Mark944na86

The most cost effective handling and performance upgrade for your a car is a decent set of tires. Good performance tires are softer and wear out more quickly than "economy" tires. That's just the way it is. You want your car to drive like it was meant to drive, it costs a bit more.

Seriously, if you just want a car that's as cheap as possible to run, why buy a sports car? Putting cheap tire rack specials on a 944 somehow just misses the point. Completely.

flightline

I have to agree (mostly) with this. It's definitely easy to buy a sports car (especially an older Porsche) and end up with less money than you had planned for upkeep. I think just about all of us know that feeling. Going with a less expensive set of tires for your 15's though means that they might very well last until you can afford larger wheels and set of dedicated summer/track/autox tires. That's what I did for my previous car. Even on ****ty tires though, a sports car is a sports car.

Also, tirerack has sales on some fantastic tires, and some not so great ones.

Mark944na86

And I have to (respectfully) disagree with this, 100%

It's is nothing short of astonishing the difference a between a good and bad set of tires on these cars will make.

If you are driving on ****ty tires, you ain't got no sports car.

flightline

I think the most important thing is the balance and behaviour of the car. A 944 on all-season tires may get crushed by a civic on r-comps, but I think I know which one would be more fun to drive.

Mark944na86

I think you are missing the point entirely. This is not about r-comps vs street tires. This is about decent street tires (e.g. a good set of yokos) vs whatever is cheapest on the tire rack discount rack on the day.

The comparison between those two sets of tires on a 944 is like night and day. Crap tires on a 944 = crap handling. Good tires and you've got a classic sports car. Simple as that.

MAGK944

I had the Yokohama AVS ES100's in 225x50 on all four corners on my 15in Fuchs. Nice tire, good balance, looks good, reasonable price. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....odel=AVS+ES100

BlackD150

I use goodyear eagle gt all season on my 15" fuchs, They have a higher speed rating than perelli P4, they are sold at sears. therrrrre great.

Arominus

205/55 up front and 225/50's in the rear. I think i could have run 225's up front but spring clearance would have been pretty tight. If you have coilovers up front (like the paragon conversion) i think you would be fine. I really only ran staggered sizes like that because i got the tires from my dad's s3 when he went to 17's on it. Otherwise i would have run 205's all around like the factory did with the optional 16s. Are you thinking about taking those amazing cayman wheels off? or just looking at using the 16's as a winter set? if your going for a winter set, tall and narrow is your friend.

Yummybud924

the main reason I don't want to spend a ton is that my car probably has more than 300k kms on it odo broke at 259 couple years ago and i've replaced a ton of parts on it (steering, ball joints clutch, brakes, belts water pump etc) and don't want to spent a lot more money on it as I don't know how much longer the engine will last.

so I don't want to get the most expensive/ best tires but I also don't want to waste money on tires that are worse than the worn tires I have now.

locally I found 2 good deals:

yokohama avid h4s: 4 mounted and balanced for 571

fuzion hri 531 mounted / installed

and the falken 912 about $500.

I have found some other options locally but I don't want to spend $800

Arominus

You'd be suprised how long these cars can go for, do a compression test, ill bet your still pulling decent numbers.

The yokos should be decent.

turkis_tii

I've been going with Yoko's for some time, IMHO you can't go wrong. Quality tires. Just put S-drives on the BMW (summer only, in MD) and like them much more than the Toyo T1Rs I had before--stiffer sidewall, crisp turn-in. For year-round, the Yoko H4s or TRXs are great tires, traction in rain excellent even after 50% worn unlike most tires.

mytrplseven

I recommend going to the tire rack and using their research tools. I did that when I switched to 17" cayman wheels. They have reviews, many brands and specifications about tire width, diameter, loads and recommendations. They send the tires to you or their recommended tire shop in your area for mounting. I ended up getting the BFG G-force tires. I don't race or DE but wanted good ride, wet performance and low noise. I'm very pleased with the process overall. I think you'll be happy with it too.

thirdgenbird

the cayman wheels have cheap 205 tires for street use. i i will be using the clubsports for events. i am hoping i can squeeze the 225s up front. (i do have coilovers) i wan t to run a square setup on both wheels. ive got a ford bronco for winter/dd duty.

kenkawai993

If your worried about your car crapping out, or if it will die soon, then get good rubber with grip so that if it does die in the short term, the tires will already be worn. Lol. Get some yoko AD08s or bridgestone RE11s. Great grip, low thread wear rating. shouldn't take long before they need replacing which by that time (I hope not) your car is done, as you predict.

racer

Something else to consider - find someones already slightly used rubber. Heck, near me I saw 2 sets recently of 15" phonedials for sale, with reasonable rubber, each set was $300 or less! Not sure if the used market near you is as helpful though.