N rated tyres on a 997.2S, Nice to have or Must have?
Discussion
Hi all
I am in a little quandary sorry to reignite the great tyre debate(again), its much the same as oil and other similar emotive discussions.
I currently have some age old Bridgestone Potenzas on my 997.2 S and they are all going in the bin, so in the market for 4 new boots, so whatever I fit will be a major step change. The question is to do I either replace them with, the only N rated tyres I can find which are Pirelli PZeros which don’t get the best of reviews either in general and or for 911’s. Or do I go for a non N rated Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. To be honest trying to find the same make and model is proving hard enough let alone an N rated version. There is £200 difference in the cost with the Pirellis being the more expensive, this is not a deal breaker but a consideration for me.
The car is realistically only used in the summer with predominantly dry roads and no track days doing ~3000 miles pa.
What is the collective wisdom? I am leaning to the MPS4S… Thanks in advance for your thoughts
Cheers alex
I am in a little quandary sorry to reignite the great tyre debate(again), its much the same as oil and other similar emotive discussions.
I currently have some age old Bridgestone Potenzas on my 997.2 S and they are all going in the bin, so in the market for 4 new boots, so whatever I fit will be a major step change. The question is to do I either replace them with, the only N rated tyres I can find which are Pirelli PZeros which don’t get the best of reviews either in general and or for 911’s. Or do I go for a non N rated Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. To be honest trying to find the same make and model is proving hard enough let alone an N rated version. There is £200 difference in the cost with the Pirellis being the more expensive, this is not a deal breaker but a consideration for me.
The car is realistically only used in the summer with predominantly dry roads and no track days doing ~3000 miles pa.
What is the collective wisdom? I am leaning to the MPS4S… Thanks in advance for your thoughts
Cheers alex
Depending on your wheel sizes you may find the Michelins are in "XL" specification, which is essentially an SUV tyre. XL are tailored for heavy SUV type vehicles and may have a very strong sidewall. I had some MPS4S on a big sports car after removing run-flats and in all honesty the ride was much the same. Having said that, for all I know some "N" tyres might also be XL rated. After all, Mr Porsche does build SUVs.
Early-bird said:
Definitely don't go for the P-Zeros they are awful.
In what way? I just did did a quick google search and,"The Pirelli P Zero (particularly the PZ4) is a premium ultra-high-performance tire, praised for exceptional dry/wet grip, precise steering, and stability. As a frequent OEM choice for supercars it excels in sporty handling but may have shorter tread life compared to touring tires."
Panamax said:
In what way? I just did did a quick google search and,
"The Pirelli P Zero (particularly the PZ4) is a premium ultra-high-performance tire, praised for exceptional dry/wet grip, precise steering, and stability. As a frequent OEM choice for supercars it excels in sporty handling but may have shorter tread life compared to touring tires."
PZ4 has nice steering feel, but grip drops off dramatically when they get below 4mm. Also don't really work well until fully up to temp, they are particularly prone to scrubbing the front end at low speed (Ackermann effect)."The Pirelli P Zero (particularly the PZ4) is a premium ultra-high-performance tire, praised for exceptional dry/wet grip, precise steering, and stability. As a frequent OEM choice for supercars it excels in sporty handling but may have shorter tread life compared to touring tires."
There are much better tyres. (My last 3 sets. PZ4 , MPS4s, Conti SC7).
Michelin PS4s- Slightly numb the steering feel, great grip in all summer conditions and fantastic wear characteristics.
Continental Sport Contact 7- Combine the Pirelli steering feel with the grip of the Michelin or better. Wear much quicker than the Michelin. Less of a concern if you are a low mileage user.
Bridgestone Potenza Sport EVO. The EVO bit is important, it's an upgrade to resolve the wear issues on its predecessor. I've not driven these, but they are meant to combine the steering feel of the best above and have good durability.
FL Racing said:
Yes I also was going to suggest the OP had a look through the same resource, from Jon at tyrereviews https://www.tyrereviews.com/Thank you for the replies so far, just helped to nudge me further away from the N rated tyres, all look to be older models and hard to come by , so a bit more expensive to boot as well! Great point on the XL rated, not clocked that but the MPS4S was an XL rated so wont go for them either.
I am leaning towards after reading and watching content on https://www.tyrereviews.com/, great website, towards the Conti Sportcontact 7, as recommended here.
Seen the wear rate might be higher but for my mileage and type of use, will likely age hardened before I wear them out. I can also get Goodyear F1 Supersports but they don’t quite such good reviews and are a more track focused tyre, which I don’t want or need. Any more thoughts really appreciated
I am leaning towards after reading and watching content on https://www.tyrereviews.com/, great website, towards the Conti Sportcontact 7, as recommended here.
Seen the wear rate might be higher but for my mileage and type of use, will likely age hardened before I wear them out. I can also get Goodyear F1 Supersports but they don’t quite such good reviews and are a more track focused tyre, which I don’t want or need. Any more thoughts really appreciated
I've never had N rated tyres on my 997.2S.
My go to has usually been the Michelins (MPS4) and never had any complaints.
The last year I have been on Continentals (SC7) and I would say they are very much on par with the MPS4s.
My go to has usually been the Michelins (MPS4) and never had any complaints.
The last year I have been on Continentals (SC7) and I would say they are very much on par with the MPS4s.
M11rph said:
Michelin PS4s- Slightly numb the steering feel, great grip in all summer conditions and fantastic wear characteristics.
Continental Sport Contact 7- Combine the Pirelli steering feel with the grip of the Michelin or better. Wear much quicker than the Michelin. Less of a concern if you are a low mileage user.
I agree with the wear speed quoted above, the SC7s do seem to have dropped off a bit lately and there's still quite a bit of tread left. I have never noticed numb steering with the Michelins, but in fairness when I first got the car I bought them to replace the very elderly but not that worn tyres that were on it and the difference was massive.Continental Sport Contact 7- Combine the Pirelli steering feel with the grip of the Michelin or better. Wear much quicker than the Michelin. Less of a concern if you are a low mileage user.
Appreciate not the same model but just changed tyres on my 992.1 C4S. I went for Michelin PS4s, which i had on my 718 Cayman GTS and loved, replacing Pirelli PZeros. But for interest can go onto on Michelin UK website, put in exact model and year of your car and you'll get the recommendations. Mine turned out size wise to be XL NA0s which i bought.
https://www.michelin.co.uk/auto/manufacturers/pors...
https://www.michelin.co.uk/auto/manufacturers/pors...
I probably get through more tyres than most given my car is used only for pleasure drives on deserted roads. I wish I could say otherwise as it becomes an expensive activity. Anyway I’ve tried quite a few options many of which were not N rated.
In general, the more recent the technology and tyre virtually always mean more grip, wet or dry. I’m obviously talking established brands here not ditch finders.
The PS4S is still a very good tyre and tends to get more mileage, I would say comfortably 25 % as a rough estimate.
Conti C 7 is excellent in terms of grip but will wear faster. A few years ago I went from PSS to C7 on an M2 and the difference was stark. The grip in the wet was leagues better. However brands like Kumho with the new PS72 S should not be dismissed, or Maxxis with the new VS6 - extremely grippy wet and dry. I also like the PZ4 which is miles better than the P Zero and has nice steering feel. I haven’t tried the PZ5 yet.
These are my opinions - everyone may disagree. This is relative to pure sports driving, so my rating is based on grip and predictability.
In general, the more recent the technology and tyre virtually always mean more grip, wet or dry. I’m obviously talking established brands here not ditch finders.
The PS4S is still a very good tyre and tends to get more mileage, I would say comfortably 25 % as a rough estimate.
Conti C 7 is excellent in terms of grip but will wear faster. A few years ago I went from PSS to C7 on an M2 and the difference was stark. The grip in the wet was leagues better. However brands like Kumho with the new PS72 S should not be dismissed, or Maxxis with the new VS6 - extremely grippy wet and dry. I also like the PZ4 which is miles better than the P Zero and has nice steering feel. I haven’t tried the PZ5 yet.
These are my opinions - everyone may disagree. This is relative to pure sports driving, so my rating is based on grip and predictability.
NDA said:
Early-bird said:
Definitely don't go for the P-Zeros they are awful.
I wonder why so many high performance car manufacturers fit them if they're that bad?You're a head of procurement at a car manufacturer, your company builds 260,000 cars a year, and Pirelli offer you tyres that are £10 cheaper each than the equivalent Michelin, Continental and Goodyear.
As the head buyer, which company would you place the order with ?
They’re not.
I’ve got no vested interest in Pirelli’s, although my experience with them has been excellent.
But, more significantly:
- Why would virtually all manufacturers, especially high-end sports and supercar marques, fit them as OE?
- They supply these cars for road tests and media scrutiny with them fitted
- They seem to perform at the top level in most independent tyre tests
- They have a long and successful involvement in all levels of motorsport - and most notably at the cutting edge of F1
That’s not to say that someone might not have had a bad experience with them, in a particular situation.
But, any sweeping generalisation that Pirelli’s are somehow rubbish has no credibility .
I’ve got no vested interest in Pirelli’s, although my experience with them has been excellent.
But, more significantly:
- Why would virtually all manufacturers, especially high-end sports and supercar marques, fit them as OE?
- They supply these cars for road tests and media scrutiny with them fitted
- They seem to perform at the top level in most independent tyre tests
- They have a long and successful involvement in all levels of motorsport - and most notably at the cutting edge of F1
That’s not to say that someone might not have had a bad experience with them, in a particular situation.
But, any sweeping generalisation that Pirelli’s are somehow rubbish has no credibility .
Slippydiff said:
You're a head of procurement at a car manufacturer, your company builds 260,000 cars a year, and Pirelli offer you tyres that are £10 cheaper each than the equivalent Michelin, Continental and Goodyear.
As the head buyer, which company would you place the order with ?
With cars going out to every journalist and motoring channel around the world - would I put the cheapest tyres on my cars? Hmmm. Not sure.As the head buyer, which company would you place the order with ?
Ferrari make around 14,000 cars a year and fit Pirelli to many of their models.
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