Planet 9

bxguinea69 · #1 06-10-2009, 10:11 AM

I know it is just getting into summer now, but I plan on driving my CS year round and I am starting to think about what kind of tires I'm going to need to switch to when the weather starts getting colder. I bought my 07 CS a couple of months ago and I've got the 19" Carrera Classic wheels with the stock 235/35/19 front and 265/35/19 rear tires. I live by the Jersey Shore where we do not typically get very much snow but the weather gets cold and the roads get icy. I would prefer to get all seasons over winter/snow tires because we really do not get much snow here normally being close to the shore. I am not finding all season tires in the stock sizes though. Do I need to go out and get another set of rims to mount all seasons or winter tires on? Any other suggestions? I'd really prefer to drive my CS year round rather than buying a 2nd car to use in the winter but that would be my other option.

**fab944** · #2 06-10-2009, 10:44 AM

Call Jim at Tire Rack. I got a set of winter tires and wheels for a great price! He'll help you out.

Tomasz · #3 06-10-2009, 01:49 PM

I do not understand why all season over proper winter tire? Here in classifieds someone is selling OEM wheels and winter tires - buy these. 18" for winter will be great, and keep in mind that the high performance winter tires one would buy for Cayman are much more like all season tire versus a dedicated studded snow tire.

If you lived in North Carolina, maybe. But in NJ, you want a real winter tire. It gets cold.

**Alan Baylis** · #4 06-10-2009, 02:27 PM

PM on the way.

Originally Posted by bxguinea69

I know it is just getting into summer not, but I plan on driving my CS year round and I am starting to think about what kind of tires I'm going to need to switch to when the weather starts getting colder. I bought my 07 CS a couple of months ago and I've got the 19" Carrera Classic wheels with the stock 235/35/19 front and 265/35/19 rear tires. I live by the Jersey Shore where we do not typically get very much snow but the weather gets cold and the roads get icy. I would prefer to get all seasons over winter/snow tires because we really do not get much snow here normally being close to the shore. I am not finding all season tires in the stock sizes though. Do I need to go out and get another set of rims to mount all seasons or winter tires on? Any other suggestions? I'd really prefer to drive my CS year round rather than buying a 2nd car to use in the winter but that would be my other option.

Jim Michaels · #5 06-10-2009, 03:59 PM

If you decide to go the all-season route, Tire Rack shows two brands of OEM sized tires in their "Ultra High Performance All-Season" category; Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season, and Yoko ADVAN S.4. They also show snow tires by Conti, Michelin, and Pirelli.

**Alan Baylis** · #6 06-10-2009, 04:02 PM

I wouldn't recommend All season tires. I feel that it is too much of a compromise for summer handling and they typically aren't that great of a winter tire. Best to have 2 sets, 1 summer and 1 winter.

Originally Posted by Jim Michaels

If you decide to go the all-season route, Tire Rack shows two brands of OEM sized tires in their "Ultra High Performance All-Season" category; Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season, and Yoko ADVAN S.4. They also show snow tires by Conti, Michelin, and Pirelli.

bigwong · #7 06-10-2009, 04:10 PM

My 07 cs came with 19" Turbo shod with the Michelin PS2. I bought a set of 18"rims and bought Goodyear F1 All seasons from Tire Rack. Had them mounted in Farmingdale and installed after Thankgiving. Actually, I still have them on because the tread depth is so deep as opposed to the PS2 with less than 1/2 tread.

Jim Michaels · #8 06-10-2009, 04:34 PM

bigwong: Did you forget to comment on how well the F1 All Seasons worked over the winter, or did you just want us to know that you had some?

bxguinea69 · #9 06-10-2009, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by Tomasz

I do not understand why all season over proper winter tire? Here in classifieds someone is selling OEM wheels and winter tires - buy these. 18" for winter will be great, and keep in mind that the high performance winter tires one would buy for Cayman are much more like all season tire versus a dedicated studded snow tire.

If you lived in North Carolina, maybe. But in NJ, you want a real winter tire. It gets cold.

One of the reasons why I would prefer All Season tires over getting a separate set of winter tires is that we do not get much snowfall at all by the Jersey Shore. I did not drive my old car in the snow at all the past two winters and the roads were always cleared and salted. It does get cold but it's not like I live in a brutal winter climate like Canada, Minnesota, upstate NY, New England, etc. Second, getting All Season tires would be considerably cheaper and I wouldn't have to worry about swapping my tires twice a year. I am considering the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus Tires in 235/35/19 for the front and 275/35/19 for the rear. From the reviews I have read, they are very good all around tires and I could get them for a lil bit over a grand including mounting them. They will naturally not be as good in the summer as my current Bridgestone Potenza tires but I am willing to sacrifice that because it's not like I am racing with the car or taking it to a track just yet. I may eventually get another set of wheels in the future but I just am not going to spend that kind of cash right now. I think I'll go with the Michelin A/S set and call it a day. I'd be upgrading the rear tire width as well so it should help a bit and they will fit the rims just fine.

bxguinea69 · #10 06-10-2009, 08:21 PM

I also would like to add that I saw the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season Tires recommended on an M3 forum. Most of the people on there recommended it for it's year round performance. Here are a couple of links.

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus or Continental ContiExtreme Contact? - BMW M3 Forum.com (E30 M3 | E36 M3 | E46 M3 | E92 M3)
Tire dilema: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus? - BMW M3 Forum.com (E30 M3 | E36 M3 | E46 M3 | E92 M3)

Of course, I understand that AS tires are a compromise and don't perform as well in summer as performance tires, but I am not taking the car to a track and it's just being used for daily commuting (for now at least). In the future, I might decide to get another set of wheels and then I could swap between winter and summer tires, but I think AS would be my best option for now.

equ · #11 06-11-2009, 03:21 AM

In a word, no. A large part of the cayman fun is in feel/steering/grip and these would be highly compromised. The way to go is summer tires April - November and winter tires for four months, even in NJ. I live in NNJ and keep summer only for the cayman, drive something else when there is snow or salt (or even rain sometimes

)

I've driven high end A/S tires on a number of cars, an audi S4, the 330i sport, and even those cars get compromised feel. Here are my thoughts:
1. michelin pilot a/s (previous gen): great tire for a luxo car but very soft feel
2. bridgestone potenza re960a/s: great in rain, good commuter tires but also soft feel
3. pirelli p-zero nero M+S: had it on the s4, liked it, felt responsive. Perhaps the higher pressures or the stiff s4 helped, this would be my choice for 3-season but weak in snow
4. conti-extreme contact: high reviews on tirerack so I tried it a couple of times (on an old impreza and an old a4) but it is cheap ****

bigwong · #12 06-11-2009, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by Jim Michaels

bigwong: Did you forget to comment on how well the F1 All Seasons worked over the winter, or did you just want us to know that you had some?

I don't drive in the snow. I have a PU for that. Besides, it's easier letting the SUV's play bumper cars with themselves. That being said, I have no complaints with the Goodyear F1 all seasons. I'm not normally a very aggressive driver, and somewhat paranoid about speeding tickets, so the most thrilling things I do are on or off ramps, which in dry weather, I take at about the same speeds with these tires or the PS2. I've had the rear tires chirp once on wet pavement making a turn.
I've been to an autoX last year when I first got the car. After driving primarily fullsize 4WD PU for the last few decades, I'm amazed at what this car can do. When I test drove one last year, I told the salesman this was more fun than going to Great Adventure (Six Flags), which I can see and hear from my house!

casualsurfer · #13 06-11-2009, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by bxguinea69

I also would like to add that I saw the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season Tires recommended on an M3 forum. Most of the people on there recommended it for it's year round performance. Here are a couple of links.

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus or Continental ContiExtreme Contact? - BMW M3 Forum.com (E30 M3 | E36 M3 | E46 M3 | E92 M3)
Tire dilema: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus? - BMW M3 Forum.com (E30 M3 | E36 M3 | E46 M3 | E92 M3)

Of course, I understand that AS tires are a compromise and don't perform as well in summer as performance tires, but I am not taking the car to a track and it's just being used for daily commuting (for now at least). In the future, I might decide to get another set of wheels and then I could swap between winter and summer tires, but I think AS would be my best option for now.

here's my take: if your CS is a daily driver, and you're not the hardcore enthusiast kind that many members here seem to be and take every street corner at 8/10 and drop clutch every stop light, there's no reason why you shouldn't go with the PS A/S. i switched from summer (Yoko Advan)/winter (Micheline Alpin) on my suby to the PS A/S and i couldn't be happier: the ride is SO MUCH nicer, it's QUIETER so i can hear my engine & exhaust more and not the tire drone, it performs JUST FINE when i want it to and most of the time i'm driving in traffic anyways. also, to be honest i would NEVER drive the CS to 8/10 of its capabilities on the street anyway, that's just asking for trouble. if you're looking to enjoy your car while having the comfort of the best all season tire there is, go with the Michelin PS A/S. it'll work great in light snow, compacted snow that's typical with midwest winters. we had a fairly light snow season this past winter but i can tell you it's handled beautifully (of course my suby is AWD which helps somewhat), and handled really well when i drove to Kentucky during one of their worst snow storms.

highly recommend Michelin PS A/S if you're not racing your CS in town.

bxguinea69 · #14 06-11-2009, 08:57 AM

Thanks to everyone for all the good feedback. I understand that some of you would not sacrifice the dry handling of summer tires but I think it is best for me to do just that rather than get a separate set of winter tires. I do not drive my CS at the limits of the tires and AS tires should suit my needs just fine. I agree with you entirely, casualsurfer. I may take a few corners a bit hard, but I am definitely not driving on the street as if I am driving on a track. If I decide to start taking my car to a track, then I will go out and get a set of aftermarket wheels (I like the OZ wheels) and tires. For now, I think the Michelins would be my best bet for year round use. I've still got plenty of time to think it over though because it is only June now.

TCH1 · #15 06-11-2009, 09:54 AM

I live in Central pa and we too get very little snow. But. I have two friend with caymans. One with all-seasons and the other, he never changes his PS2's. I bought a set of Pirellis Winter 270 Sottozero Serie II for my cayman from Tire Rack. Both of them had driving problems after the temperatures dropped below 30 degrees. I would also suggested dedicated winter tires and wheels.

racerboy · #16 06-11-2009, 07:31 PM

I bought my current '06 Cayman S in Jan of this year with the full intent of using it as my year-round vehicle, however, after driving it on Rt. 80 and hearing all of the sand/salt blasting away at the front of the car, i put that idea to rest and went out and leased a new GTI (which is a great little car in it's own right). If you are going to drive it, please get a clearbra up front. It's amazing how thin the paint is on a $65,000 car.