So I had my 09 GTS in for annual service today.. They let me know that my rear tires are under 3/32" and my fronts are 3/32"-6/32".

Tires: 295/35ZR-21 Continental CrossContact UHP N0

I purchased all 4 tires brand new from TireRack in March of 2012 and they were installed by the dealer. My mileage at that time was ~46,000 and my dealer took care of the installation. I also had the 4-wheel alignment performed when the tires were installed.

Here we are 2 years later, mileage is 53,800 and the tires now need to be replaced. Not even 8,000 miles on them. When I had my 996, I remember getting 15k out of the rears no problem. When I purchased the Cayenne (in '10) it had 32k miles and tires were used as well (I think they were Pirelli's) and they lasted me 14k miles over 2 years.

Apparently this model tire does not have a tread warranty. They were recommended for the Cayenne so it's not like I used any random tire. I didn't get a chance to talk to Continental yet, not sure if they would even care, but just want to know if anyone else saw such poor life out of a tire.

I don't drive hard and my mileage for the past two years has been extremely light.

 

What is the tread wear on your tires? If the tread wear is low, ie 280 or lower, you can expect to wear those out decently quick if drove on a regular basis. I buy all my tires from Tires-easy.com. I currently have 3 different Continental Sport Contact tires (2xSport 2, sport 3, Extreme Contact). I dont know why its like that but it was that way when I picked it up.

But back to your question, What would cause the tires to wear so fast. Tire inflation, alignment, road conditions. When you get your new set it might now hurt to get a full alignment.

 

My OE Contintntals lasted for 2 years and roughly 20,000 miles. They were totally shot at the time I changed them. The Cayenne is a big, heavy vehicle. It's rough on tires, although I admit that the wear performance that you have experienced is quite poor. Keep in mind also that the tires recommended by Porsche are recommended for maximum vehicle performance, not for tread life.

You might consider changing tires to something with a harder tread compound. You'll obviously give up a little bit in terms of handling, but this might be okay depending on how you use your Cayenne. I am running Continental ExtremeContact DWS on my Cayenne as my "summer" tires, and they are very good. The car still handles well and I get about 30,000 miles out of a set.

When was your alignment last checked? It wouldn't hurt to get a good four-wheel alignment when you buy new tires.

 

Thanks.. and yes, the 4-wheel alignment was done by the dealer when I had the tires installed..

I talked to Continental, the model I purchases was the UHP (Ultra High Performance) tire with no treadwear warranty.. They are making good and offering me a 50% discount on any Continental replacement for all 4, so now just working through that..

 

Sounds to me like a bad tire choice. While 2 years sounds about right, the mileage is way under what I would expect.

Good luck on your next tire choice.

 

My tires never last more than 12k. Vredestein. Killer tire, Killer price. Oink piggy.

 

Yea, they were Continentals, apparently "OEM" tires for Cayenne as listed on Tirerack's site, go figure.

I skipped on Continentals offer, based on some other threads/posts, I decided to order a set of Vred's.. Hopefully these last longer!

-Richie

 

They might not last longer but the cost makes it a lil easier to swallow

 

I stopped buying OEM rec after putting 42k miles on my car and 3 sets of new tires in year one. 2k plus.......

I now rock Hankook ATM on 17's.......hard as a rock. You cannot speed in Austin, my avg spd is around 14 mph over 4 years. So a nice hard tire is wonderful for my needs.

 

If you want higher mileage, buy a tire with something like a 480 rating instead of the 280 that Continental is rated. Also, you maybe could run then down more. My back tires are at 3/32 and I plan to ruin them down to 0-1/32. I only use my pig for around town blasts down here in Central FL, and don't need deeper tread.

 

Just so others are aware, the typical rule of thumb is to replace your tires once they are down to 3/32nds or below. The wear indicators are normally around 2/32nds. Once you get get down to 3/32nds and under, you are at serious risk of hydroplanning, which is why the tread channels even exist.

It is your choice, but it is not recommended to try to get a tire completely bald.

 

That I am newly retired and don't have to race in the rain anymore. We use wife's RX350 for trips, so tread depth is of little concern on my pig as long as the rubber is still soft enough to stick on dry pavement.

 

Why would anybody grab the keys to a Lexus when they own a Porsche?

 

There is not a tire made in a 285/295/305 21" with a treadwear rating over 280. Remember that the pig weighs 5900lbs. Please be sure that the tires you are using have an xl load rating. Especially if you plan on driving at high speed.

 

Actually the PZero N1 is rated at 300, but the bottom line is none of the 21" tire options are going to provide a great tread wear experience. Maybe a great driving experience, but definitely not 30K miles of wear.