Which Tires For a Spirited Street Driven 3.4 Carrera?

[Jgordon]

I run Bridgestone Potenza S02s at the moment. Tirerack is sold out of the 205-55-16s, and they're frankly twice the price of the rest of the offerings.

I don't run the car on the track.

I do run the car in the rain.

I do run the car in the winter (have never had a problem with the compound hardening, but good info to include).

Spirited street driving, quieter would be better, and appreciate your thoughts.

FYI they will be shipped to, and installed by, Derek at the Wheel Doctor in Yonkers. He's amazing.

Contenders (I'm open to other sources, if anyone has a good selection local to NYC or Yonkers):

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ExtremeContact+DWS+06&frontTire=055WR6DWS06&rearTire=25WR6DWS06&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Porsche&autoYear=1989&autoModel=911%20Carrera%20Coupe&autoModClar=

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+All+Season+4&frontTire=055YR6PSAS4XL&rearTire=25YR6PSAS4XL&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Porsche&autoYear=1989&autoModel=911%20Carrera%20Coupe&autoModClar=

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=g-Force+Sport+COMP-2&frontTire=055WR6GFSPC2&rearTire=25WR6GFSPC2&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Porsche&autoYear=1989&autoModel=911%20Carrera%20Coupe&autoModClar=

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+S007A&frontTire=055YR6S007AXL&rearTire=25YR6S007A&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Porsche&autoYear=1989&autoModel=911%20Carrera%20Coupe&autoModClar=

[tkd0706]

The BFGs and Bridgestone tires you have listed are very different than the Conti and Michelin tires you have listed. If you are going to drive in any type of snow at all I would stay away from the BFGs and Bridgestones, but judging from the fact that you run the S-02s right now I'm guessing you only take the car out on dry days in the winter. You aren't going to get the kind of performance from the Contis and Mi tires but you will get the safety of being able to handle some snow.

I have the BFGs on my 88 3.4 targa, and I don't like them. I feel like they have a very nonlinear and delayed response when cornering. I would recommend the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 as a better option than the BFGs, and a bit lower cost option from the Bridgestone S007. It's a great tire.

[Jgordon]

Appreciated. I had the S02s on snow once. That was a very interesting experience, and not one I'd like to relive. Dry winter driving only.

Originally Posted by tkd0706

The BFGs and Bridgestone tires you have listed are very different than the Conti and Michelin tires you have listed. If you are going to drive in any type of snow at all I would stay away from the BFGs and Bridgestones, but judging from the fact that you run the S-02s right now I'm guessing you only take the car out on dry days in the winter. You aren't going to get the kind of performance from the Contis and Mi tires but you will get the safety of being able to handle some snow.

I have the BFGs on my 88 3.4 targa, and I don't like them. I feel like they have a very nonlinear and delayed response when cornering. I would recommend the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 as a better option than the BFGs, and a bit lower cost option from the Bridgestone S007. It's a great tire.

[Solamar]

I'll give a vote for Continental Extreme Contact Sport. I've put 9,000 miles on my set this year (90% canyon twisties), there wearing great, traction has been outstanding.

edit - I just realized that's not the tire you were asking about. The 'Sport' is a summer only tire.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ExtremeContact+Sport&frontTire=055WR6ECS&rearTire=25WR6ECS&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Porsche&autoYear=1989&autoModel=911%20Carrera%20Coupe&autoModClar=

[spuggy]

All season don't do anything well, MHO.

Buy some real winter tires and go as hi-perf as you like (or your wheel sizes permit) for the other 2-3 seasons (depending on your local climate). I really like Falken RT615K+ - but the manufacturer says you can't deform the carcass at all - not even roll the car around or change tire pressures - if temps are under 40F, IIRC...

I drove a set of Kumho Esctas in patchy slush once (hey, it was sunny when I set off), and it was nerve-wracking, but not outright terrifying. 2 years later, the same tires felt like they were going to kill me in 40F temps with light rain.

That's when I bought my first set of Continental Winter Contacts; awesome tires.

[Eric Hahl]

Conti Ex con! Well, the DW anyway, not so sure about the DWS.

[GH85Carrera]

Since you are not in So Cal, I personally would not go with the super sticky tires.

I went to a 17 inch wheel just to get some good rubber, My old 15s just have no decent rubber available. I have the Michelin Pilot Sports, not the Sport Plus. They are a summer performance tire, but I do drive in the winter.

Last year we drove over to the best roads on the planet in Arkansas. One morning it hit 16 degrees. I was real glad to have a wonderful factory heater.

My Pilots were no problem at 16 degrees. I was very cautious about corners until the road warmed up. I drove them to Key West last summer, and spent several hours on the track last month at Hallett Raceway here in Oklahoma. They handle it all great. I keep the 911 in the garage with ice or snow so I have no data on snow performance, but the likely suck in ice or snow.

[Solamar]

Originally Posted by Jgordon

Spirited street driving, quieter would be better, and appreciate your thoughts.

Hope you don't mind a quick hi-jack, but what do people mean by "Loud or Quiet" in regards to a sports car tire?

Truck tires with large tread hum. Mud tires can be loud.

I've noticed some sports car tires squeal when pushed hard in corners, Others are quiet when cornering.

Is a quiet sports car tire one that doesn't hum from the tread, or squeal when cornering?


Really keeps me up at night thinking about these issues.

[darrin]

Originally Posted by spuggy

All season don't do anything well, MHO.

Buy some real winter tires and go as hi-perf as you like (or your wheel sizes permit) for the other 2-3 seasons (depending on your local climate). I really like Falken RT615K+ - but the manufacturer says you can't deform the carcass at all - not even roll the car around or change tire pressures - if temps are under 40F, IIRC...

I drove a set of Kumho Esctas in patchy slush once (hey, it was sunny when I set off), and it was nerve-wracking, but not outright terrifying. 2 years later, the same tires felt like they were going to kill me in 40F temps with light rain.

That's when I bought my first set of Continental Winter Contacts; awesome tires.

Spuggy -- I was a long-term all season tire hater -- hated everything from the p7000 all seasons I tried on my 911 when I moved to Colorado (sucked for performance tires, sucked in the rain, sucked in the snow) to the continental all seasons that came with our Touareg back in 2004 (immediately swapped them out for dedicated summer and winter tires. Subsequently ran through half a dozen sets dedicated snows and dedicated summer tires on my 911.

Last tire swap (when both my continental extreme contact DW summer tires and nokian wrg2 winter tires were at wear limits), I took a leap of faith and, on the VERY enthusiastic advice of several forum members, tried the Michelin a/s3+ all season tires. Was ready to be let down again, but . . . instead, with around 10k miles on them now, remain a CONVERT -- don't get me wrong, they don't provide 1/10th the confidence in the ice/snow as my dedicated winter Nokians did (but they did allow me to successfully navigate some VERY hilly snow covered residential streets in Golden when I made a wrong turn during a surprise blizzard), but that's probably a good thing, as I. now use our 2004 Touareg when the roads around here get winter-crappy. Other than that, I've found these Michelin all season tires to be more predictable at their limits than my prior continentals DW tires (and I liked the DW tires enough to go through several consecutive sets), to drive GREAT in both hot and (most importantly) very cold weather and to provide a surprisingly compliant ride (again, subjectively better than my prior continental summer tires).

The michelins aren't perfect -- understand they won't stand up to track or a/x usage -- but for a daily driver, they're pretty darned close -- Plan to stick with them when it comes time to replace (though they continue to wear shockingly well and likely have another 10k miles to go).

[gtc]

Echoing darrin's comments above, I think it's pretty rare, especially in our old cars, to need the extra performance of a soft summer tire on the street. I've been on all seasons for a while, and have never had problems keeping up with guys with stickier rubber on our group drives.

My order of preference for all season tires:
1. Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ - Best in the wet and dry. Louder than the others, but also the stiffest.
2. Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS - Very good all around, best in snow. I ran this tire and it's predecessors for close to ten years before giving the Conti below a shot.
3. Conti Extreme Contact DWS06 Good in the wet, not great in snow. Not a bad tire at all, i just think the other two are better.

[TubbyAZ]

Originally Posted by tkd0706

I have the BFGs on my 88 3.4 targa, and I don't like them. I feel like they have a very nonlinear and delayed response when cornering. I would recommend the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 as a better option than the BFGs, and a bit lower cost option from the Bridgestone S007. It's a great tire.

I just put a set of the BFGs on my 85 Targa, after my Potenza 760s took some nails in the shoulders (dammit!). I'm relatively happy with the BFGs, but there is a section of the 303 that is grooved really poorly, and tends to really move the car around a lot. Have not had a chance to repeat it in my other car with GY Eagle F1s, so I don't know whether its the tires or crappy road.

[Cajundaddy]

All tires listed have slightly different personalities. In NY I would certainly consider an A/S tire and I have experience with both the Michelin AS/3 and the BFG. Clearly not extreme performance summer tires but quite capable under *most conditions. We do drive snow occasionally in the SoCal mountains but I run Pirelli Scorpions on my Lexus. That is the designated winter conditions car and carries chains in the event that we have a big snowstorm while up there.

[HarryD]

FWIW, I have the Conti ExtremeContact DWS-06's on my Mercedes C300. Awesome all season tire.

I have the Conti ExtremeContact Sports on my 911. Great non-winter tire. I have used it for all sorts of street stuff, Autocross and HPDE's.

Both tires are Well behaved and predictable.

[rw229]

The Michelin Pilot Sport AS4 is brand new and looks promising. It's also supposedly spec'd on the new base Corvette C8. I don't drive my car in bad weather, but looking at an AS tire for when the temps are below what's safe for summer tires.

[darrin]

rw229, thanks for the head's up on the new choice! nice to see they're available in "our" 205/55-16 and 225/50-16 sizes --

[Driven97]

When I put the Bridgestone RE-71R on my Civic, it suddenly sounds like I have 4 bad wheel bearings. It's a rediculously loud roar, not all that unlike what you'd expect from an off-road truck tire. They also make a noise when driving over tar patch that sounds like pulling tape off the roll.

My summer daily Michelin PS4S (killer tire, btw) are much quieter, but my 3-season Toyo Celsius is much quieter still.

I've daily driven RE-71 in the summer for years, the noise never bothered me until I got the nice, quiet Civic Si.

The 911 is loud enough that the tire noise never matters.

Originally Posted by Solamar

Hope you don't mind a quick hi-jack, but what do people mean by "Loud or Quiet" in regards to a sports car tire?

Truck tires with large tread hum. Mud tires can be loud.

I've noticed some sports car tires squeal when pushed hard in corners, Others are quiet when cornering.

Is a quiet sports car tire one that doesn't hum from the tread, or squeal when cornering?

[LJ851]

Originally Posted by Driven97

The 911 is loud enough that the tire noise never matters.

Worn Toyo 888 are loud enough that even in a 911 they are pretty annoying. I didn't believe it until i tried it.

Going back to a street tire after the 888 made it seem like i was driving on fluffy clouds.

[stephen1070]

Severe cold is not good for these tires but they have been great on my 3.2 - the RE-71R is an all out track/autocross tire that is not designed to mitigate noise.

[creaturecat]

my next set will be Michelins. AS4, probably.

[911obgyn]

I liked the bfg’s when I was in San Diego until it was below 45 degrees. When I moved to OR they were disconcerting. I got the Michelin AS and for twisty mountain roads and all season driving they are just fine. A lot better in the rain!