I've only had 1 set of Pzeros on my car since I bought it so I have nothing to compare them to. Seems like my options are pretty limited for oem size so I might try the Sumitomos. I mostly do spirited street driving, so no need for a race tire.
Plus the $512 tire rack price tag for all 4 is a bonus.
The reviews don't seem that bad. Anyone have experience with these?

 

I've had my 996TT for about 10 years and run many different tires including Michelin, Pirelli, Kumho and most recently the Sumitomos. They are great, really great considering the price. I have about 7k miles on them and are wearing very well. I typically get between 15k and 18k on a set of tires and I think the Sumis will hit 18k. I really have nothing negative to say about them!

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

You might want to consider the Falken FK453s if you're looking at Sumitomos.


Falkens are the flagship brand under Sumitomo. I've had good success with the FK453s, primary use is canyons and twisties.

 

Ok, thanks. I didn't see them on Tire Rack but I'll look them up.

 

Just replaced the first set of Sumi's on the rear. They lasted 15000 miles. Which IMHO is not bad. Had the Bridgestone Potenza SO2A prior to the Sumi's, which lasted 2000 miles less. They handle fine for street use, fairly quiet. Great price.

 

have run quite a few Sumi's on other cars, go for it!
I'm hoping Tirerack starts to carry Falken's RT615K's, they're great...

 

Thats the new Azenis right? Ive always loved that tire line

 

While it's odd that Tire Rack doesn't sell Falkens, that doesn't mean Falken aren't available on line. I picked up a pair of stock size 225/40/18s FK453s from tirecrazy.com and they were date coded within 2 weeks of the rears that came with my car. No issues with them at all.

The RTK615s only come in GT2 sizes, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

Not on a 996TT, but on my 450hp Rx7 I've found the Sumitomo HTRZIII were kinda meh. Based on that I wouldn't get them for my 996.

They are relatively quiet, and overall reasonable tires. However, they don't put power down well, nor do they turn well. The sidewall on the tire is very soft, which translates to comfort, but hurts it in road feel and turn transition. I think tire rack shows them as "Max performance summer tire". I'd say they are on the lower end of grip, but higher on comfort and mileage and barely a performance summer tire.

So, if your car is a commuter, or you don't drive hard - yeah they are pretty good. If your primary focus in the 996 is autox, canyon carving, spirited driving, etc I'd look elsewhere.

IN fact, if anyone would buy them I'd be happy to sell a set of 4 lightly used 285/30/18 tires!

 

I've run several sets of the HTR-Zll both on my 996 c2 and TT. They are sticky after being scrubbed in, great in the canyons and rain. Not so good on 100+ degree days for aggressive canyon driving. They will get greasy and slide around a lot. Mid 90s and below, great! Tested several times over 150 MPH and up to near 170, handle the speeds with perfect confidence. Quiet too. I have not tried the HTR-Z llls, I prefer the tread pattern of the lls.

 

I believe that is the lineage


I deal a lot with Tirerack so its preferential for me for them to bring them in...it will be the tire I continually use if they do...best tire I've had on the GT2 hands-down

 

I had similar experiences with the htrz's on my old fd rx7, good tire for all around driving, but looses grip when they get hot. Was forced to run them at road America for a track weekend after damaging a tire on my track set. Lots of unintentional drifting!

I would and may buy them again for general use, just can't bring myself to pay Michelin money. Does hankook or kuhmo make anything decent for us?

 

Rob, in your opinion, what are the odds of TR picking up the Falken line?

 

My understanding is they will carry it (already listed in their system) if they get enough interest...anyone who may be interested in the Falken's please send Tirerack an email or call to let them know your interest...
Cheers,
Rob