Tire recommendations for the Cayman

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10K miles and the car already needs rear tires. Has Pirelli P-Zero's now and I am not super impressed.

Looking for people that have experience with summer tires for sports cars for a mostly DD

What I need is a tire that is good in the rain because I am in Florida. I would also like a tire that is on the quiet side. Of course performance is a key issue as well.

Usual suspects
Michelin Pilot sport 4s
Continental extreme contact sport
Goodyear eagle F1
Bridgstone Potenza
Yokahama Advan
Khumo Ecsta
Nitto NT555


I'm not a big Michelin fan and they are pretty expensive but I will bite the bullet if I have to
I have the conti on my 951 but it's a different car with different usage pattern but for the use I like them.
I have never been a big GoodYear fan but I would like to hear impressions
I have Bridgestone Pole Position on the 968 but not sure if the tire is similar

If the second tier tires are good I will seriously consider them. This car is hard on tires and the rears wear out twice as fast as the fronts it seems. I don't want to be dropping 700 twice a year if I don't have to.

TL;DR
Tires performance for some rain and DD, low noise if possible. No snow, no cold.
 
Pilot Sport 4S, hands-down. Absolutely killer in the rain, lasts surprisingly long even with hard use, and should perform all the way down to the wear bars. Very little will compete with it on performance, and even less will compete with it as an overall package -- even among other Tier-1 tires. It makes the cheaper stuff look silly.

I understand if you're worried about cost. But if your basis for value is the per-mile cost of each tire over its usable tread life -- not just how long it takes to get to the wear bars, but at what point the tire is no longer worth driving on -- the Pilot Sport 4S absolutely crushes the cheaper stuff.
 
I have the Michelin Pilot Sports on out GS350 F Sport; they're great.
I will probably sing a different tune when they need replacing.

Drive a performance handling car and you pay the price.
I am 99% sure I will buy the Pilots again...
Good luck.
 
If you can afford the PS4S, get them
smile.gif


Does your car have a square setup or staggered? What tire size(s)?
 
It's a staggered setup
235/35 R20
265/35 R20

Looks like Michelin is leading the count
 
So the tires might see sebring for a DE or 2 but I'm not sure. I think I am going to use my 968 there the first couple of times for various reasons.

I don't think I can get the Indy 500's in the correct sizes
 
Originally Posted by BeerCan


...10K miles and the car already needs rear tires. Has Pirelli P-Zero's now and I am not super impressed.



Did the tires wear evenly, or in the middle, or outside / inside edge ?

Porsche used to have two different tire inflation specs, the max load / high speed one on the door, and a more useable comfort spec found buried in the manual. The high pressure spec sometimes leads to centre tire wear, usually seen on the wider rear tires.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by BeerCan
It's a staggered setup
235/35 R20
265/35 R20

Looks like Michelin is leading the count


I hate staggered setups because you can't rotate
mad.gif


Maybe you might like the Falken FK510

Simpletire and Walmart have Landsail tires for less than $100 each even in your sizes
45.gif
 
Is the car AWD or can you consider converting tires to match and be rotatable front to back?
The Michelins are pretty awesome but don't have any experience with the other tires.
 
Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
Originally Posted by BeerCan
It's a staggered setup
235/35 R20
265/35 R20

Looks like Michelin is leading the count


I hate staggered setups because you can't rotate
mad.gif


Maybe you might like the Falken FK510

Simpletire and Walmart have Landsail tires for less than $100 each even in your sizes
45.gif




I'd also look at Falken tires if in available size.
 
Originally Posted by Zolton
Firestone Indy 500?

Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
Maybe you might like the Falken FK510

Either of those would be quite a step down, and not just in terms of performance.

Originally Posted by spk2000
Is the car AWD or can you consider converting tires to match and be rotatable front to back?

Caymans are always RWD.

I don't think a square tire setup would be advisable. If you had to do it, you'd do it by running the rear tire size up front as well, and that'd probably have a significant negative impact on how the car behaves and feels.
 
Originally Posted by dave123
Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
Originally Posted by BeerCan
It's a staggered setup
235/35 R20
265/35 R20

Looks like Michelin is leading the count


I hate staggered setups because you can't rotate
mad.gif


Maybe you might like the Falken FK510

Simpletire and Walmart have Landsail tires for less than $100 each even in your sizes
45.gif




I'd also look at Falken tires if in available size.

Also a vote for Falkens. I've haven't heard a complaint about them yet. Especially since these cars eat tires.
 
Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
Originally Posted by BeerCan
It's a staggered setup
235/35 R20
265/35 R20

Looks like Michelin is leading the count


I hate staggered setups because you can't rotate
mad.gif


Maybe you might like the Falken FK510

Simpletire and Walmart have Landsail tires for less than $100 each even in your sizes
45.gif



Sure you can. Just swap sides.
 
Originally Posted by Propflux01
Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
Originally Posted by BeerCan
It's a staggered setup
235/35 R20
265/35 R20

Looks like Michelin is leading the count


I hate staggered setups because you can't rotate
mad.gif


Maybe you might like the Falken FK510

Simpletire and Walmart have Landsail tires for less than $100 each even in your sizes
45.gif



Sure you can. Just swap sides.


You can swap sides, but that won't take care of the front-to-rear tire wear difference
smirk2.gif
 
I have had Pilot Sport 4S's on my sig car for quite a while now. I am always amazed at their ability to keep their grip on the pavement in all conditions.

If your wallet permits do not buy anything else. They even ride nicely!
 
The Pilot 4S or the Extreme Contact Sport. The 4S being the king of DD summer tires and the Extreme Contact Sport losing out a bit of dry grip vs the 4S but slightly better wet. A bunch of regional race guys here run the Extreme Contact Sport as their wet race tires.
 
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