Interesting. Conti 3's at $1200 a set are not that materially different in price. And they are an N class tire.

 

August C&D tire test rated these (invo's) 2nd to last in wet and dry testing....in addition I have read numerous bad reviews on these tires on various sites. Seems that the Dunlop star spec and the Hankook Ventus scored best in wet and dry and more importantly above the PS2's. Intrestingly the Kumho Ecsta XS had a really good dry score while being nearly at the bottom in the wet. If your car never see's a wet road, these may be a nice cheap alternative to the much more $$$ PS2's. All that being said I have not checked on whether or not these tires are available in our car sizes.

 

305/35/19 is a very tall rear tire, do yo mean 305/30/19?

 

My bad, yes, 305/30/19 for the rears. I'll go back and edit my response. Thanks for the catch.

 

No Nittos in the 295/30-19 size.
Hey, why doesn't somebody give us a report on the Hankook Ventus tires? Heck you can buy a WHOLE SET for a 997S for $756!

 

Problem with Nittos is they are greasy the first 500 miles or so. There are quite a few good reviews on them as well. I really respect the opinion of Fabryce over at GMG racing..I do know they sell these but I don't think he would recommend these tires if he felt they weren't any good. I've seen bad reviews for PS2's as well. The ZO6 crowd seem to like them though...If I got them they aren't a tire I would track with, they would be just strictly a street tire

They are available in Pcar 997 sizes if you can live with a 305/30/19 rears. They make them in 235/35/19 and 305/30/19 with equal load ratings as well as speed ratings.

Dave

 

No kidding. For a 997 C4S a set of the Hankook's will be $856 versus $1814 for the PS2's. I may get killed here for stating this from some of you that say "if you can afford a 997, a thousand bucks shouldn't mean that much". However, I don't track my car, I don't drive in the rain (my car is strictly weekend fun), and a thousand bucks will buy me lots of premium unleaded.

 

Check out Discount Tire, they are only $750. I think SportAuto (German magazine) has done reviews with the Hankooks. I'll take a look at that. They are certainly not at the top of the rankings. I'm sure the Nittos aren't either.
I struggle with this a bit too. I know that loud tires with bad on center feel and lousy grip sure kill the ride of the car. I've got the Bridgestone 960 A/S tires on my car and I can tell you they suck. REALLY loud at 40 mph and the soft sidewalls make for horrible dry handling. I think they are a good winter alternative, I guess. (all snow tires will have this kind of compromise). I'm dying to take them off though and hammer the car now that it's summer!

 

Here is the link to the SportAuto review of the Hankook S1 Evo, which is not the Ventus, but is "highly recommended". Good handling, middle of the road hydroplaning. Not sure if this specific tire is available in the US.
http://www.sportauto-online.de/somme...o-1200841.html

 

Ah, let's quit messing around. Here is the real test. Tires on a modded 997S in 19 inch sizes. Helps if you read German, but anyone can read the track numbers and times. This can give you a guide to performance of a tire on a Porsche, not a BMW.
http://www.sportauto-online.de/testb...n-1037228.html

 

Google is your friend. English version.

 

NICE...
Pretty rough translation, but you get the idea. Nice link.

 

So, finally came to a decision. I went with the original, Michelin PS2, after speaking with Damon (who is the man!) I decided to stick to the same tires as what I have up front. If I needed a set of 4, I would have gone with the bridgestone just to give em a try. If anyone needs any tires, TireRack is truly the cheapest around, and also very helpful.
It was a real pleasure talking with Damon and he was a real help in giving me tons of insight.
Thanks for all your help as well fellow 6speeders.

 

I agree that Damon is a great guy, I haven't bought anything from him (yet) as the freight and brokerage to Canada makes it a little more money and longer to get the items. I have referred many people to him, as he is a wealth of information.

Thanks for the feedback as to what you are moving forward with.

 

Thanks it looks like the Pirelli's won this one overall.

Also the Hankooks aren't in 997 sizes as well if you want to stay with the 19s

Dave