Boxster Tires

[mhknapp]

I know that is not recommended to use different brands of tires on a car, but I don't know why.
My SO-3's are almost gone in the rear, and it's time to search for some new ones. Just wondered if it was ok or not to try a different brand (same size 255 40x17).

Thanks

Mike

[martinreinhardt]

Mike,

The question is: How are you driving your Porsche?

Street Only = Then S0-3 are just fine, quite, last long and are the so called Porsche approved tire. But, I don't see any reason why you could not use any another tire, since there are much better tires out there like: Kumho, Falkon and Toyo.

Street & Autocross = Then I would recommend a set of Kumho "MX" 255 40 17 on the rear and 225 45 17 on the front rims. This setup will fit and eliminate some of the understeer which Boxsters have with stock suspension. I run these tires on my daily driver since 2002 and it allowed me to win the 2002 and 2003 street class.

[ttweed]

Of course it is not recommended, but people do it all the time. Keep in mind it may change the handling balance of your car, but I have seen people show up at autocrosses and drive at the limit with mismatched F & R tires. With the mad skillz of a Burl East, or a Lewis Wise, you can do anything!

If you don't push the car to the limits of adhesion, you may not even be able to notice the difference. In the wet or in an emergency manuever is no time to find out that your car is more tail-happy than it was, though!

Why don't you just replace them with more S03s? They are great tires, but a bit on the expensive side.

TT

[Kim Crosser]

Personally, I like the BFGoodrich TA-KDs. I have won the 2004 and 2005 LS/S class on these tires and I believe them to be the best dry condition street tires (tread wear = 200 = 1 point).

I have had excellent wear characteristics with these - they have worn evenly front-rear and side-side on a combination of daily driving and AX events. Only expect to get around 7000 miles out of a set - they turn into "rocks" about then, even though there may be 30%+ tread left.

If you "work" the Discount Tire guys, you should be able to get a complete set installed, balanced, etc. for around $900.

Caveat - they aren't great in the wet. They don't shed water well, so you may find yourself planing on damp days...

[mhknapp]

Thanks guys - The car is just for street use (at the moment). If I go to another brand/style I'll post the result/impressions.

Thanks Again

Mike