Tyres for a good ride; 2011 Boxster 987

[nickst4]

I'm very new to Porsche ownership, as in about 5 days, though I've admired them for as long as I can remember. Took the plunge last week and bought a very nice late 987 with 18" wheels, and I can't stop staring at it!

The tyres are an odd mixture, the fronts being 8 years old and made in Serbia, while the rears are a mere 2 years old and from Korea. Being a keen biker too, I know the value of good fresh rubber and would be grateful for advice on current tyre options, especially any that give a more compliant ride than others. The local roads in Norfolk, if not everywhere, are increasingly poor, and I'd trade a little 'performance' for a tad more comfort. Fresh rubber will give better grip anyway.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Nick

[Waylander]

The bigger the rim, the less sidewall for compliance

Avoid XL tyres extra load, I have just put a set of Pirelli Nero GT on my 968, the ride is much quieter and possibly a bit softer than the old Chinese that came off

These are 17 inch rims on my car,

I would suspect the rims are upgraded on yours with 18, standard might have been 17

[Sean Smallman]

I like Continental Contact Sport on my Cab, they last longer than Pirellis. Only by 2000 miles but I kill the rears every 5000 miles so, 2000 is a lot

I run Bridgestone S02’s on the others.

[Brett928S2]

Hi

I run 18 inch wheels on my 928...

I use Falkens...REALLY good in the dry and fair in the wet....

About half the price of the big 2... Pirellis or Michelin...

All the best Brett

[nickst4]

Thanks for the comments, chaps. In a flash of inspiration, I considered moving the goal-posts and looking for an affordable set of 17" wheels. Plenty on ebay so four, with tyres, are on order for not much more than the price of two decent new tyres. They may well need fresh rubber but I'm sure I'm going in the right direction, even if arguably the car won't look as cool. One review I read prior to purchase said that going from 17" to 18" ruined the ride quality and advised against it, but you have to buy the best car available at the right time and go with whatever options the first owner specified.

Nick

[Waylander]

Nothing wrong with two sets of wheels

It was a good idea, allows you to do some research on softer 18’s and get the rims refurbished if they need it without loosing the car

[JasonGibson]

Tyres are quite a bit cheaper for the 17" wheels.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 would be my choice.

[nickst4]

Oh well, you live and learn. I bought a set of decent 17" wheels with tyres, the wheels being exactly the same style as the 18" ones on my car. Went to fit them today, and although they were sold as 987-fit, the offset was insufficient to clear the big calipers on the front so I didn't bother to try the rears. Fortunately, they came from a breaker only about 20 miles away, and it's no problem to return them and get my money back. Is it well known that Porsche fitted different calipers to some of the basic Boxsters?

The guy had an interesting suggestion re softening the ride, and that was to buy new 18" tyres with a 5% bigger aspect ratio, ie 45 instead of 40, and definitely not the stiffer N-rated types. I doubt there would be clearance problems with them, so I'll get looking. The car is so sharp in it's handling that I'm very willing to trade a little of that for a friendlier ride!

Nick, in Norfolk

[nickst4]

Again, you live and learn. In an effort to get a more compliant ride on my 987 Boxster, I ordered some Dunlop SP Sportmaxx GT tyres in 235x45x18 and 265x45v18 sizes. In both cases, this was a change from the original 40% aspect ratio to 45% to give more resilience. These sizes are Porsche-approved, though for which model I don't yet know.

The bad news is that the fronts now touch the suspension on corners. I wouldn't have thought the difference would be much, or that the clearance would be so marginal. Whatever, both front and rear Dunlops are off the car, and looking for a new owner.

So what to get? I have Continental's Premium Contact 6 on the Audi, and they do combine good grip with an acceptable ride. Going back to 40% aspect, Conti do a 235x40x18, but not a 265x40x18. They do however do a 255x45x18. Would anyone here pair the 235x40 fronts with 255x45 rears? I figure the rolling radius of the 255x45 would be very close to the 265x40, and the 255x45 should definitely give a softer ride.

I'm never going to take this car on the track, but just want to enjoy its dynamics on modest roads. At the moment, I'm in two minds over whether to keep my dream car due to the harshness of the suspension, so will be very grateful for any help!

Nick

[nickst4]

Hopefully, the final post on this subject, and to report success on taming the harsh ride of my '11 987!

I toyed with the idea of adding spacers to get more clearance for 45% aspect ratio tyres in the original 235/265 widths (as apparently fitted to late Cayman models) but have now opted for Continental's Premium Contact 6 brand in 225x45x18 and 255x45x18. The PC6 was developed to incorporate an element of comfort with sports performance, and that 10mm down-sizing in width is sufficient to accommodate the higher aspect ratio on the 987 Boxster's suspension.

The improvement in front grip over the old-but-wider 235s is marked, to judge from the steering feedback, and that makes the car feel less knife-edge sharp in the handling because more effort on the steering is needed, but overall feel and road-holding is still very impressive. The ride quality has certainly improved, and while the suspension and feedback is still very firm, the harsh edge has gone, making driving less fatiguing and more enjoyable.

I'm a happy Porsche owner now!

Nick

[Bulldog]

Hi Nick , read your post with interest , I have a 2006 987 with 19 inch wheels . Like you I find the ride a bit harsh on certain road surfaces. Thinking about changing to 18 inch .Do you happen to know if the 2011 and 2006 models are the same suspension etc set up ? Thanks

[nickst4]

Hi Bulldog/Adrian (?),

No surprise the 19"s are rather harsh! I don't know if the suspension on 987's was always the same, or if Porsche fitted different suspension on vehicles supplied with different wheel sizes originally. If it was actually designed for 17" wheels with significant tyre depth and flex, then the large wheel/low profile styling fad has made martyrs of us all. Not a problem on race tracks or major roads, of course, but I live in the real world of rubbish road surfaces!

I can't help you with technical specs I'm afraid. In retrospect, I wish I'd had the foresight to provide my garage with significant spacers to make fitting of the first set of 18" 45% tyres I bought feasible. I guess one needs longer wheel nuts to go that route safely, too. Fitting the reduced-width Contis has done the job for me though. Of interest is that the narrower but higher aspect ratio tyres have maintained the accuracy of the speedo reading, as judged by a separate satnav. I presume the Boxster reads wheel rotation for the speedo/odometer?

Good luck with your car,

Nick