Welcome neighbor!

For my 2000 S boxster I need to replace the Pirelli P Zeros. I do not track or race the car. We take it on weekend drives, and occasionally when road and conditions permit I drive it aggressively into and out of corners. I would like something quieter than the P-zeros, that handle well and get reasonable mileage. Is there a consensus feeling about a few brands?

Ted Bel Air MD

... I'm sure there will be many opinions and personal preferences on this issue.
Most everyone knows my choice.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

As Pedro says, everyone will have opinions. I just took a set of Sumitomo HTR Z3 off mine. I'd buy them again as I think they're good tires for the price and I got them from Tire Rack shipped to my indie (click on Tire Rack ad on this site). I currently have a set of Bridgestone RE050a compliments of a set of new wheels and tires that are take offs from a Cayman (I wanted the wheels). I actually like them a bit better, but they're pricey so when I replace I'm not sure I won't go back to the Sumutomos.

Welcome to the board!

Dave in Fallston

Dave - 06 987 S coupe SG/NL; gone (but still my first love): 03 986 AS/GG/BK;

I find them quiet and good in all weather. The "snow" useage is extremely limited though. Just a few - stranded by surprise things.

have over 18.5K miles now and the rears look good for possibly another 5K miles (though on 2nd thought I think they'd be to the wear bars a bit before another 5K miles). They do not seem to be getting much louder but they may. There tires are my first set of Bridgestone tires.

The Michelin tires on my Boxster are giving excellent service. I do not know how many miles these tires have but I've run a few sets of Michelin tires on the Boxster now and every set has delivered exceptional mileage and in every other way been a superb tire.

I have not price compared the various brands recently (all tires have gone up is the word I get) but if the price difference is not too great you might consider Michelin tires. Based on my experience they are the best tires over Pirelli, Continental, and Bridgestone tires. But either Bridgestone (1st alternate) or Continental (2nd alternate) would be nearly as good with price being the tipping factor, imho.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

My 2001 was delivered on P-Zeros. I found them to be very grippy in the dry, but a little twitchy in the wet. I had a rear wheel alignment problem that caused my P-Zeros to get very loud even though they were only half worn. So they got replaced sooner than they should have. The PS2 is the best all around performance tire I have driven and I plan to keep using them, or the new Michelin Pilot Super Sport that is just coming on the market. I feel they are worth the price premium. They ride great, grip great and breakaway progressively. Tire noise is partially a factor of wear and age. I think it is funny that everyone seems to mention how their new tires are quieter than their old ones. That is probably true for almost any worn tire that is replaced by a new tire, regardless of brand. As the tread depth decreases and the rubber ages and hardens, the noise level will often increase. Even the Michelins on my Cayman which were very quiet when new, are louder after 14K miles.

Mark in Frederick County

You might consider the Conti Contact DWS(ie-all season) tire. We were in a similar situation, and after much research went with the afore mentioned tire with great results. They dead quiet on the road compared to our old Michelin PS2's and the ride quality is much better. We like the fact that when the temps go down, or we get rain and or a bit of snow, it is not a complete emergency to get the car in the garage.
regards

...the benchmark tire is the Michelin PS2. Astounding performance in every area except cost. I've tried others but keep having to come back.

http://blog.caranddriver.com/tire-test-michelin-ps2-vs-nine-less-expensive-summer-tires-comparison-test/

Good review. Interesting that they didn't include the Sumitomo HTR Z3 but the Falken (which Tire Rack doesn't carry) scored well. Sumitomo makes the Falken brand and they score Sumis well on the Tire Rack site. I had Falkens before I put the Sumitomos on the car and couldn't find the size I needed so went with them. The Falkens had a slightly softer compound with almost the same tread design and the Sumis had a bit more squeal at the limit although both gave good feedback and a progressive breakaway. I guess there's a reason the drifters like the Falkens.

Also interesting that the Sumis are about half the price of the Michelins. I just can't see twice the price for very similar tires. Especially since I have a tendency to burn them off at about 12-15K miles.

YMMV

Dave - 06 987 S coupe SG/NL; gone (but still my first love): 03 986 AS/GG/BK;

... on a particular brand of tire unless it was tested on a Boxster.
You cannot believe how different feel a set of tires offer on two different vehicles.
Fortunately, because I'm a DE Instructor, I get to drive a lot of tire combinations on all sorts of Porsches.
No question that the best street performance comes from the Michelin Pilot Sports but also at the highest price.
There are a bunch of other great tires that offer better performance/cost that the Pilots.
But choosing tires is like choosing your girlfriend.
To you, she may be the most beautiful girl in the world, to others... well, you get the idea.
Summing it all up I highly recommend that you test tires on the same platform you'll be running them.
Once you think you know which tires you want, try to have someone who has them on their Boxster give you a ride or better yet, let you drive it.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna