Crown

Updated last night

talked to Porsche CH and they told me that the wall-stiffness of the Cup-tire is different to this and the original RS suspension set up is tuned to the Cup tire - so I am again not sure whether I should stick to the Cup or try this one for better rain drivability.... 

I looked at the tirerack configurator and the PSS in Porsche sizes are not N-rated.

"Form follows function"

325 size not going to be available in the UK apparently 

3.9  GT2 2011 make over

I'm not sure why it's not N-Rated, but from this video you can clearly see it's already being tested on 997 + Turbo

http://youtu.be/C2g1g7y2OSY

http://www.porscheblogs.co.uk/tested-the-new-michelin-pilot-super-sport/

Not to worry as, around 10 mins later they all came back into the paddock and I jumped into a 997 Turbo. Heart beating, and after a slight fashion misdemenour with helmet / Ray Ban combo I was ready to go.The track was hot and the cars even hotter, but as I said a prayer and nailed it out of the pit everything was good in life. Then...bang, a bloody corner! The first corner after the main straight is tight. Tighter than I thought, and I hit it harder that I meant to. The turbo is so stable anyway, but my entry speed was way beyond what I'd call my limit. However, the car stuck. I made it round with a yelp and a shriek and nailed it towards the next corner. Phew! What saved me? Was it prayer in the pit? Possibly. Was it the tyres? Probably.

However, looking back, it wasn't some crazy injection of new found driving ability or divine intervention that stopped me from crashing a £130k Porsche turbo, it was the tyres. So much grip and control. The next couple of hours of the day were a dream, with hot lap after hot lap in the car of your choice. As the sun set, and the layout of the track was embedded in my mind, I just settled down and enjoyed the experience. With so many cars on offer, I couldn't resist playing in some other models too and with my own personal need (or at least the wife’s need) for boot space and baby seat, special compliment to the new B5 Bi-turbo Alpina. Tell you what though...I always went back to Porsche.

Most exciting car of the day? 997 Turbo. Without a doubt. My new problem? Can I sell my house and buy one without said wife finding out. After what was a massively enjoyable and educational day, the conversation returned to the real point of the day. The new Michelin Pilot Super Sport. So is it game changing? In my experience, I would say yes. The combination of wet and dry performance was obvious to both experienced and inexperienced drivers alike.

From my own experience, and testing by independent organisations such as the TÜV Rheinl nd Group, along with the feedback from those I discussed this with over dinner, these tyres really are a massive advance in performance. Congratulations to Michelin for engineering the tyres and for making advances in the field.

325 size not going to be available in the UK apparently 

Consider buying some from Tirerack..  I ordered a set of winter tyres from them on a Friday evening, and they arrived at my place in Switzerland on the following Tuesday.  Cheaper than buying locally, too 

2011 987S, 1964 Type 1

DaveGordon:

325 size not going to be available in the UK apparently 

Consider buying some from Tirerack..  I ordered a set of winter tyres from them on a Friday evening, and they arrived at my place in Switzerland on the following Tuesday.  Cheaper than buying locally, too 

Yeah, I have a "call" into them already

3.9  GT2 2011 make over

I assume they send them by courier but you have to pay a customs inspection fee and VAT on arrival in the UK?

997.1 C2S GT Silver/Cocoa, -20mm/LSD, PSE, short shifter, SportDesign rims, Zuffenhausen pickup, BMW Z4 2.5i Roadster Sterling Grey/Red

2011 987S, 1964 Type 1

DaveGordon : I am also checking prices to CH. So far www.rad.ch hat the best prices in our area if you want to compare...let's see what they offer on the PSS and Cup.

I just bought some from http://www.popgom.ch/?language=de_C    you can even have the tires mounted ( price paid to popgom ) at tires shops they are linked with.

The prices I got for Dunplop Run flats for the Mini JCW were just unbeatable ( better then Tirerack , Dave  )

--

 997.2 C2S, PDK, -20mm

Tirerack tell me they do not have ECE marking, it seems they are made for the US market.

We are trying to find out more, has anyone here any info on this ? are they for sale anywhere in Europe ?

Even if the tyres could get past customs without the ECE mark I would not be happy going high speed on a tyre developed for US driving - if this turns out to be the case, sounds unlikely I know  

3.9  GT2 2011 make over

2011 987S, 1964 Type 1

What are EU approved tires? Do you think PAG sends lesser tires to the US? If anything, the US varying climate is tougher on performance tires.

_________________________________________________________________ 

"Dream as impractical, irrational and unnecessary as that may be... Here's to the Dreamers!" -- Porsche AG.

ADias:

What are EU approved tires? Do you think PAG sends lesser tires to the US? If anything, the US varying climate is tougher on performance tires.

Nobody said anything about these tyres having been sent to the USA by PAG? 

fritz

PSS is available in Europe, but there maybe some kind of delay on 325's and the new sizes which were announced early this month

Pilot Super Sport (PSS) tyre sizes:

225/35 ZR19 88Y XL
225/40 ZR19 93Y XL
225/45 ZR18 95Y XL
235/30 ZR22
235/35 ZR19 91Y XL (Front: Porsche Turbo S)
235/35 ZR20 92Y XL K1 (Front: Ferrari 458 Italia)
245/35 ZR19 93Y XL
245/40 ZR18 97Y XL
245/45 ZR18 100Y XL
255/30 ZR21 93Y XL
255/35 ZR19 96Y XL
255/35 ZR20
265/30 ZR19 93Y XL
265/30 ZR21
265/30 ZR22
265/35 ZR19 98Y (Front: Koenigsegg Agera)
265/40 ZR18 101Y XL
275/30 ZR19 96Y XL
275/30 ZR20
275/35 ZR19 100Y XL
275/35 ZR20
285/25 ZR20 93Y XL
285/30 ZR20
285/30 ZR20 99Y XL K1 (Front: Ferrari 599 GTO)
295/25 ZR20 95Y XL
295/25 ZR21 96Y XL
295/30 ZR19 100Y XL
295/30 ZR21
295/35 ZR20 101Y K1 (Rear: Ferrari 458 Italia)
305/30 ZR19 102Y XL (Rear: Porsche Turbo S)
315/35 ZR20 110Y XL K1 (Rear: Ferrari 599 GTO)
345/30 ZR20 106Y (Rear: Koenigsegg Agera)

I haven't pushed her yet, but I did notice how quiet they were (over speed bumps) no highway driving yet and didn't suffer from wheel spin in 2nd gear at full throttle, I was so confident to floor it without warming up the rears properly

I'm definately going to replace the PZeros on the Lambo when she shows up, not sure how good the PZero's are but I've never been a big fan of Pirelli tires

ive them on my 997.1 Turbo and i`m completely satisfied. When i first drove it, i thought ive a completely new car compared to the Bridgestones and the Pirellis are even worse. Incredible grip in dry conditions and also good on the wet

I put a set of Pilot Super Sports on my Carrera GT just before an April track event at Mid-Ohio.  I just love them.  They are less sensitive by far to cold pavement than the OEM Pilot Sport while driving to the track over 42 F morning roads. They seem to have more grip when warmed up than the originals as well.  I could easily close up in the corners on cars like Vipers running R888 and the like street-legal track tires.

I liked them so well that I immediately bought a set for my Panamera Turbo.  Great tires!

I'll have to wait until after I burn out my first set of Sport Cup N tires on the RS 4.0 to decide if surviving thunderstorms while driving to and from the track is a higher priority than the last second or two per lap. 

--

Mike

Carrera GT + Tesla Roadster 1.5 + Panamera Turbo +  BMW Z8 + BMW 3.0 CSi + Bentley Arnage T + GT3 RS 4.0

W8MM:

I put a set of Pilot Super Sports on my Carrera GT just before an April track event at Mid-Ohio.  I just love them.  They are less sensitive by far to cold pavement than the OEM Pilot Sport while driving to the track over 42 F morning roads. They seem to have more grip when warmed up than the originals as well.  I could easily close up in the corners on cars like Vipers running R888 and the like street-legal track tires.

I liked them so well that I immediately bought a set for my Panamera Turbo.  Great tires!

I'll have to wait until after I burn out my first set of Sport Cup N tires on the RS 4.0 to decide if surviving thunderstorms while driving to and from the track is a higher priority than the last second or two per lap. 

--

Mike

Carrera GT + Tesla Roadster 1.5 + Panamera Turbo +  BMW Z8 + BMW 3.0 CSi + Bentley Arnage T + GT3 RS 4.0

 Well done Mike, there are indeed great tyres.

Have a few thousand km on them with the GT and they fit the car perfectly. Incidently, I followed your and Romain Dumas's advice, put the rear anti roll bar on its softest setting and the car is sweeter than ever, you can apply power earlier and on the road it's just fabulous.

Almost 10 years on, the GT is still for me the most exciting road car.

I hear you re the Cup tyres on the 4.0, they are plain useless when it rains hard. Am thinking fitting a set of Pirelly Corsa or maybe MIchelin Supersports, but Corsa a bit better if they have the 4.0's size performance wise I'd say.

I also bought a set of rims with slicks, should be pretty close to my Cup car.

Still hoping to get the Super Sport on my Panamera Turbo S but all I know so far is that my car has Michelin tires.

Keep your fingers crossed for me, it is a fantastic tire.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche Panamera Turbo S (at Porsche right now), BMW X5M, Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe PP/DP, Mini Cooper S Countryman All4

RC, from the table above there are PSS sizes that fit the 997.2 Carrera S. Would you fit PSS although they are not N rated in those sizes? Also I noticed that the PSS front is XL if this would make a difference.

"Form follows function"

reginos:

RC, from the table above there are PSS sizes that fit the 997.2 Carrera S. Would you fit PSS although they are not N rated in those sizes? Also I noticed that the PSS front is XL if this would make a difference.

No, I wouldn't but not everybody would probably agree with me. 

I've seen with my own eyes how Porsche tests tires and how they develop them together with tire manufacturers and I have huge respect for their engineers taking so much importance in details.

--

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche Panamera Turbo S (at Porsche right now), BMW X5M, Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe PP/DP, Mini Cooper S Countryman All4

This is my opinion too even though many think that the N rating is a marketing gimmick.

--

"Form follows function"

reginos:

This is my opinion too although many think that the N rating is a marketing trick. 

Of course they do...tire dealers usually tell this to people to sell the regular tires (which they get a much better deal on) and there is that freedom of choice mentality in the US to get whatever pleases people, despite any better judgement or manufacturer recommendation.  Porsche is slightly different regarding technical requirements and specs but people may not know this and think that they are just like any other manufacturer. 

I can live with that...as long as I get N tires on my car. 

--

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche Panamera Turbo S (at Porsche right now), BMW X5M, Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe PP/DP, Mini Cooper S Countryman All4

RC:

reginos:

This is my opinion too although many think that the N rating is a marketing trick. 

Of course they do...tire dealers usually tell this to people to sell the regular tires (which they get a much better deal on) and there is that freedom of choice mentality in the US to get whatever pleases people, despite any better judgement or manufacturer recommendation.  Porsche is slightly different regarding technical requirements and specs but people may not know this and think that they are just like any other manufacturer. 

I can live with that...as long as I get N tires on my car. 

--

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche Panamera Turbo S (at Porsche right now), BMW X5M, Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe PP/DP, Mini Cooper S Countryman All4

 The N rating is definitely NOT a marketing gimmick. Unfortunately, the GT is too old for Porsche to spend money on N-rating the Supersport for the car. So it's a compromise which I am willing to make.

Plus the Michelin engineer are also excellent and they jointly developed the Pilot Sport for the GT back in the early noughties so they know what they're doing with the GT, they know this car well.

I will face the same dilemma when the time comes to replace my Bridgestone on the Turbo S and I think I will fit Supersports even though they won't be N rated.

Again, not Porsche approved, but Michelin approved. Good enough for me.

The Carrera GT or track cars are a different story with tires, I should have emphasized this.

People benefit from N rated tires for the usual mixed driving (dry, rain, public roads, highways, etc.). The tires are predictable and well balanced for all sorts of driving behavior, perfect for the usual Porsche drivers.

Of course if somebody drives a track car and/or a Carrera GT, things could look completely different. These drivers can adapt, they prefer better performance over balance and predictability, so yes...it makes sense.

Sorry for not pointing this out enough. 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche Panamera Turbo S (at Porsche right now), BMW X5M, Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe PP/DP, Mini Cooper S Countryman All4

Futch:

RC:

reginos:

This is my opinion too although many think that the N rating is a marketing trick. 

Of course they do...tire dealers usually tell this to people to sell the regular tires (which they get a much better deal on) and there is that freedom of choice mentality in the US to get whatever pleases people, despite any better judgement or manufacturer recommendation.  Porsche is slightly different regarding technical requirements and specs but people may not know this and think that they are just like any other manufacturer. 

I can live with that...as long as I get N tires on my car. 

--

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche Panamera Turbo S (at Porsche right now), BMW X5M, Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe PP/DP, Mini Cooper S Countryman All4

 The N rating is definitely NOT a marketing gimmick. Unfortunately, the GT is too old for Porsche to spend money on N-rating the Supersport for the car. So it's a compromise which I am willing to make.

Plus the Michelin engineer are also excellent and they jointly developed the Pilot Sport for the GT back in the early noughties so they know what they're doing with the GT, they know this car well.

I will face the same dilemma when the time comes to replace my Bridgestone on the Turbo S and I think I will fit Supersports even though they won't be N rated.

Again, not Porsche approved, but Michelin approved. Good enough for me.

 

+1 

Let's not forget how the cup tires react if pushed hard while leaving the gas station early in the morning, I swear it feels like youi're on a skating rink with 500hp+ under your right leg, let's just say you'll end up on the other side of the road in pieces if you lose control

Those living in warmer parts of this world definitely profit from faster heat buildup.

I was thinking about getting a cup tire for my C63 but decided against it after an AMG engineer told me to stay away from them for street driving. The need temperature and without it, they are really bad on the C63. 

I had Michelin cup tires on my 997 Turbo and I loved them but only when it was at least 22-23° C outside. Below these temperatures, the tire was pretty much horrible, no matter how much I drove around with it. In summer, the tire was like glue, I did crazy things with it, amazing.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche Panamera Turbo S (at Porsche right now), BMW X5M, Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe PP/DP, Mini Cooper S Countryman All4