I am now the proud owner of 2002 911 cab (996) that has factory continentals (and 12K). . I'm looking for a new set of tires for very sparing (weekend), routine (non-competition) use. . . has anyone had experience or know any ratings on the Sumitomo tires? They are avail at tireack and reasonably priced. . . I want to know how the car rides on these. . I'm hoping not to be cheap, but also don't know I need to spend a grand on tires for a weekend (fun) ride. Thanks, DH

 

Welcome! Do yourself a favor, don't go cheap on tires, oil, gas and car care products on your Porsche. Stay with what Porsche recommends because I went that cheap route and it cost me money and aggravation on the tires.

 

I have Sumitomos on my 02 C2 Coupe. They were on the car whn I bought it last December, so I have nothing to compare. I don't really like them. They make a lot of noise and they are not too pretty. If they ever wear out I'm going to somethig else.

 

consenus is Pilot Sport is best. so3 is now discountinued but if you can find some at good price, it's also very good. i have Pzero myself since my front was still good. will change to ps all around next time.

 

BF Goodrich g-Force SportFront Tire
205/50ZR-17 89W RBL (38385)$124.00eachRear Tire
255/40ZR-17 94W RBL (38496)$135.00each

I have these. No issues, price is reasonable from Discount Tire.

I will definitely use these again.

 

BF Goodrich are not on Porsche recommended list and Discount Tire is not a recommended board sponsor like TIRERACK.COM is. You should check out the Porsche website and study up on the tire that Porsche approves because they did their homework. It's not like a brother-in-law deal Porsche has with these tire makers but actually the characteristics between tire and car performance. Just trying to save you some headaches and worries in the future.

 

I have had Sumitomo's on several high performance cars from 911's, an AMG Benz, to a Honda S2000. I chose them because they ride softer than most HP tires, but still stick very well. My 996 is a daily driver and the Sumo's have served me well. On the track, they might not keep up with the Pilot's, but every tire is a compromise of some sort. You need to decide what compromises you can live with.

 

I had bridgestone (potenza), Michelin (pilot sport) and Pirreli (p-zero rosa)... I like the pilot sports for overall, all around tire Considering, longetvity, track day (2x a year), street use.

I have the p-zero on now, great sticky tire, but im not expecting it to last long. The bridgestone were nice as well but to noisy for my taste. My .02 cents.

 

There really should be no compromises when it comes to traction and trashing your Porsche. Go what Porsche recommends and you won't be sorry and won't worry as you tromp on that next turn in the road.

 

I, too, went with the Sumitomo tires.
Use to have Goodyear Eagle F-1's and these are pretty similar.
Mine are not noisy at all and drive great!

 

David,
Stick to what you like as long as its ps2's or pirreli or bridgestone
also try the other web site (rennlist ) for more info. but get something before those bald tires blow up
Steve
p.s try Autosleuth in Tequesta (561-748-6088) for mounting when you get tires

 

I have had Sumitumo HTRZ II's on my Boxster (before I sold it) and now have recently bought a new set for my 996 from Tirerack. I have had no issues, but I only drive on the street. Grip & Noise level are acceptable. Wear is better than some of the softer/stickier tires I've tried and I like the tread pattern.
FWIW, a Suburu salesman told me that some WRX's come standard with these tires.

No complaints from me.

 

No Subaru comes OE with Sumitomo that I am aware of.

Sumitomo is actually a Dunlop brand and borrows much of it's R&D as well as production techniques from them. Some of their all season tires work very well, but the high performance versions don't seem to hold up well on higher performance, rear wheel drive cars.

Overall they sell very well, and rate as well on our websight. But, if given the choice I would stay with a product with a bit more reputation.

I'll leave it at this: I do sell Sumitomo to people who want them for Porsches, but only if I can't talk them into something better or price is a real concern.

 

Come on bro, you just said it "proud owner", you wouldn't cheap out on your prize car now would you? You should expect to pay a grand on a set from tirerack. I recently purchased two rears on closeout from tirerack and had to dish out over $700 for only rears.

Keep your vehicle safe and just skip your insurance payment or something . . . .

=Dude!

 

I ran a set of Kuhmo MX on my 996 this last DE season. Did about 10 days at different tracks with them and they performed extremely well. I used them strickly for track days on my track rims. Great grip, excellent pricing, good compromise between a hard street tire and a true R compound track tire. Many people running different tires stated they will run these tires during this next season after driving my car. Worth checking out.