racebum

if you go ps2 absolutely go 265 40 17, one of the reasons to use this tire is their perfect OE fit

C5Dobie

I would be a "newb" when it comes to road racing this Z next spring as well, I have tracked my sportbikes in the past @ NJ motorsports and I imagine the tire wear on novice bike riders is the polar opposite of novice sports car drivers - on my bikes the tires lasted a while at first, but then they'd start to get worn more easily as a I got more confidence and really started throwing the bike around and leaning into turns. On a car I imagine at first you're taking incorrect lines, doing mid-turn corrections more often, too late or too early on the brakes, and not sure when/where to give full throttle - all of which would add up to more rear tire wear (rear especially) vs. a more seasoned driver doing less of all those things.

I'm just guessing, but I'm sure I'll find out. Maybe I should have ordered 2 sets of rears lol!

I have taken cars to the 1/4 mile track before...but that's an entirely different ballgame. I most likely won't be doing that w/ the Z...clutches are expensive.

63Corvette

The Nitto handles BEST at or below the wearbars. I recommend keeping these old tires for track use ONLY, and run your new tires for street only (on two different sets of wheels of course) as you are buying new wheels anyway

racebum

this is why i don't drag race too

i have a stock 02 and can rip off 12.6s pretty consistently being easy on the clutch

but

if i go for a 12.5 or attempt a 12.4 i need cold air and have to treat the clutch like a rented mule. we all know how fun chasing that last tenth can be.

went drag racing twice since i bought this car, probably all it's going to get and for the exact reason you mention. the 1/4 is hell on clutches

C5Dobie

yeah hell on clutches and rear ends too! That is the only thing I miss no longer having an auto "muscle car" - so easy to get consistently fast 1/4 mile times and consistent launches on the street having a little fun, nothing like ripping a 12.7 @ 113 in a 4000 lb family sedan on street tires! (my old car bolted G8 GT)

SJSZ06

racebum, sometime back I sent an email to Michelin about these tires.
Just heard back from them. You were right, Kauffman lied to me.
They are a Porsche specified compound (they didn't specify N4... nor did they say what that compound was - proprietary. Then again I wouldn't understand if they told me!)
But as I said in a previous post, they worked great at Road Atlanta, so I guess they are ok.

Torchredc5vette

Sjsz06, so since you have had these you feel they are fine and no issues? I was wondering about the difference as I was looking for ps2

So michelin confirmed they only make the Porsche compound?

Thanks

Dan H.

Good to know, thank you!

Helps me plan for next year differently

C5Dobie

I don't think the compound should make a HUGE difference, I know they're performance cars...but I mean you could take the same exact michelin brand tire (pick something other than PS2 for argument's sake) in the same exact size and put it on a charger SRT8, a camaro, a vette, and an M3 - all the same compound, same size potentially, and these vehicles all have drastically different curb weights, weight distribution, and suspension setups. So, considering the a base 911 or 911 S has a very similar curb weight to a C5Z (3,120 lbs for an S model w/ 7 speed PDK) The big difference that I can between the 2 that may effect how well a "porsche compound" tire would be the variance in weight dist. the vette is nose heavy @ 53/47 front to rear while the 911 is tail heavy @ 39/61 - that's a significant difference

But when you say "porsche compound" does that imply that these same PS2's are recommended for ALL 911's? If that is the case then I would think they'd be fine on a vette too. Why? Because there's such drastic differences between all 911 variants (a base 911 weighs 3,020 lbs while a turbo 4S is like 3,700 lbs) including manual vs. pdk, awd vs. rwd, turbo vs. n/a etc. that I would think the difference in curb weight wouldn't be that significant overall.

SJSZ06

I don't know if they are for ALL Porsche's... the email said that Porsche specified the compound. They didn't say for which model.

Torchredc5vette

Are you happy with the tires though overall?

SJSZ06

Absolutely!

Torchredc5vette

So for you z06 guys who are running a non run flat.... Do you worry if you got a flat what you would do?

Currently have stock wheels with run flats.

Thanks

Dan H.

Do I worry, Yes, I worry about everything!

I have AAA with a 100 miles of free towing.

For 2015, I'll be running a square setup at the track. Lets me bring an extra rear and be able to change a tire if I have a problem on a long trip. Looking to do VIR this year which is 7 hours from home. And the glen which is 4 hours.....

C5Dobie

I work in the scrap metal business - if I'm not traveling, working from home, or in my NYC office, and it is nice out, then I take my Z06 to work. If you haven't been to a scrap metal yard before I can tell you the only other place you'd have a higher chance of getting a flat would be maybe a nail, screw, and tack factory lol! I was typically good for at least 2 per year, when I used to DD my G8 GT or GTO - wide, sticky, low profile tires are THE WORST - seem to always pick up sharp objects. I just make sure I go in and out of the main entrance where we have the bobcat sweep the road all the time for customers. On my DD GMC truck I threw on Nitto terra grapplers and I'll drive throughout most of the yard w/ those as they're meaty enough to take a 3" spike direct to the tread without losing air.

My only point in mentioning is that I occasionally drive my vette in an extremely puncture-prone area, but am just careful. I keep the fix a flat crap on hand, although not sure I'd actually use it. For regular driving on the street if you're careful there's a pretty low chance of getting a flat tire IMHO.

grantv

Thankfully I was at work and parked when a coworker let me know about it. We fished an air hose out thru a shop window and pumped it up, then waited 15 minutes (how long it takes me to get home). After 15 it was low but only by about 8-10#, so I pumped it up to about 40# and drove home carefully (sadly, for the winter... even though no snow still ). It was one of my front needs-to-be-replaced-in-spring tires anyway, so no big deal.
That'll be my spring dilemma; got the car with brand new Goodyear Supercars rears, but fronts balding. Get same for front, or full set of something (the high end Goodrich or Nitto...?) and sell rears for less money total out of my pocket!?

dbaker

I run Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta,275/35/18 & 295/30/19 on my 02Z.It's a great dry & WET tire.

Best I've had on this car.

\db2
Carolina