Hello


I have a 2005 turbo S that Alex and James @ shark Werks have transformed into an incredible machine. It has gone from a stock 450HP super car to a 600HP adrenaline rush. They have also done great job on the suspension, new Bilstein PSS 10 coil over shocks, H&R sway bars and custom drop links. It has made a world of difference from the stock handling. But now with all this extra power and better handling it’s time for tires. I am looking at Michelin Pilot Sport Cup or Michelin Pilot Sport tires. The car will be driven on dry streets most of the time but I am sure that at some point it will be driven in the rain. Does anyone have experience with the Pilot Sport Cup tires in the rain? I am also thinking of increasing the tire size from stock and I am not sure how much larger tire will fit and improve the handling. I would appreciate any input. Thanks

 

I just picked up an 03 Turbo that's actually going in for surgery this Thursday with James and Alex at Sharkwerks. I'm looking to get some new wheels (Champion RS98 in 19's) and I'm upgrading to 315/25s for rears and 235/35s front. Tires I'm considering are Falken FK452.

-Amag

 

I have Michelin PS2 for the street and Sport cups for track duty. The sport cups are slippery when they are cold. They needs to be heated up before they have real traction.
I would recommend the PS2 if you are mainly driving on the street only. They do well in the rain.
You can run 235/40/18 for the front and stock size or 315/30/18 for the rear in the Michelins PS2. The sport cups in the 315/30/18 is no longer in production and is an extremely wide tire.
Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

michelin all day...

 

Amag,

I think that you will be very happy with any of the up grades that Shark Werks recommends and James does impeccable work. I would ask James about the 19” rims on your 996 before you go ahead with them. What are up grades are you having done?

Tom

 

Sport Cups are good track tires for the dry, and don't have much traction at all in the wet. I use them all the time for the track. They need to be hot to work - and in my opinion it is almost impossible to drive them aggressively enough on the street to get them hot enough to work. I'd strongly advise against using them as a street tire.

I use Kumhos on the street, but they are probably not aggressive enough for you. A lot of guys here prefer the Sumitomos. I've never tried them.

 

I autocross in a street tire division, wet or dry. This is closest to maximum street
driving because in both cases the tires never get/stay as hot as on track. I
recommend you look at the Yokohama Advan Neova AD08 or the Kumho Ectsta XS.
They have plenty of sipes for the rain, and are stickier/faster all around than the
more pedestrian 'sporty' tires like the PS2 and such. MSPC is a no-no unless hot
and dry.
This is for 18" wheels. There aren't any really good performance tire choices
in 19", as far as I know...

 

Here is an interesting site; http://www.1010tires.com/tire.asp?ti...VAN+Neova+AD08

They carry a few lines of tires and give ratings/reviews? I will be making a decision coming here shortly and everybody's opinion and experience is very helpfull when looking to buy new wheels. Thanks for the posts

 

Have Pirelli P Zeros now, have no where near the grip of the PS2's I had on my old car. Go with Michelins everytime. Worth the extra money.

 

Anyone try either the Falken Azenis 615's or the Nitto NT-05's on these cars yet? I ran the Nitto's on my EVO X and I was happy with them. Good auto-x tire and weekend track day tire as well, but I don't know of anybody who has used them on a P-Car yet....

 

I have a set of the Falkens on my street rims and they are OK...I use them on street and in a pinch when it is raining on the track. Don't stick as well as the PS2's but they are also cheaper (i bought them because I liked the tread pattern ). I usually don't drive that aggressively on the street but on track in the dry, they are OK for the first few laps but get really greasy when they warm up too much. I was using them at Lime Rock for the first morning of a track day and then swapped to sport cups in the afternoon...the guys in my run group thought it was a different driver because the difference was so great

BTW, I am using slightly bigger than stock sizes...235/305 on 18" rims.

 

Here is perhaps a rhetorical question:

Why worry about the tires performance, when you go from an 18 to 19? Do you give up more in performance with the reduced sidewall with even the very best 19" tire, that you could have kept with a 18"??

I am trying a 265/35-18 on the front (9" rim), to match a 315/30-18 on the rear... we shall see...

 

Yes, 18" > 19" for handling and for better tire choices.