Porsche Created New Tires for Its Old Cars

One thing drivers don’t talk about too often when discussing either a restoration or simply ownership of a classic car is the rubber. At least, not from my experience. It’s all about the body reconstruction, the engine, the suspension, which are all super interesting and important, but tires are left out of a lot of conversations in general.

When you think about it, tires can present an issue for older cars. If you want to be period correct, first you have to find a manufacturer that still makes those tires, and then, you have a tire that’s probably inferior to what you should be running to be safe on a car today. But if you just get a good tire from today’s market, it’s not period correct. That’s where Porsche comes in. The Germans, in collaboration with Pirelli, has designed hundreds of options for classic models that are the appropriate look and shape of the cars’ original models, but use modern tech to make sure the cars are safe and perform better than ever.

According to Porsche, 70 percent of their cars are still running around, or are at least in drivable condition. So it makes sense. They’ve developed these new factory-spec tires for cars between 1959 and 2005. This includes Porsche 356s (B and C), Boxsters (986), 911s (G model, 964, 993, and 996), 924s, 928s, 944s and 968s. Porsche and Pirelli also developed tires for historics racing, a semi-slick called the P Zero Trofeo R, which is available in 16 or 18 inches. You’ll know they’re official by an “N” on the sidewall. That designation only comes, however, after completing a 33-part test.

There are 292 different options for those older-model cars, including summer and winter tires. If you include the modern tires for the modern cars, the total racks up to 2,200 for all Porsches. That’s a lot of rubber.

[Via CarScoops]