You have probably heard this a million times...do NOT mix different brands of tires on your car. However, this advice went on deaf ears as I have done it several times on many cars, including my 99 Carrera 4 (WB) and never had any issues of any sort.

So the time came to replace the rear tires on my 997.1 - I am currently (up until a few days ago) running PS2s which is probably what everyone here is running. After doing some reading and price checking, I decided to try out the Hankook Ventus V12 evo - lots of people seem to like them and even some Porsche owners had tried it during autox and overall, had nothing but good things to say about them, especially since the price was so great.

Well, I got them mounted and after checking tire pressure and getting my PMS to recognize the tires, I decided to take it out for a good spin. Not good.

Even at slow speed (35-50mph) I knew something was not right. Changing lanes felt like I was on an SUV...response felt very strange (not necessarily horrible, but just...different). I thought maybe it could be that there was still some silicone or sealer on the tires so I drove a little more.

Ah...look, a corner. Let's see how they behave on a corner. I made sure the PMS was on so there I wasn't any traffic around...and, sure enough, it felt like I was on a bus...a bus without sway bars and skinnies for tires. Needless to say, my traction control and stability control would kick in repeatedly throughout the corner on minor acceleration and upon slightly lifting. Switching lanes at high speeds made my hair stand up.

Blah...very disappointed. Lesson learned. I hope DTD will take the tires back...or I might have to go ahead and order a set of fronts to match the new rears...I can't imagine there is something "wrong" with the actual tires...I think those two types/brands of tires are simply just like oil and water.

 

Mixing tires on AWD cars is a big no-no. RWD and FWD cars are different. You should order new fronts to match, since you can have issues with your AWD system and transmission.

 

Thanks...two new fronts ordered today. Live and learn. There is plenty of information on line about this and I guess I could have avoided it should I have taken the time to do a little research.

 

Ive been running the new pilot super sports for a few weeks now, absolutely love them. Quieter than the P Zeros, steering response is noticeably sharper as well. Not only that but the treadwear is greater to boot.

Back to the topic, I dont think ordering fronts will solve your problem unless your front to rear tread ratio is huge, its not like the old days of mixing radial and non radials. While its always recommended to stick to the same tire I know a few guys that have been forced to run different ones and had no issues on the new AWD cars.

Where they had issues were with the new tires having much more tread depth and thus move around a lot vs. the fronts that have no such movement if worn down some. The back end will feel lose, no doubt. When I replaced Pzeros last change I noticed that feeling, on sweeping turns the stability control would shoot on and off. That lasted until I put 3k on the new rear tires.

 

Please let us know how the new ones feel when installed.

 

you should put on a couple hundred miles and try again. Tires are known to be slippery when new due to release agents in the molds and chemicals that gas/bleed out when new.

Let us know what happens

 

Agreed. New tires are slippery for a few hundred miles.

Also play with tire pressures. Higher rear pressure will help keep the sidewalls under the car on the street. This makes a big difference in our rear heavy rear engined cars.

Finally, Hankook RS3s are more aggressive than the V12s.

 

I've been to rock concerts that weren't quite as noisy as pzeros. Just switched to PS2s. Ahhhh.

 

I talked to DTD today and they are sending me call tags to return them and they will give me a full refund. They agreed that, while there could be a slight change of feeling after installation of the new tires, it should not cause the car behavior to change so drastically as to feel like a completely different car and to cause the TC to kick in so often.

So...I am going to order another set, but now I don't know what to order. I wish Nitto would make the NT05s for our cars...I have them on my Z06 and they amazing tires...great traction, feel and seem to last pretty good so far...

Is anyone trying something different than PS2s, Pzeros or the new PS SSs? Thanks.

 

I have Nitto Invo's on my car for around 5k miles, had PS2's and Conti sport contacts as well, I can say, the Nittos are way better than all the others I've had. Great tires!

 

I would give another set of V12s a shot. I just replaced all 4 tires on my M3 and have been taking it easy so they "break in" but so far, they feel pretty good.

 

what's the tread wear rating on those?

 

had the same problem as u.. and so did many others.

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...x-ps2-v12.html

i think the prob is the soft wall of the Hankook tires.. u can definitely feel it giving when u put pressure on it while cornering.

i would get the new PSSS.. or why not just get another PS2?

i've tried Pzero before.. longer lasting than PS2, little noisier, and handles ok, but feels harder than the PS2.

 

Thanks for the feedback. What kind of driving do you normally do on your car?

I had them briefly on one of my Z06s but felt the sidewalls were very soft. Also, width wasn't accurate as the car called for 325s but they seemed narrower than the stock GYs...so I actually had to go to a 345 i think which was a lot closer.

 

Strange, I went through a set of Pzeros so fast, Discount Tire refunded most or my money and put a set of PS2s back on. Maybe I had a bad set?