
Photo courtesy of Michelin
Did you know that tires significantly impact your car’s performance? While the answer seems obvious, most people have no idea which tire to pick thanks to the endless options. Before purchasing tires for your Porsche or other sports car, check out our detailed tire guide to find the best tires for your application.
Which tire types are available for my Porsche?
Max Performance Summer Tires
For year around, warm climates
For drivers with performance street driving in mind, max performance summer tires are an obvious first choice. Among street tires, max performance summer tires offer the best combination of dry and wet grip and precise steering response. However, there are some downsides. Because max performance summer tires use softer rubber compounds and stiffer construction, they will wear out more quickly and ride more harshly than other types of tires. Additionally, summer tires offer inadequate grip in near freezing temperatures.
Winter Tires
For harsh winter driving
If you will be driving in heavy snow and ice, winter tires are critical for your safety even if your car is equipped with all-wheel drive drive. Winter tires use special rubber compounds that maintain high levels of grip in the cold and special tread patterns designed to clear away water and snow. However, these special features are also what make winter tires unsuitable for warm weather conditions. As temperatures go up, winter tires become too soft and can overheat under heavy load.
Note: If you plan to run winter tires, we recommend that you have another set of wheels and tires to use when temperatures warm up.
All-Season Tires
For climates with mild winters (light snow)
For drivers who want a performance oriented tire that they can use year around, ultra high performance all-season tires are the answer. All season tires use special rubber compounds that offer acceptable levels of grip and steering response in both warm and cold temperatures. This makes all-season tires suitable in dry, wet, and light snow conditions. In addition, all-season tires offer excellent ride comfort and tread life compared to summer and winter tire. However, being the jack-of-all-trades, all-season tires cannot match the performance of summer and winter tires in their respective climates.
Best tires for your Porsche
If you’ve made it this far, you probably know which tire category is right for you. Now, let’s help you pick the right tire. To simplify the tire buying process, we’ve used ratings and reviews from www.tirerack.com to identify the best tires in each class for your Porsche or other sports car.
Note: You won’t find any budget tires on our recommendation list. While we understand many car owners are budget conscious, higher end tires can actually be cheaper because many offer treadwear and road hazard warranties. Additionally, because tires last for several years, you don’t want to pick a bad tire that will leave you with a suboptimal driving experience.
Max Performance Summer Tire
Best in-class: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
Pros:
- Best in-class dry and wet performance
- Sharp steering response and tire feedback
- Excellent ride quality and tread life for its class
Cons:
- Expensive
TireRack.com Ratings:
- Dry Performance: 9.6 – Excellent
- Wet Performance: 9.2 – Excellent
- Winter/Snow Performance: N/A
- Comfort Performance: 9.0 – Excellent
- Treadwear: 8.4 – Good
Treadwear Warranty: 6 Years / 30,000 Miles (half mileage if front and rear tire sizes are different)
Best value tire: Continental ExtremeContact Sport
Pros:
- Excellent dry and wet performance, steering feel, and comfort
- More affordable tire option
- 1 year road hazard warranty included
Cons:
- Less performance and refinement than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
TireRack.com Ratings:
- Dry Performance: 9.1 – Excellent
- Wet Performance: 9.0 – Excellent
- Winter/Snow Performance: N/A
- Comfort Performance: 8.7 – Excellent
- Treadwear: 7.8 – Good
Treadwear Warranty: 6 Years / 30,000 Miles (half mileage if front and rear tire sizes are different)
Ultra high performance all-season tires
Best in-class: Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4
Pros:
- Excellent dry and wet performance
- Great balance of driving feel, performance, and ride comfort
- Long tire life
Cons:
- Average snow and ice performance
- Expensive
TireRack.com Ratings:
- Wet Performance: 9.6 – Excellent
- Dry Performance: 9.2 – Excellent
- Winter/Snow Performance: 7.0 – Good
- Comfort Performance: 8.9 – Good
- Treadwear: 8.1 – Good
Treadwear Warranty: 6 Years / 45,000 Miles (half mileage if front and rear tire sizes are different)
Best value tire: Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06
Pros:
- Excellent wet performance with improved water evacuation
- Good performance in dry and light snow conditions
- Great ride quality
- 1 year road hazard warranty included
Cons:
- Slower steering response compared to best-in-class
- Increased body roll compared to best-in-class due to softer sidewalls
TireRack.com Ratings:
- Wet Performance: 9.0 – Excellent
- Dry Performance: 9.0 – Excellent
- Winter/Snow Performance: 7.7 – Good
- Comfort Performance: 8.5 – Good
- Treadwear: 7.9 – Good
Treadwear Warranty: 6 Years / 50,000 Miles (half mileage if front and rear tire sizes are different)
Winter tires
Best in-class: Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4
Pros:
- Best in class combination of dry, wet, snow, and ice traction
- Sporty feel and responsive steering
- Comfortable and quiet
Cons:
- Expensive
- Limited sizes offered may required new wheels
TireRack.com Ratings:
- Dry Performance: 8.9 – Excellent
- Wet Performance: 9.3 – Excellent
- Winter/Snow Performance: 8.7 – Excellent
- Comfort Performance: 9.0 – Excellent
- Treadwear: 9.0 – Excellent
Treadwear Warranty: 6 Years / 30,000 Miles (half mileage if front and rear tire sizes are different)
Runner Up: Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Pros:
- Excellent driving characteristics on wet and snow covered roads
- Dynamic balanced handling, precise steering, and short braking distances
Cons:
- Slightly trails the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 in dry, wet, snow, and ice traction
- Noiser than the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4
- Still an expensive tire
- No treadwear warranty
TireRack.com Ratings:
- Wet Performance: 9.1 – Excellent
- Dry Performance: 8.8 – Excellent
- Winter/Snow Performance: 8.6 – Excellent
- Comfort Performance: 8.5 – Good
- Treadwear: 8.1 – Good
Treadwear Warranty: None
Our mission at eCarGuides
Here at eCarGuides, our goal is to help car owners make the best decisions possible when it comes to maintaining their vehicles. Find a highly-rated Porsche mechanic near you and detailed DIY guides for your Porsche.
Mike mclaughlin says:
I have a 2018 911 carrera coupe and a 2009 cayman s… race fitted with roll cage headers
Performance chip and computer…
Runs great… handling on original tires is not so great at Hallet road race course here in Oklahoma … I
Need bigger or biggest tire/ wheel to improve lap times…. HELP!… what’s biggest tire /wheel I can put on a 2009 cayman S.. please /thanks
Lance Cowan says:
My name is Lance Cowan, I live on the big island of HI. I just purchased an 04 Porsche Boxster and found out that my BF Goodrich tires that were on car, dealer said that they were new, so now I am wanting to purchase new tires. I have read your reviews and like the Mich Pilot Sport 4 S. When I spoke with the guy from the Tirerack , he recommended the Cont All season. I live in HI and temp. Are from 65-95 depending on season and location on my island. I also may need rims because I hear a way noise on left rear , could be tire or rim. So, I need some help if possible .my email is cowanlance@gmail.com, cell 617-697-3001. Thanks, hope to hear from you. Mahalo.