Best tires for a 1989 3.2?

[atownusa]

Hey there, I'm in need of some new tires as mine are pretty old (10yrs!) and pretty stiff.

I'm in Oregon, but a fair weather driver. So figure mostly clear days (but needs to work when wet just in case) and I will do 1-2 track days a year. I'm not pushing it to the limit, just having fun.

I was recommended 2 different sets:

Yokohama ADVAN Fleva V701 790.00
Ultra High Performance Summer

Continental extreme contact sport 2 860.00
Max Performance Summer

Those prices are installed. I would love any of you to weigh in on what's worked for you!
Thanks in advance from a noob.

[ab1752]

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 (not the all season one)

[HarryD]

I am currently running the Conti ExtremeContact Sports 2. This is my second set. Great for touring, Autocross and HPDE.

The Contis do not have the grip of my old Hoosiers (duh) or even the Toyo R1R's (that I have used previously) on the track. The Contis offer a nicer ride and almost as good for the track days.

If you are in the Portland Oregon area, I recommend you see Garth at Trackside (aka AnT Tires) on N Interstate. Knowledgeable guy, good prices. https://www.tracksideracetires.com/

[ben parrish]

I’ve ran both those and they are good options. Just put a new set in of Bridgestone Potenza Sports and I am very pleased with the quick steering feel and grip. Very quiet right now but they me will tell if they stay that way. I recently ran RE-11’s and they were very grippy but had aged out and were getting hard and slippery.

[quattro4]

I've been very happy with my MICHELIN PILOT EXALTO PE2 that I've been running for the past 10 months - great in the wet.

[silverlock]

I had Conti ECS' on my 993 and liked them a lot, and run ECS02's in 205/55R16 + 225/50R16 on my SC and like them even more. I don't find they drone or rumble too much at highway speeds either — or rather, they're not louder than my already loud car :-)

Great "extreme summer" tire that isn't garbage in the wet or on a cooler 30-40F day.

[RSTarga]

Firestone Indy is the old Bridgestone RE-11, great tire.

[skunkwerks]

+1 for the Firestone Indy 500's. I just put on a set from Costco for around $550. Some others have said they are 90% of a Pilot Sport 4 but at 50% of the price.

[UK Carrera]

I'll second the vote for Michelin Pilot Sport 4.
Car feels wonderful on these.

[Duc Hunter]

Love my new Conti's, though after 5 years you MUST replace al Conti's. They are prone to the tread separating forth sidewalls after 5 years....with no signs of issues before. Ask me how I know.

Also like the Michelin options. Mine are 16"

[proporsche]

makes me wonder you can get continental tires in USA? if yes any links.
recently i had bad experience with Pirelli rosso made in Romania..an absolute crap tires...

thanx
Ivan

[shoooo32]

Sounds like your tires age out before they wear out. The use case would indicate buying a cheaper tire (Indy 500) and replacing it twice as often. A five year old Michelin is no match for a fresh Firestone.

[wildthing]

I have RE-71s on my 16" Fuchs with maybe 5 autocross events a year. I replace them every two years. 200 tread wear rating. I also don't drive it when outside temp goes below 50.

[RSTarga]

The RE71's are excellent tires also. ^

[Mr. Merk]

Assuming your car has 16x6 & 16x7 wheels. 7s & 8s would be perferable.

Either way you'll be running 205/55 and 225/50

You need to wear tires out before they expire. Get something sticky, great for track days and getting the most out of your 911. The Bridgestone RE71RS is king right now.

Otherwise, go with a performance all season tire if you plan on driving in sub-40*F weather. Michelin and Continental both have good options, but they don't feel super stable on the narrow wheels.

I currently have the Continental DWS06 stretched out over 8s and 9s and they are great. This is coming from 50,000 miles of countless Toyo R888R and Yokohama A052.

[wildcat077]

I ran some Continental DWS on my 89 911 during PCA DE's a while back and they are somewhat scary if you drive agressively ... the sidewalls are very soft.
Before that i used Dunlop Direzzas and Nitto NT01's which were pretty good all around.Anyhow, in the end i had two sets of wheels , one with BF Goodrich R1's and the Contis were my rain tires.
I now use them on my 911 as daily driver tires as i no longer track the 911.
My wheels are 17 inch Fikses !

[esample]

I’m no authority, but am on my second set of Extreme Contacts. Have been very satisfied with them for street/highway driving. Wear well and good handling. Can’t speak to noise, just that I can’t hear them over the engine. 🙂. YMMV.


-e.

[HarryD]

Originally Posted by wildcat077

I ran some Continental DWS on my 89 911 during PCA DE's a while back and they are somewhat scary if you drive agressively ... the sidewalls are very soft.
Before that i used Dunlop Direzzas and Nitto NT01's which were pretty good all around.Anyhow, in the end i had two sets of wheels , one with BF Goodrich R1's and the Contis were my rain tires.
I now use them on my 911 as daily driver tires as i no longer track the 911.
My wheels are 17 inch Fikses !

The DWS is different than the Contact Sports (formerly called the DW). I have the DWS on my C300 Mercedes and it is a great touring tire. Not sure I would ever use it for a track tire.

[Tippy]

Look into Sumitomo's.

They gripped hard enough to bust my CV joint on a G50 and wear miles were on par with any other tire, nothing unusual.

First pair I bought, I lapped many 700+HP Shelby Mustangs at an HPDE.

They perform and are cheap.

[shoooo32]

I've autocrossed with DWS all-seasons on the car. I wasn't the fastest in my class but I was having the most fun! Big slides kept all the corner workers on their toes