Porsche recommended sizes - Front 205/55 ZR16 on 7J x 16 H2 rims - Rear 225/50 ZR16 0n 8J x 16H2
Firestone, Yokohama (top of the range) - Martyn C
Pirelli P Zero Assymetrico - 225/50R16Z and 245/45R16Z recc. by Pirelli - Rob F (944S2)
5th June, 2000 - I have 225/45/17's front, and 255/40/17's rear (on 17" Cup 1 wheels) - tramlining does seem to be fairly pronounced, especially on B roads, but once on a fairly decent road, the car is very stable, particularly on high speed sweeping bends etc., where the wider lower profile tyre comes into its own. Assuming you have 15" wheels at the moment, the difference in ride and feel is significant - the ride is much firmer, and on the whole my personal opinion is that the car's feel is improved. Having said that, I am pretty sure I'll opt for 215's, and 245's next time around - if for no other reason but to see how they feel, I'm just not sure I need tyres that wide (225/255), especially on the roads where I do most of my driving. As I say, this is just my experience, and I'm trying to get some feedback as to whether wider tyres require modified suspension in order to gain further benefit from additional traction, since I guess the firmer springs will keep the tread more squarely on the road surface (less of an issue with narrower tyres with deeper sidewalls). Certainly, the appearance of my car has been much improved by 17" wheels! Regards, Mark R5th June, 2000 - I use 17" (993) style cup wheels and use 225/45 x 17 tyres up front and 255/40 x 17 at the rear and have no problems. My car ('89 944 Turbo) is often getting thrashed at many PCGB track days using these tyre sizes (visible as the white 944 Turbo, just prior to swallowing up a 911 3.6 Turbo at Castle Combe in June 2000 Porsche Post issue!) , hence if there was a problem, I would have noticed it by now. You will notice improved grip and less tyre wear. PWS do excellent deals on cup wheels and tyres (Falken GBRs). Details in Porsche Post. Regards, Andrew S
4th September, 2000 - For the past 18 months I have run my 220bhp Turbo on the Avon Turbospeed CR228 ZR-rated tyres it had on when I got it. 12k miles later, I am impressed and can report that grip is fine wet or dry, noise/white-lining minimal and the wear rate good. More important, when they let go under provocation they do so predictably and recoverably (so far!). I believe that prices are relatively low too - a friend of mine has recently fitted a pair of Avons on the rear of his Turbo and is equally impressed. I know that the name/designation of his tyres was different from the above-mentioned - my predecessor only did around 1k miles pa so the my tread pattern may well be obsolete. I can also say that I have been very impressed with Bridgestones over recent years - on other cars (no 944 experience) as well as big bikes - so I guess you wouldn't go far wrong there either. In terms of grip/handling, I would think that the 944 is pretty tolerant due to its inherent balance and excellent design (provided everything is set up correctly). What I would be most concerned about are excessive noise, white-lining and wear. Good hunting - tell me if you make a mistake so I can avoid making the same one! - Mike B
6th September, 2000 - I've used B'stones SO2s and now SO1s (I understand they are the same compound but different tread) with great results- v. good grip wet and dry with 280hp! I did have a bad experience when I tried some dunlops on the rear (cheaper tyre) - my impression is that mixing is a bad idea. My last SO2s lasted about 15k rear and 25k plus front- incl. some track use! Shop around- I paid over the odds for mine from AFN! Regds Hubert dP
6th September, 2000 - With reference to your question on tyres I have found that Continental sport contact are both reasonably priced and offer fantastic grip together with cutting road noise levels in half. The only slight drawback is that they do not last particularly well. I got 10,000 miles out of the rear and about 22,000 out of the fronts. When I got my 944 it was fitted with Dunlop's. These tyres while appearing to last pretty well, were expensive and offered almost zero grip in the wet. They were also incredibly noisy and caused vibration under braking - Ivan R
6th September, 2000 - For tyre suppliers you can also try Elite in Rainham Autopart in Wickford. The S02's are utterly amazing in the wet, very good in the dry but don't like trackwork The Contisport contact is good in the dry (likes the track) and only OK in the wet. I don't like any Pirelli's (having worked for FIAT) - David S
13th September, 2000 - You will hardly do any better than Bridgestone S02 for tyres. I am very happy with their performance on my 944 Turbo, especially in the wet. Before the Bridgestones, I had Yokohama. They were noisier, I would get wheelspin in 1st & 2nd. gear in the wet, and were subject to tramlining on poor surfaces. For wear I have close to 11K miles and 4 track days on my current set with approx 3mm rear & 5mm front thread left. On a very wet track day, everybody with Bridgestones enjoyed excelent grip, whereas other similar cars with e.g., Pirellis, were all over the place. On a dry track day the Bridgestones go off after a couple of laps and get a little less steady. On the road, I have no complaints. I believe, especially for a powerful road car, in picking tyres with the best wet weather performance, because even if they cost more, they only have to save you from a tricky spot once to repay the extra many times over. I am told (by a friend in the tyre trade) that a difference between the S02s and the S01s, appart from the thread, is that the S02s compound varies through the thread depth so as to give consistent grip as the thread wears - Sean D