Tyre recommendations for 987 Cayman S

[Brian_Innes]

Hi have just ordered a set of Pilot super sports for my 987 cayman S. Currently fitted with its original continentals, looking at the date codes. Hope get them fitted in the coming week and will report back with how I find them.

You will not be disappointed with Michelin Pilot Sport Super Sports on your 987 Cayman S. I had them fitted for a while on my previous Cayman R.

They are the forerunner of the current PS4S.

The PSSS are an excellent road tyre in both wet and dry conditions. Good you are able to source a set for your 987.

Enjoy!

Brian

 

[Wollemi]

Michelin do not make the PS4S in the N-rated version for 19" wheels. Currently the N-rated version is only available in 20" sizes. The tyre was primarily destined only for the 718 Boxster/Cayman at launch, but was delayed 12 months for further testing by Porsche and Michelin. The final N-rated result is an astonishingly capable road/track tyre for your Porsche.

The sidewall construction of the N-rated version of the PS4S differs from the non-rated, insofar as the rim protection ridge is much more pronounced giving a "chunkier" look to the tyre. The sidewalls of the N-rated tyre are also stiffer and provide superb steering feel. My recent track test at Knockhill demonstrated a wet road performance as the best I have ever experienced of any tyre over 10 years of Porsche ownership. They are also quieter on the road than the Pirelli P-Zero N1.

Michelin recommend the PS4S for drivers who use their performance car for 80% road touring, 20% track days.

You will pay a premium in price for the Michelin PS4S, but the all-round performance of the tyre is well worth the extra.

Best of luck with your choice.

Brian

I have 19" wheels on my 987.2 S, currently with PS2 N2. I have been completely satisfied with the performance of the PS2 on my car, but fully take on board the fact that it is a 12 year old tyre.

I hear such good things about the PS4S and am interested in fitting these next, but its not available in 19" as an N rated tyre. The non N rated tyre in a 19" wheel has softer sidewalls and less rim protection. So is the compound the same?

Are the generic / non N rated PS4S as good as the N rated PS4S then, since it's not actually the same tyre?

Interestingly, Michelin themselves still recommend the PS2 N2 for the 987 rather than the PS4S.

So when my PS2N2 need replacing, do I fit a 12 year tyre that is optimised for my 10year old car, or take a chance that a generic but more modern tyre will suit the characteristics of my car?

its a dilemma.

 

[Brian_Innes]

Graham,

You've raised some very good points there. From my experience of tyres on Caymans, I'll give my opinions below in the order you listed them.

The dual tread compound is the exactly same on both 19" non N - rated PS4S as on the 20" N - rated version. Having closely inspected both types of tyre at track days, the 19" has a different sidewall construction compared to the 20" PS4S N0. I have heard issues of excessive shoulder tread wear on the 19" PS4S, particularly with track day use. This may in part be attributed to driving style and wheel geometry, but on close inspection, the tyre profile of the PS4S on the 19" rim appeared more stretched on the rim than on the 20" PS4S N0 tyre.

The generic PS4S in 19" sizes are every bit as good as the N0 - rated 20". The only difference is the in the sidewall construction. The rim protection is far more pronounced on the PS4S N0. Whether or not this stiffens the sidewalls and provides more support to the tread when cornering hard is a moot point. All I can say is, that the PS4S N0 tyres on my previous 718 CS did 9k miles and 5 track days with no excessive shoulder wear patterns at all. The tyres were still on my car when I sold it.

Michelin extensively test tyres in partnership with Porsche current models only. They do not retro-test new tyres on older cars. It is no surprise therefore that Michelin recommend the PS2 for the 987, as that is the only car they have tested them on. My conversations with the Michelin technical division during 2017 confirmed that the PS4S N0 was specifically designed and tested for the 718 on 20" rim sizes only.

In my opinion, the best tyres for your 987.2 S, is Michelin Pilot Sport Super Sports. I had them fitted to my 987.2 Cayman R. They may still be available in 19" sizes for the 987, and are an excellent tyre for both road and track. To illustrate that point, I had them fitted for my participation in the second round of the 2014 Michelin Pilot Sport UK Challenge held in September at Silverstone GP circuit. Even on that high speed long circuit, the PSSS performed impressively well, resulting in my second place overall in the 2014 UK Challenge rounds. If you can source a set of 19" Michelin Pilot Sport Super Sports in 235 and 265 for your 987, you will do no better in my opinion.

I hope this helps to address and relieve your tyre dilemma.

Brian

 

[Tinners1983]

Hello sorry to drag this up but I’m tyre hunting, and as far as I can tell I can’t buy the necessary 265/35 PS4s for my 987.1 on R19s. Can anyone advise me differently?

 

[Ray]

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Michelin/Pilot-Sport-4-S.htm/price/265-35-19

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m55b0s2172p145769/Michelin_Tyres_Car_Michelin_Pilot_Sport_4S_PS4S_-_265_35_R19_%2898Y%29_XL_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_C_Wet_Grip%3A_A_NoiseClass%3A_2_Noise%3A_71dB

https://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=110&cart_id=Y3Hyz2UPy8vH9DzU.110.94680290&sowigan=&one_size=265%7C35%7C%7C19&Speed=&Marke=Michelin&ranzahl=4&search_tool=standard&rsmFahrzeugart=&suchen=Search+for+tyres

https://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/dimensions/265-35-19

Ray

 

[Tinners1983]

Thanks Ray, but no results there for PS4s on tyre reviews or mytyres.

Ill check out out the other site though thanks.

M

 

[Ray]

Thanks Ray, but no results there for PS4s on tyre reviews or mytyres.

Ill check out out the other site though thanks.

M

Camskills

 

[Tinners1983]

Also have no stock. Has everyone got the same idea?

 

[Wollemi]

Unfortunately, these days tyres tend to be made in batches and if a size runs out you can have quite a wait until another batch is made. I remember reading in evo of a dunlop tyre made in a unique size for Jaguar being out of stock for well over six months.

Personally I have had problems with getting a Pirelli all terrain tyre for my Land Rover (Pirelli ATR if you are interested) after I had a puncture in mid December. There was no stock any where that I could find, I finally tracked down a single tyre in Italy which shipped to me. At the time Pirelli confirmed to me that they had no idea when another batch would be made - "it's not on the calendar" but there were at least able to tell me what the problem was. I just received an email from Camskill the other week that they would be getting the tyres back in stock - that was three months.

It might be worth giving Michelin a call and asking them if they have a production date then you will know how long you might have to wait.

If it's any consolation, Porsche Centres normally keep stocks of tyres but only those N-rated for for your model. (PS2 is the best bet of those)

 

[Steve Lyle]

I have just purchased a set of 20" NO rated PS4Ss for my Boxster. These were ordered in for me from Michelin France by Just Tyres head office and then sent to my local depot for fitting (arriving the next day). Not only were they very efficient but the price was excellent (similar to the ContiSport 6s I bought 2 years ago!)

Try and speak to Sarah on 0333 220 5071 - please tell her a satisfied customer sent you. P.S. the price quoted initially by my depot was much higher and they told me to contact HO where they can, and do, come up with better prices.

Good luck!

 

[Steve Lyle]

Oops - just noticed an earlier post saying the NO version is not made in 19" but I still think it is worth a call to Just Tyres as they may be able to find out a date for you.

 

[Gwsinclair]

I have had some success getting hard-to-find tyres from the continent through eBay (for my old S5, not the Porsche). It may be a little riskier than a traditional tyre shop, but the worst that could happen is you have to contact eBay for a refund.

Good luck!

(I went with PS2’s last time, old design and tech but they still do the job well.)

 

[Tinners1983]

I ended up calling Micheli, just out of those tyres at present. It’s a popular size. I can Find super sports for an ok price so ill go with those.

Cheers

 

[colin129]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but for 18" wheels, 235/40 & 265/40, the MPS4S MPSS aren't available, is that right? I couldn't find either sizes on the Michelin website.

Does that mean the recommendation is the MPS2 or MPS4(non S)? I think only the 2 is available N rated though.

Thanks

 

[Motorhead]

I think that’s about right Colin, although the MPS5 is now another alternative.

If you’re looking for an N-rated tyre I think that there should be a Pirelli option, maybe a Goodyear too?

Blackcircles and Camskill usually have a decent selection of tyres, although other suppliers are available.

Jeff

 

[colin129]

Thanks Jeff, you seem to be the only person who posts on this Forum, so your replies are greatly appreciated []

Looking through this thread, the Michelin option is much preferred. I do like a P Zero, but not much good is said about it for the Cayman.

Black Circles offers the PS2. The car I'm looking at has PS4s which need replacing, but I think only 1 axel is N rated.

 

[AndrewT]

The thing I liked about my N rated PS2s was the rim protection, as well as the grip whether it be on road or track. I believe some of the alternatives don’t have the rim protection so that could be worth you checking. Other people will say there’s better grip from other tyres, I’m sure they’re right but as I haven’t tried them I can’t comment.

 

[Motorhead]

Good to see that someone else is taking notice Colin , and like Andrew I can assure you that a reasonable number of members and non members do participate on this part of the forum.

As he points out there are often visible differences between N-rated and non N-rated tyres, the rim protection in particular, so they’re worth seeking out because they were developed specifically for Porsches. The problem is that the tyres were developed for specific models and the 987 has been out of production for years so the latest tyres haven’t been tested and approved for the older cars. The N-rated MPS2 is still a good tyre for the 987 but it’s old tech compared with Michelin’s latest tyres.

The MP4S currently seems to be favoured - even though there are alternatives - although P-Zeros in their latest spec have their advocates, and they appear to be the standard fitment on most new Porsches, although that’s most likely because Porsche have a lucrative deal with Pirelli. I’m still running P-Zeros on my 987.2 CS but that’s mainly due to the fact that I’ve never got to a situation where I’ve needed to replace all four tyres and have been reluctant to scrap two decent tyres [I’m on my third set of rear and second set of front tyres in 30k+ miles with road and track usage]. Don’t forget that as a Club member you can get a £50/£100 voucher for 2/4 Pirelli tyres from approved outlets.

Jeff

 

[colin129]

Thanks Andrew and Jeff.

Are you saying you get through a set of tyres in 10K or so miles?

I don't think you can get PZeros in the correct size with N rating.

Looks like MPS2 are available in both sizes N4 rated.

 

[AndrewCS]

The PS2`s will be fine, I would dismiss the `theory - opinion` that their perceived `old` technology is a real world detriment

Can any `mere mortal` with that opinion actually outdrive this tyre []