My 09 997s Cab was vibrating pretty badly so I took it into the Porsche dealer for a wheel balance and found that I was in dire need for 2 new rear tires. They advised it was best to stick with the current Pirelli Rosso set up as the fronts weren't needed. I reluctantly accepted this though questioned the advice as I've never really heard any good reviews on Pirellis and rather enjoyed previous Bridgestones (on MUCH smoother 987 Boxster S).

After replacing the rears, doing a 4 wheel alignment & balance, they mentioned the fronts did show some uneven patches/signs of wear and a rim may be slightly bent and may need adjusting if it bothered me.

I took the car on a short 200 mile trip the following day and thought it rode horribly. The steering wheel was shaking non-stop.

I phoned the dealership this morning and asked if I should replace the fronts with something different. Again, they advised against mixing. I then asked if I could swap out the 3 day old Pirellis and found that not to be a possibility.

The question is - what should I do? Do I buy 2 more Pirelli Rossos and hope the outcome will be different? Am I just biased and these tires should be fine? Do I put different tires on the front? Do I remove the brand new rears and sell them (paid $1000 including warranty)?

A little bit about me: This is 100% a weekend car. It will never see a track. I live in Florida where the streets are straight. I just want a comfortable/smooth confident ride. I tried buying this car and replacing my Boxster without telling my - soon to be fiancé. She happens to be more aware than I gave her credit and noticed immediately. As one can imagine, she is not very pleased. I mostly want it to ride like the old one so it doesn't keep reminding her its different!!!

Thoughts?

 

I was kinda in the same postion with worn rears (1st set)... So I replaced them with the idea that when the front and rear go next time that I will change brands. It s ashame they didn t see the fronts before you bought the rears. At this point if the fronts are that bad I d just replace them so you don t get beat up on the new rears . Either way I d fix the front rim issue and maybe then you will be happy with the ride. Also be aware that new rears and old fronts will feel a little unstable for the first 1000 miles or so. It s a documented issue which I have experienced.

 

General rule of thumb from my experience is always match tires and 2 sets of rears for every set of fronts.

 

I've decided to go ahead and purchase a full set of Michelin Super Sports. I'll put the 3 day old set of Rossos up on Ebay as soon as they arrive. Thinking $500 for both if anyone is interested...

 

I have mixed brands but always N rated and have no problems. I don't track my car but drive it hard on the street. I believe the difference between the same size different brand of N rated tire to be real but not enough to be dangerous on the street unless you are a complete nut job and are basically pushing the car to the absolute max all the time. I will switch to Michelin on the rears in the spring and drive the Pirelli on the front till they wear out then put Michelin all around.

 

You're going to love the Michelins! Great tires, mine have 3 track days and 5-6 autocross days and still look almost new. Sticky too!

 

Don't mix. Seems our options are stick with an all new set if perellis or eat the cost of the new rears and try and sell them. Then get all four new tires in some thing you want.
I'd probably go for replacing them but my wife would probably go for new perellis fronts.

 

UPDATE: I installed the Super Sports on the front only (rears should arrive early next week). Problem solved. Wow, what a difference. I underestimated the countless positive reviews on all forums and high ratings on tirerack.com.

Its kind of funny how the rears are still vibrating a bit (with one week old Rossos) and the front is smooth as silk. People that think the Pirellis are comparable are just fooling themselves - in my opinion.

Anyway, thank you forum contributors for the great advice!

I am my Porsche…

 

Word!

 

Good move though a costly one. In general:
Don't mix brands or even tire models front to back (no less side to side)
I have a strong personal bias that favors Michelin's versus Dunlop, Bridgestone or (worse yet) Pirelli's. I have never had a problem with nor have I ever been disappointed with running Michelin's
If you really want to spoil yourself and don't drive in the wet or cold, put a set of Michelin Cup N+ tires on the car. You'll never go back.
B

 

Saw a show about Magnus Walker, he drives his Porsches in California with Hoosier Racing Slicks on the street!
I might have to try that next spring.