Boxster S tires

[lrayner]

I have read some prior posts on tires and am considering the following for mostly pleasure driving and occasional autocross in my 2002 Boxster S with 18" wheels. Dunlop Sport Max; BFG T/A-KD or Michelin Pilot Sports, which I have now and have been happy with. I have heard the Kumho's recomended but they look like they would be noisy on the street.
Any imput would be appreciated! Thanks, Leigh

[ttweed]

Any imput would be appreciated!

Are you running in SS class? Kim will be along any minute now to tell you to use the BFG T/A-KDs, but I would put Yokohama Advan Neova AD07s on it if I were in your position.

TT

[lrayner]

I am running in SS class. I have seen Kims earlier posts lauding the BFG's and I wonder how quiet they are on the road. I guess I'm hoping to have it all- a good autocross tire that is quiet on the road. My son has Yokohama AVB Sports (180 wear rating) on his Subaru WRX and they seem to have a bit of road noise. The factory Michelins on my Boxster seem fairly quiet but they ain't cheap! Do you notice much noise with the Yokohama's??

[Greg Phillips]

You might take alook at the Hankook Ventus 212. I have been using a set on my 928 as a practice tire and it has held up well at SOW and Buttonwillow. It is not an R rated tire, but grip seems about the same as the Falkens.
It does come in 18" sizes, but 265/35 is the largest.

Greg

[Kim Crosser]

Actually, I switched from the BFG T/A-KDs to the Falken Azenis 615's. My last set of BFGs "melted" after only 4 AX events. On both rear tires, the tread was delaminating from the casing and there were blue heat stripes all around the sidewalls. (And yes, I did keep checking tire pressures through the events - same as with my previous 4 sets of BFGs. I think I just got a bad batch of tires, but at $975 a set, replacing them after only 2000 miles was an expensive experience. My previous sets all lasted at least 7000 miles.)

I have only had the Falkens for one AX. They don't seem quite as "grippy" on dry pavement as the BFGs (I came in second! ), but on the positive side, they are 3/4 the price, and they are quieter and seem to ride "smoother" on the highway.

Having driven Continentals (factory), BFG T/A-KDs (4 sets), Bridgestone S02As and S03s (2 sets), and now Falken 615s on my Boxster, my personal opinion is:
Best (dry) grip: BFG T/A-KDs, then Falkens, then Bridgestones
Quietest/smoothest on highway: Bridgestones, then Falkens/Continentals
The BFGs, while sticky, were relatively noisy and seemed to take quite a while to warm up and become flexible - they seemed to take a "set" in the cords if left parked for a couple of days and took several miles to stop having a bit of a "thumping" effect when cold.

Since I haven't run the Yokos, Dunlops, or Michelins, I can't comment on those.

I have found the ratings on TireRack.com to be pretty good - try these links:
"Extreme Performance" .http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=EP
"Max Performance" http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=MP

Note that they are showing the Yokohama as the best in category in Extreme Performance, and equal to the BFG in dry traction.

(Drat - I wish I'd seen those ratings before I got the Falkens - I probably would have gotten the Yokohamas. )

You can sort the display by your desired feature. Note that it doesn't show all possible tires - choosing a different tire for the baseline can result in a different set of comparable tires.

[lrayner]

Thanks for the imput. I'm going to check out the tires at the next autocross and make a decision then. Hope to see you there! Cheers, Leigh