When I take a relatively sharp turn in my 2003 911 I find I do a lot of sliding. Having just moved from New Hampshire to NorCal it reminds me of driving in a light dusting of snow. Tonight on my ride home I nearly hit a curb as the car pushed through the turn and went more straight than left. My tires are the originals with just over 18K on them. The car is new to me but was certainly a garage queen for quite a while. My backs are 30s and probably need replacement in the next few months. The fronts are 40s and in great shape with a lot of wear left on them. What gives with the push in the corner? Do I need a driving lesson or are the tires just old (hard maybe)? Or is this how my 300 hp sled drives on dry pavement?

 

Check your tire pressure, I run 36 on all 4 and my handles excellent.

 

check your tire pressure like MeanRob mentioned
check tire threads, and also see year of production of your tires

 

prolly just your tires are worn down alot, it makes a huge difference in the way the car handles.

 

Wear out in 20K miles on the tires is not unreasonable for these cars - have a good look at the tread -especially at the inner tread.

(Of course if the car is new to you, the driver *may* have something to do with it )

 

What type of tires are they? Is the treadwear uniform across their width?

It could be that a light dusting of sand or something else is on the road, or you're just going way too fast... *Laugh* Roads are different. In Toronto, as soon as there is a light rain the roads turn into skating rinks, literally.

 

check rear, center of each tire wears faster. when hitting the wear bar, replace. they are probably over due since you have quite some miles. the rears typically last 12k miles. also check pressure. the correct pressure is on your gas cap IIRC.

lastly, 911 is rear heavy. so always go slow into a turn and grandually accelerate out of it. never lift off of gas if you are accelerating hard. your rears will break loose and lose traction. practice this scenario some time on autocross or on the track.

 

It certainly could be due to the age of the tires. If the rubber has deteriorated, they will certainly not perform well. As you describe the 'push', it sounds like the fronts are the problem (understeer).

 

18K miles???? WOW. I maybe get 10-12.

Sounds like the rubber may be dried out and hard.

If not, in the dry, they should handle great with very little tread. That's why they shave track tires.

Also, as stated before, pressure and alignment effect the handleing greatly.

 

I just looked at the year of the car 2003 and original tires? the rubber is probably dried out cause I'm guessing the tires were manufactured in 2002. 8 years is a long time for tires.

 

A little more (and accurate) information ... and thank you for not hammering me on my original post. The tires are Pirelli PZEROs with 5/32s left on the front and 2-3/32 on the back. The dates are interesting as the fronts are 2002 whereas the backs are 04' and 06'. Obviously the backs have been replaced previously. So the board's estimate of burning through the backs much more quickly is spot on.

I will "use up" these tires with a trip to the track in September where I hope to learn to drive my car and then replace all 4 with new Hankooks for DD after. Sound about right?

 

I'd check the sidewalls for cracking... tires of that age are time bombs regardless of tire wear. I would be willing to bet they need to be replaced now.... not later. If you don't... make sure you have your AAA membership paid up! Cheers and Happy Driving!

 

I personally would get them changed before u go to the track, as when i go i really like punch it, so i will need the tread....

 

what cracked rubber leads too

 

I'd say purchase new tyres all round, and get a four wheel alignment done. A 4WA makes a huge difference on the car, especially if it hasn't had one done in the past 3-4 years.