cannga:
Markus, how about Michelin N0 versus Pirelli? Any comment regarding
a. ride,
b. noise, and
c. wet performance
between these 2 please?
Hi Can, I've been through 2 sets of MPSC N0 and 1.5 sets of Pirelli Zero Corsa (though on the GT3, I have no own experiences with them on the TT).
Observations:
a. ride: the Pirellis are a bit more comfy (I guess MPSC sidewall is stiffer)
b. noise: both tires are not noisy at all IMHO (almost on par with PS2) - try R888 and you know what a noisy tire sounds like
c. wet performance: I agree with Toby - the MPSC N0 are astonishingly good in the wet as long as they are relatively new and not yet too often abused on the track (heat cycles). Wet performance of the Pirellis is more consistent over their lifetime IMHO. MPSC are much more temp sensitive/tire pressure sensitive than Pirellis (MPSC hate cold weather - maybe no prob in sunny California).
d. performance driving: MPSC are "sharper" at the limit (higher corner speed possible, but also more abrupt loss of grip at the limit).
e. costs: besides the higher purchase price the Pirellis become even more expensive if you consider that the tires are one-directional. Should be less of a concern if you don't track the car.
f. N0 vs. N1: hhhmmmm - I tend to agree with Toby, but I guess my case is useless for a "scientific" study, as I still have some N0s on the front wheels (they will go in a couple of weeks and will be replaced with the N1 which I already have since 1,500 km or so on the rears). All I can say so far is that I'm very happy with the grip at the rear. The N1s definitely are not a step back. Still unsure whether they provide a measurable performance advantage. Actually my laptime on the NBR GP-circuit improved a bit this year, but this maybe due to other reasons
g. "+" sign on N1s: means absolutely nothing - it's a kind of model designation (maybe to make it harder to mistake the N1 for the N0 tires). Anyway a N1 without the "+" does not exist.
h. finally the answer you don't want to hear I'm with TEE: Sport tires don't provide any advantage for street driving - maybe unless your street driving only consists of driving mountain serpentine roads at crazy speed Otherwise the sport tires (especially MPSC) never gain the required temperature window to show their stickyness. Therefore PS2 usually offer more grip than MPSC for normal street driving. If you're looking for a compromise (dual purpose tire) I'd go for the Pirelli.
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public roads: Porsche 987 S Seal/Cocoa, toll road : Porsche 997 GT3 Arctic/Black