N rated tyres, are they a must?

[Brucey]

Hiya all, just a quick one. My Boxster passed it's M.O.T today but advisory on all four tyres. I'm currently running Pirelli P Zero's (on it when I got the car) but if I'm honest £600 for four tyres at the mo isn't filling me with joy. I'm thinking of part worns as sometimes it would appear that someone has just scrubbed them in for you and you get them for half price. The question is do I have to buy Porsche N rated tyres or am I fine handling and insurance wise without the N rating? also any recommendations on anything other than P Zero's or Conti Sport Contacts that are a bit cheaper? I've got a few quotes today on budget, mid range and top of the range but don't think I should even consider budget.
Please help as any advice is always welcome and I need to get them urgently. Thanks all.
Andy Bruce.

[lindsayhbrown]

Porsche advise fitting of N rated tyres to cars manufactured after 1990 (IIRC), some insurance companies may refuse to pay out if non N rated tyres fitted, maybe best to check with your insurance company first

[Brett928S2]

Porsche advise fitting of N rated tyres to cars manufactured after 1990 (IIRC), some insurance companies may refuse to pay out if non N rated tyres fitted, maybe best to check with your insurance company first

Hi

Sorry but you are wrong, that "Insurance wont pay out" thing is an Internet fallacy....

Insurance companies have no choice in this matter..as long as the tyre is legal they HAVE to pay out... N rated or not... ALL makes and types of tyre are made to the same legal standard and it depends on speed rating NOT N rating...

The fact that Porsche "prefer" you to run N tyres has absolutely nothing to do with Insurance...

Porsche no longer recommend N tyres for a LOT of older Porsches (like 928s as an example) because they are no longer made, and 928s dont fall off the road because they are not running N tyres..lol

Also if you look at which N rated tyres are recommended by Porsche for FRONT. REAR and MID engined cars and you will sudenly realise that a LOT of them are precisely the same tyres, which is NOT how tyres work

Personally I use FALKENS (225/35/18 AND 275/40/18) on mine....they are roughly HALF the cost of Pirellis etc and are brilliant in the dry and good in the wet...

I get through several SETS a year with my Nitrous and so do know which makes grip etc...and I highly recommend Falken 452`s ....

All the best Brett

[JW590]

No you don't need 'N' rating, and the insurance insure you to drive your car rather than the car to be driven.

N1, N2 etc is not a manufacturer 'rating'. It is a Porsche rating which simply means that they are Porsche tested and approved. A quote from Porsche's national tyre expert, who works at Chester - "it means that we know that you can take your car, thrash it around on a track day, and then go back onto public highways and be safe". He went on to say that by 'being safe' Porsche simply mean that the tyre walls won't weaken if the tyres are used for track days. So generally, for those of us who don't do track days, the fact that the speed rating is correct is more important than the tyre having an 'N' mark.

He also told me that he recommends customers to run their tyres a couple of psi below the book figure because, and again a quote - "The book figures are fine for the billiard table smooth German roads, but running them with a lower pressure in the UK will give you a better ride and make your tyres last longer"

I'm on my second set of Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres, cost me under £400 for four and the last lot lasted over 22000 miles. If you want something to last longer then get Michelin - but pay more money.

[Nick]

He also told me that he recommends customers to run their tyres a couple of psi below the book figure because, and again a quote - "The book figures are fine for the billiard table smooth German roads, but running them with a lower pressure in the UK will give you a better ride and make your tyres last longer"

John I'm not sure I agree with the "expert". I run my Cayman at the correct pressures and they now are 3mm - 5mm - 3mm across the tread suggesting to me they need a few more PSI.

I will be replacing them with "N" rated tyres in a while.

Nick

[wildoliver]

I would also ignore your expert.

N rated tyres typically have very stiff sidewalls, essential on the rear of a 911.

But other non n rated tyres are also suitable, the n rating is just a simple way of telling which tyres do work well.

I once fitted a set of Avon ZZ3 (from memory) to my 964 to replace worn Contis, they were absolutely deadly. Took them straight back and got them swapped for N rated Bridgestones and the difference was night and day. After those I fitted some Kumhos, also non n rated (I got them very cheap and wondered if they were any good) they were fantastic.

On a 911 I wouldn't go for anything other than N rated. But a 924/944/968/928 I would cheerfully go for non n rated. I still wouldn't buy budget though.

Oh and I tend to find Porsches work well with a couple MORE psi. Under inflated tyres are not good at all.

[Brucey]

I would also ignore your expert.

N rated tyres typically have very stiff sidewalls, essential on the rear of a 911.

But other non n rated tyres are also suitable, the n rating is just a simple way of telling which tyres do work well.

I once fitted a set of Avon ZZ3 (from memory) to my 964 to replace worn Contis, they were absolutely deadly. Took them straight back and got them swapped for N rated Bridgestones and the difference was night and day. After those I fitted some Kumhos, also non n rated (I got them very cheap and wondered if they were any good) they were fantastic.

On a 911 I wouldn't go for anything other than N rated. But a 924/944/968/928 I would cheerfully go for non n rated. I still wouldn't buy budget though.

Oh and I tend to find Porsches work well with a couple MORE psi. Under inflated tyres are not good at all.

Thanks for the advice but I opted for four brand new N rated conti sport contacts around six months ago.

[WazzerM]

I notice ASDA are venturing into the tyre world. Should we 'go there' I wonder?

[diogo]

I notice ASDA are venturing into the tyre world. Should we 'go there' I wonder?

lol wouldn't go anywhere near it

[tr7v8]

I notice ASDA are venturing into the tyre world. Should we 'go there' I wonder?

Looked at their website the other day, nothing Nx at all (not that I worry) & also lots of dodgy named ditchfinder type tyres. No Falkens or Kumhos either Tier 1 product or cheapest of the cheap.
Some guy on Boxa net bleating how cheap they are as well. A quick comparison showed they are on a par with the well known internet names in terms of price & I generally find they are more expensive than my local independent guy.

[AlpineTurbo]

Regarding one post here, I wouldn't trust Avons at all! On the Alfa 147 I went from Avons on the front to 'lowly' Michelin Pilot Primacies (on previous cars they seem to last ages and grip in all conditions down to the markers (although they are useless in the snow). Suffice to say the car gained front end grip more than I thought it would. No more sliding antics!

N tyres are not a must, no. They do seem to do the business on my '44 though. The grip on that thing is immense in comparison to previous '44s I have driven.

[Porker]

I've removed some tired Avon ZZ3s from my '87 944 Turbo and replaced them with a matched set of N1 ContiSportContacts.

Wow! 500 miles later and I feel I can exploit the car not live in fear of the back end.

Chris