Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi there, last October I bought my first Porsche, something I've dreamed of since I was 13. I managed to get myself a black 1989 (when I was 13!) Carerra 3.2 Sport, which is absolutely wonderful - the best car in the world in my eyes .

I have been looking at replacement tyres (mine has 4 x Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3) on it: Rear (225/50 ZR16 92Y); Front (205/55 ZR16 91W).

I would be very interested to know if these the right tyre for the car. I am comfortable with the sizes and happy these are correct for my 16" Fuch wheels, but I have struggled to find out what the recommended manufacturer/model should be, including the speed and load ratings. It seems that the Goodyears have fairly decent reviews but also so do Michelin, Continental and Pirelli and other makes too. It seems that different people prefer different tyres, some obviously on different cars, but others on the same car - I have found a few reviews of tyres for 944's, but not many for 911s.

I understand that Porsche has given certain tyres on the market an N rating to signify that it is compatible with Porsche's recommended tyre type (different to the speed and load rating).

The handbook doesn't seem to show any recommended tyre (other than the size), and nor do various websites I can find. Many of the tyres around today are obviously more technologically advanced than my 21 year old car, so the handbook may not be the best place to look in any case. The only official reference I have seen is on Michelin's website, recommending a Michelin Pilot Exalto with 91Y at the front and 92Y on rear (otherwise same spec as above) - these are rated N0.

However they also say the following on their site so is it Exalto or Pilot Sport?!
"MICHELIN is Porsche's 'Worldwide Cooperation Partner'.
MICHELIN Pilot Sport is the leading tyre fitment for Porsche 911, Boxster, Cayman and new Panamera ranges."

Does anybody have any recommendations I could just stay with the Goodyear Eagle F1's!

Thanks a lot

I run Goodyear F1 GSD3 on my 944. They are a great tyre & a good compromise on the various things you want out of a tyre.\
Porsche's Nx grading didn't start until 1990 & has virtually no relevance on the older cars anyway as Porsche won't have tested them on say a 944 or a early 911.

I have Bridgestone S02 N rated tyres on my 911 3.2 Speedster.

Porsches of our vintage left the factory on Bridgestone RE71, no longer available.

I have Michelin Pilot Sport on my 996 C4S Cab and on my VW R32 and they are a good tyre but a little expensive.

I had Pirelli N rated tyres on my 944 S2 Cabby and thought they wore excessively quickly and changed them for Bridgestone Turanza.

This might help.

Great find, thanks!

Regards
Paul

I smell a rodent All of those tyre manufacturers are tied to Porsche as supplier on current models. So no obvious choices such as Goodyear which the original poster has, Falkens which are another recommended selection. etc.

Thanks for your help everyone, I'll have a close look at prices and other reviews for those tyres listed on the Porsche pdf document - but there does appear to be a pattern there.

The existing Goodyear F1's do feel good, so I may still go with them again, as I guess the devil you know and all that. However I will definitely consider these others.

Cheers

Whatever happened to John Bull Remoulds , always a fine tyre

Hello i thought i heard from someone that if you put different tyres on and not the same as the original as in,came as new from factory or as stated for a Porsche and you have a knock your insurance may not payout

Nope OEM isn't an insurance requirement providing they are of the correct size & speed rating. Echoed in this months Totally 911 article on tyres. Even applies to N rated stuf on newer cars.

Nice 1 Jim for that,i was not 100 % sure

I use bridgestone S01's. Ive been really pleased with them

could you re-post or email the pdf file - it appears to be corrupt

Corrupt .zip containing the .pdf now fixed in the original post.

Welcome to the forums by the way.

Great find. The pdf worked fine me. Thank you.