Looking ahead.....Tyre choices???

[michelin]

I've always been a stippler for keeping my cars shed with the same tyres as from factory (Pirelli P Zero N0) and will probably need some new ones this year. 

Which ones do we find suit our 981's better nowadays given technology has moved on alot over the years?

I've heard a few talk about Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S.

👍

[Patt]

Took the Pirelli's off after a mater of weeks and installed the PS4S - never looked back. Last well, quieter, better in the wet and no cracking between the tread blocks.

[BrianJ]

Many will favour Michelin. You don't say what wheel size you have (the N numbers are not the same for each wheel size), but in my experience on 20" wheels the P Zero N1 is a far better tyre than the N0 - much nicer ride and significantly more grip in the wet. No cracking either. 

Edited February 14, 2023 by BrianJ

[Happy Days]

8 minutes ago, Patt said:

Took the Pirelli's off after a mater of weeks and installed the PS4S - never looked back. Last well, quieter, better in the wet and no cracking between the tread blocks.

Me too. Pilot Sport 4S are my preferred boots.

[GTSMarky]

I have had on my BGTS with 20" wheels P Zero N0, then N1 (as said above light and day difference) &  MPS4S.

The Michelins are in my experience miles better all round.

I would not put Pirellis on it!!

[michelin]

Thanks chaps. 
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S it is. 
Costco are coming in £50 cheaper per rear tyre and the fronts are cheaper there too. 👍🏼

[GTSMarky]

3 hours ago, michelin said:

Thanks chaps. 
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S it is. 
Costco are coming in £50 cheaper per rear tyre and the fronts are cheaper there too. 👍🏼

Wise move!

[daz05]

Love my Ps4s but I don't think they last as long as my Pirellis did. 

[CMA]

8 hours ago, BrianJ said:

but in my experience on 20" wheels the P Zero N1 is a far better tyre than the N0 - much nicer ride and significantly more grip in the wet. No cracking either. 

That matches my experience too, N1 is leaps ahead of the N0, but the PS4s are still far better for all round than the N1 in my experience. 

[McDonald]

1 hour ago, daz05 said:

Love my Ps4s but I don't think they last as long as my Pirellis did. 

Good grip is everything. It's the long life of the driver that matters. I've fitted MPS4S and the car feels so sure-footed.

[andygo]

They use the P4's in the Ginetta Academy race championship. They are only allowed 2 sets (I think) per year. My son did 3 races and qually at Brands last year in one of those Ginettas and they were fine.

I doubt many users would give them more of a beating, even on a track day!

[daz05]

6 minutes ago, andygo said:

They use the P4's in the Ginetta Academy race championship. They are only allowed 2 sets (I think) per year. My son did 3 races and qually at Brands last year in one of those Ginettas and they were fine.

I doubt many users would give them more of a beating, even on a track day!

In a car that weighs so much more and road geo the edges will overheat very quickly.

[daz05]

11 minutes ago, McDonald said:

Good grip is everything. It's the long life of the driver that matters. I've fitted MPS4S and the car feels so sure-footed.

I think you are mistaking Pirellis for Linglongs.

[andygo]

47 minutes ago, daz05 said:

In a car that weighs so much more and road geo the edges will overheat very quickly.

I gave my Cayman quite a bit of welly around Spa last year, tyres were fine, corners untouched,

Similarly when I used my previous Caymans competing in a couple of sprints, although to be fair, theuy hardly even got up to temp as the courses werre so short.

Edited February 14, 2023 by andygo

[andygo]

45 minutes ago, daz05 said:

I think you are mistaking Pirellis for Linglongs.

Easy mistake to make Daz. 

[Simo_UK]

No shouts for the Goodyear Eagle F1s?
 

Almost unanimous that the Pirelli's are poop. Ackerman was awful on my Boxster. Didn't feel hugely grippy. Had a tendency to crack too. 
 

Currently running the F1s and the  Ackerman is significantly improved. Road performance seems fine. Although I'm not a hooner so can't comment on taking a 90 bend in the wet, smoking a cigarette with ACDC playing. 

But they work for me!

[Boxer boy]

Mine ( last April ) a 09 2.9 came with N rated PS4 S s .less than a year old on the date stamps .Pretty impressed by the PO if I am honest .But like others I don’t hoon around in it .

I have seen the aqua plane thread on Pistonheads Boxster/ Cayman section …..bit worrying .It’s not complimentary to box front end grip in the wet .With out re rereading it I think there was a lot of Pirelli involved.

But then there would be if a lot ( which they were ) were  new or nearly new driven by ….let’s face it inexperienced drivers .

I had a Bentley GT for 6 yrs the same discussion Pirelli OEM s vs Mitch PS 4 .The Mitch always came out top .

I did stay with OEM P zeros B rated btw  as never  had any issues year round .Couldn’t identify with the faults the nay say doers where babbling on about on the forms .

I wondered if in Bentley s case it was simply a case of there was a significant difference between the B rated and none B rated  side walls and compound .It’s wasn’t the handling ( there was a bit of whinging ) it’s was the harsh ride issue .

 

The other thing you would have thought Porsche ( and Bentley + Lamborghini being in the VAG ) would have superb testing facilities etc etc .Cynics say it’s all down to price .But i can’t see that tyre Co s like Pirelli have a vested interest to work with VAG performance cars in a “yes sir no sir three bags full “ kinda way .

 

What it turns out to be from the mouth of Pirelli is this ………

A few yrs ago say 2015 the EU banned a certain additive they used in the industry.This was because said additive leached out into the environment ( schools / cites etc ) and is linked with cancer or some other poor health…..in theory !

This additive was used in the industry amongst other things to retain suppleness, reduce rubber hardening with time .

So Pirelli issued a bulletin saying new tyres should be stored in there wrappers until used .They started wrapping up P zeros as they left the factory.

Now in reality tyre dealers just sit them unwrapped on racks so the clocks ticking .Car dealers don’t sit them in the show room with wraps on the tyres .So the things  self deteriorate rapidly.Adding further 2 nd 3 rd car ownership milage and low hr use age a guy could take his 20 month old new  cherished pride and joy Sunday  car with OEM P zeros and say 4000 miles 7 mm + of tread ………rightfully thinking what could possibly go wrong on a winter cool and damp drive .

 

Michelin have some how gotten round this prematurely hardening / lack of city child killer compound .

 

Thats borne out by car guys raving about PS4 vs old ( plenty of tread ) P zeros .

Obviously  if you doing 20 K / annum then your P zeros will be down low to change every 18 months and when you read the anti P zero stuff you will wonder what all the fuss is about .

As a side note there are super Pirelli tyre centres and they by factory request suppose to store them fully wrapped .

Interesting to get  a handle on your OPC s tyre through put / storage of P zeros …..or don’t they bother just get them delivered from a local ( read cheap ) supplier .In terms of not wanting to tie up cash in stock and simply the space needed to keep them .I know they have date stamps but where they sat un wrapped for 4-6 months before fitting ? Already harding up ! 

Edited February 15, 2023 by Boxer boy

[RickLS7]

I have Goodyear Eagle F1s on mine, they are excellent.  Unlike the Pirelli N0 P Zero's the car came with, they were the only tyres I've ever replaced when they still had plenty of life left in them.

Had Michelins on a 986 but the rears barely lasted 6000 miles but Goodyears lasted 11,000 miles.  Michelins were a tiny bit superior in the dry but not enough to warrant the extra cost.  You cant go wrong with either though.

[Graham W]

+1 for the Goodyear Eagles.  I replaced the P Zeros N1 on my 981 and then my 718 with the Eagles and toured Europe two up with full luggage over high Alpine and Pyrenees passes as well as very hot temps in  central Spain without a grumble from the tyres. (or the passenger😊)

[Greenman]

I’ve just replaced all mine with PS4S all around.  The Pirelli’s are far from shyate IMO,  I had PZero initially.    I will say that PS4S are miles better in cold wet conditions, the Pirelli’s really seem to lose a lot of their grip and compliance in cold temps and can become a bit hairy.  However in the warm and dry the Pirelli’s have plenty of grip and are a bit more direct/sporty than the PS4S,  so I wouldn’t dismiss the Pirelli’s if you are a fair weather user (which plenty are)

[GTSMarky]

On 2/14/2023 at 8:17 PM, andygo said:

They use the P4's in the Ginetta Academy race championship. They are only allowed 2 sets (I think) per year. My son did 3 races and qually at Brands last year in one of those Ginettas and they were fine.

I doubt many users would give them more of a beating, even on a track day!

The front pushes hard on my BGTS and will easily be destroyed if you're not conscious of what's happening as the day progresses & drive accordingly.  This is why the GT4 exists in my eyes..

[andygo]

53 minutes ago, GTSMarky said:

The front pushes hard on my BGTS and will easily be destroyed if you're not conscious of what's happening as the day progresses & drive accordingly.  This is why the GT4 exists in my eyes..

HAve you had your geo setup tweaked? I had mine done by RPM Technik and its deffo cured a lot of the inherent understeeer. I have also fitted the X73 Rear ARB as per Daz's thread which sorts it out even more, although I have yet to try it in warm conditions. With the sub 9degree weather we have been enjoying for the last 3 or 4 months, together with salt everywhere, grip isn't always going to be good. Summer tyre compounds are not at their best in those conditions as you prolly have realised!

[GTSMarky]

37 minutes ago, andygo said:

HAve you had your geo setup tweaked? I had mine done by RPM Technik and its deffo cured a lot of the inherent understeeer. I have also fitted the X73 Rear ARB as per Daz's thread which sorts it out even more, although I have yet to try it in warm conditions. With the sub 9degree weather we have been enjoying for the last 3 or 4 months, together with salt everywhere, grip isn't always going to be good. Summer tyre compounds are not at their best in those conditions as you prolly have realised!

No I haven't had the geo set up as for the road it's fine and I've stopped car track days now.

Had the rear trailing arm recall done late last year & I 'think' they check the geo of the car with that?

 

[daz05]

1 hour ago, GTSMarky said:

The front pushes hard on my BGTS and will easily be destroyed if you're not conscious of what's happening as the day progresses & drive accordingly.  This is why the GT4 exists in my eyes..

Tbh I think it behaves similarly, some improvement with stiffness and the downforce will come into play at higher speeds but camber adjustment is limited on these in the same way it is for us.

The GT4 allows you to adjust the balance with the ARBs.

When I maxed out the camber on mine for road use it felt a bit fidgety and ate the inside edges rather quickly!

 

[daz05]

The X73 rear ARB allows you to rotate the car under throttle.