Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi all,

Passed the MOT today but advised my rear tyres are near the limit

So... called Brackley Tyre Warehouse and they tell me Goodyears are hard to get hold of at present and Eagle F1s not available at all in my size (255 40 R17)

I've always had the Eagle F1 GSD3s with rim protection. Comfy sidewall / excellent dry traction / ok wear / ok cabin noise / not too extortionate.

What do others use/recommend? The chap at Brackley tyres said the closest he could recommend was Toyo Proxes PXT1R @ £123ea. fitted. AA rated for traction, but will wear more quickly than the Eagle F1. Alternatively, Dunlop SP9000 directionals (prettier) - A rated for grip as opposed to AA, £110ea.

Over to you then... what would you splash the cash on, and where from? Don't want to spend over £120ea. fitted if I can help it!

Thanks in advance,
George

Personally I'd go for Falkens, getting good reports from most.
Not sure which Falken is the current one, the Toyo's would be worth a try, you need something with a stiff sidewall otherwise it'll all feel a bit jelly like.

Hi

Current model of Falkens is the 452...and a lot cheaper than Toyos..

I have Falken 452s on my 18s ...really good tyres...

Just checked at http://www.blackcircles.com ....Falkens in your size are £97.18 each...delivered to your local tyre center and price includes everything...vat...new valves, balancing...and fitting etc...

All the best Brett

I have the Dunlops in 255/40/17 on mine and am more than happy with them but I have heard many, many people extoll the virtues of the Toyos on 944's. Lot's of grip in dry and wet and though they do wear out quicker it is not at an alarming rate

Got 16" Bridgestone's on the 68, Potenza S02 front and S03 rear, incredible tyres, also got 17" Falkens on the Scooby and have been impressed
Paul

Thanks for the useful and thoughtful replies...

I tried sourcing Eagle F1s privately through mytyres.co.uk to no avail, so today I called Goodyear-Dunlop directly. After a lot of wrangling and and calling their tech guys (not much help) and calling the contact centre back again, I got a (sort of) date for production of Eagle F1s in 255 40 R17... December, or maybe January! They are producing enough to clear the back orders plus a few spares.

The tech dept. said Dunlop's SP9000 is standard on an Audi S6, but inferior to the Eagle F1. The SP8000 has frustratingly been discontinued - was Porsche approved for the 993 and was my second choice

Anyhow, I've placed a provisional order (no obligation, no deposit or anything). My work have an account with them, so the price is discounted to £75.52+VAT (so probably £100 per corner fitted). I know the Bridgestones are a great tyre, but they're a bit too pricey for me. The GSD3 is a direct competitor and I can't get anywhere close to £100 fitted with the Bridgestones.

If they don't turn up in December, I'll be thinking again, as by then it will be a question of legality! Can hold out until then, as since we moved closer to work, the 944 is basically a garage queen, so only used approx 40 miles per week, if that. Based on everything I've read / been told it'll probably be the Toyos if all goes pear shaped at Goodyear - wear rate not too much of a problem for me! Sadly they're not planning to ever introduce the all new Eagle F1 Asymmetric in 255 40R17 either. Boo!

Cheers,
George

I think (though am not sure) that Goodyear do a 245/40/17 in the Eagle F1 as I am pretty certain that lots of the 968 UKforum crowd really rate them. Okay the rolling radius is one percent smaller but to be honest a 255 rear tyre on an S2 is massively over gripped anyway. Remember the S2 came standard with 225 rears

Useful comparison website here for diferent tyre sizes:


http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

Hi Paul,

The very same had occurred to me during my deliberations yesterday... the 245 is available right now... in fact it is now available in the new asymmetric version too... but I called Porsche Silverstone to check what the right tyre for the rims is, and they confirmed 255. I take the point as regards the S2 being over-tyred though, although at this time of year she's a bit flighty out back to say the least... time to adjust the rear roll bar to softer winter settings maybe!?! Any chance of pointing me at the 245 topic on said 968 forum... would like to read what the 968 crowd have to say. Presume I'll need a username and password too...?

Final thought - I guess it would accelerate imperceptively quicker too!!

Cheers,
George

Just checked at http://www.blackcircles.com ....Falkens in your size are £97.18 each...delivered to your local tyre center and price includes everything...vat...new valves, balancing...and fitting etc...

Cheaper than that remember i arranged a TIPEC discount with them

What I meant was that they universally seem to love the Goodyears but if 255/40's are not available then 245/40's are a useable alternative. In fact many of the trackday heroes use Dunlop SSRs and they were only ever available in 245/40.

Here is the link to the forum:

http://www.porsche968uk.co.uk/phpbb/index.php

There is a seperate section for tyres and many, many threads discussing Goodyears.

Silverstone are correct in that 225/45 F and 255/40 R is the standard, but I know of many folk with slightly different sizes. I myself use 275/40 on the rear and 245/45 on the front

Superb Paul, cheers. Annoying to find that I need to buy some 968uk stickers before I can browse the tyre info part of the forum, though - have given up on that front for now... will take your word for it.

Have you got any pics you could upload showing what your above mentioned tyre choices look like on your rims - should I assume your 17 inchers are 7.5" front and 9" rear like mine? Goes without saying that you need a touch more rubber on the road than I do!!

I've left it too late to call Goodyear today, but may go for a swap to 245 40s in the morning - be interesting to see what they'll charge for Asymmetric flavour!! Will keep you all posted.

Lastly, for those of you within spitting distance of Banbury, Oxfordshire, I could be persuaded to order on your behalf... though not in too much of a drip feed stylee, as that could become very very tedious... Perhaps a group buy though?

Thanks,
George

Sorry I don't have any pics that really show anything. The wheels and tyres were an ebay purchase and are 9" all round. I do have some spare 8.5" to go on the front as offset on the 9's are just a little too wide for my liking.

I didn't realise you had to buy a sticker to register on 968UK these days, whatever happened to a free internet

Try http://www.camskill.co.uk/ I just got a set of Toyos of them, good price and good to deal with

Right, time for an update. I've ordered a pair of 245/40R17 Eagle F1 Asymmetrics. All being well, they might arrive tomorrow. Cost... a mere £8 more than GSD3s in that size at £80ea. + VAT vs. £130 RRP and free delivery - well chuffed with that! Will report back once fitted and run-in.

Thanks for the camskill link - seems an excellent range available.

Cheers,
George

Wow they are cheap on Toyo's. A real good tyre but soft is that right?

Rich