old when we got the car....

[nytelfer]

I had a good experience sourcing N rated replacement 20” tyres via one of the Porsche Centres - I couldn’t locate anyone who had inventory on Tyresales or via the usual tyre manufacturer/retailer websites - dealer was happy to source and match the Tyresales online price. Ended up going for Michelin PS4S and found them to be much better all round than the OE Pirelli P-Zeros.

[moosey]

22 hours ago, TwoHeadsTas said:

Yep, the ones we replaced were the OE ones too.  Never really had a good run with Pirellis, but admittedly these were 5 years old when we got the car....

Yep mine are best part of five years old too.

[moosey]

How are the Yokohama’s holding up, @TwoHeadsTas ?  Haven’t had much use for my car in locked down Victoria this year, so tyres are still in need of replacement at some stage. I think I’ll be needing to stick to N spec tyres due to factory extended warranty. Noticed that Michelin have an N spec front in a PS4S but no rear tyre to suit... 🤷🏻‍♂️

[nytelfer]

@moosey - one of the dealers may be able to assist if you haven’t already tried that route - I struggled to source the correct size N spec PS4S for my Cayman (20” rims) at any of the usual tyre retailers  - PCM had a source for supply & fitting at competitive pricing.

[TwoHeadsTas]

2 hours ago, moosey said:

How are the Yokohama’s holding up, @TwoHeadsTas ?  Haven’t had much use for my car in locked down Victoria this year, so tyres are still in need of replacement at some stage. I think I’ll be needing to stick to N spec tyres due to factory extended warranty. Noticed that Michelin have an N spec front in a PS4S but no rear tyre to suit... 🤷🏻‍♂️

Still going well, no complaints.  Car is everyday drive for my wife, she has reported no issues in the rain or anything, apart from a bit slippery on the one day of snow we had a couple of months back (first snow fall here in 60 years, so I think we can exclude that as being an issue 🙂 ).  Not been used on the track as we now have my GT3 for that.  As mentioned above though, if we were doing it again just at the moment, I'd be seeing what size PS4S were available too.  Will be thinking about them for road tyres on the GT3 when I end up with a separate set of track tyres

[moosey]

On 04/10/2020 at 19:34, nytelfer said:

@moosey - one of the dealers may be able to assist if you haven’t already tried that route - I struggled to source the correct size N spec PS4S for my Cayman (20” rims) at any of the usual tyre retailers  - PCM had a source for supply & fitting at competitive pricing.

Thanks I’ll be asking PCM to quote some options for sure.

[9fan]

On 04/10/2020 at 17:44, moosey said:

How are the Yokohama’s holding up, @TwoHeadsTas ?  Haven’t had much use for my car in locked down Victoria this year, so tyres are still in need of replacement at some stage. I think I’ll be needing to stick to N spec tyres due to factory extended warranty. Noticed that Michelin have an N spec front in a PS4S but no rear tyre to suit... 🤷🏻‍♂️

Call Donellans, Mark and Paul look after me and know these cars and setup. Will have both N spec PS4S at good prices !  Tell them Mark 968 sent you, let me know how you go. Cheers.

 

[wilburforce]

I've had both the Cup2s and PS4S on my 997C2S and much prefer the PS4S.  Long story short it works all the time and through most weather - the Cup2 may be superior in perfect weather and perfect heat, but i found it hard to warm up on the road and quite slippery until it did.

[NineEightOne]

Hello - long time lurker, first post.

I bought my 981 Cayman a year ago and this was the first post I saw as I found my Pirelli P Zeros on 19" rims to be very noisy. When I attended a Porsche experience track day at the end of last year the mechanic told me there were only a few months left - not tread wear, mainly aged cracking along the sides. They were 2015 tyres.

I found understanding what you could put on the rims quite confusing. Everyone seems to say Michelins but the PS4S N rated tyre is only available for the front, not the rear.

Anyway, I was doing a search on Tyresales the week before last and the Yokohamas 4 for the price of 3 came up. N rated. I had them fitted last week and the difference is amazing. How much is just having new tyres and how much is a quieter tyre I don't know. It cost just under $1500. 235/40 on the front and 265/40 on the rear.

Anyway - this post helped me along the way. Thank you.

[TwoHeadsTas]

10 minutes ago, NineEightOne said:

Hello - long time lurker, first post.

I bought my 981 Cayman a year ago and this was the first post I saw as I found my Pirelli P Zeros on 19" rims to be very noisy. When I attended a Porsche experience track day at the end of last year the mechanic told me there were only a few months left - not tread wear, mainly aged cracking along the sides. They were 2015 tyres.

I found understanding what you could put on the rims quite confusing. Everyone seems to say Michelins but the PS4S N rated tyre is only available for the front, not the rear.

Anyway, I was doing a search on Tyresales the week before last and the Yokohamas 4 for the price of 3 came up. N rated. I had them fitted last week and the difference is amazing. How much is just having new tyres and how much is a quieter tyre I don't know. It cost just under $1500. 235/40 on the front and 265/40 on the rear.

Anyway - this post helped me along the way. Thank you.

Welcome NineEightOne, glad the thread has helped, it's what this forum is all about.

So you got the V105's or another Yoko?

[NineEightOne]

Thank you.

The tyres are Yokohama Advan Sport V105.

[moosey]

Yokohama have a "4 for 3" offer on until the end of August. I've just ordered a set of V105 N0's to replace the (hard) OEM Pirellis. Being a staggered setup, the cheapest (front) tyre is free in the offer. Full set fitted and balanced comes to $1,490. I never loved the PZero's, and I'm now looking forward to having some grip again. As an aside, I read some interesting info/videos about OEM rated tyres recently. The Porsche rated tyres are designed and load rated specifically for the mid/rear layout and weight distribution of the cars. Very different to a hot hatch or a performance saloon with the same tyre size.

[TwoHeadsTas]

21 minutes ago, moosey said:

Yokohama have a "4 for 3" offer on until the end of August. I've just ordered a set of V105 N0's to replace the (hard) OEM Pirellis. Being a staggered setup, the cheapest (front) tyre is free in the offer. Full set fitted and balanced comes to $1,490. I never loved the PZero's, and I'm now looking forward to having some grip again. As an aside, I read some interesting info/videos about OEM rated tyres recently. The Porsche rated tyres are designed and load rated specifically for the mid/rear layout and weight distribution of the cars. Very different to a hot hatch or a performance saloon with the same tyre size.

Been very happy with the V105s, as said above, we're on our 2nd set.  Also never loved P Zeros and have got rid of the several sets that have been on cars I've bought as soon as I could.  4:3 on the V105s would be a great deal!!