Journal: Walter Röhrl Says These Tires Are Perfect For Your Classic Porsche

Walter Röhrl Says These Tires Are Perfect For Your Classic Porsche

By Michael Banovsky
April 22, 2016

Photography courtesy of Porsche

Few will dispute that Porsche owners are some of the most active and passionate drivers on the planet, and we often read about how many are still around or spend time watching films about how they’re being enjoyed.

Porsche says that around 70% of its vehicles are still in drivable condition, which is why it’s been working to beef up its support for owners of older cars. Retaining customers and keeping the marque’s history alive are important…and so is making some profit in the process.

For many, tires are one of the most aggravating aspects of classic car ownership, especially for those who aren’t well-versed in load ratings and carcass construction. Tires are also the single most important factor in roadholding, and different sets can offer vastly different performance. Trouble is, it seems there’s as many differing opinions on rubber as there are tread patterns.

For years, Porsche has been testing modern tires on older models, providing recommendations for each of its historic model lines. And with a driver’s roster as deep as Porsche’s, who better than Walter Röhrl to test compounds and offer his opinions?

“The driving properties in the early years were not as full or balanced as they are today,” Röhrl said in a release. “The new generation of tyres is more fitting than ever to the driving style of a challenging sports car.”

When shopping for tires, note that new tires recommended by Porsche will carry an “N” on the sidewall.

H/T to Porsche Classic

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James L. Rocha
James L. Rocha
3 years ago

This article all about Tire Brands to avoid. Check this out now: https://theautoguider.com/tire-brands-to-avoid/

Christopher Gay
Christopher Gay
8 years ago

Try sourcing decent street tires for thirteen inch wheels these days… :/

Chris
Chris
7 years ago

Tell me about it. Nothing “sporty” available for my RX7. It’s track tires or cheap all seasons.

Bryan Dickerson
Bryan Dickerson
8 years ago

I guess I assumed we were all talking about tires of a high performance level. The CN36 was a highly regarded tire and I’m hoping the new ones benefit from modern rubber technology. I don’t know this, that’s why I was looking for more in depth info and a review. No luck so far and it looks like 185/70/15 is the only size. I bet 205-215/60/15s would make a lot of people happy. And yes, if I had a choice of tires roughly equivalent in performance for my vintage car, I’d choose the one that looks most appropriate.

Jaime Baker
Jaime Baker
8 years ago

Bryan, I’d have to agree with you. I recently purchased the Porsche classic recommended Pirelli P6000 in 185/70/15 for my 57 Volkswagen. I just returned home after a 2,900 mile cross country trip and was very happy with them. I chose the tires in part due to their, in my opinion pleasing aesthetics. I assumed the performance would be more than adequate for my intended use. You can never be entirely certain of Porsche’s motivation in choosing the Pirelli as one of only two recommended tires for the 356. I am however confident in Walter Rohrl’s ability to choose an appropriate tire for these vintage cars. Having some of Mr Rohrl’s observations regarding why he chose the tires he did would have made for a much more interesting article.

JAlfa
JAlfa
8 years ago

Walter you are wrong. Guitar Slinger please tell us which tires are perfect for your classic Porsche. Preferably in 15 words or less…

Guitar Slinger
Guitar Slinger
8 years ago
Reply to  JAlfa

Yeah right … Like I’m going to argue with Herr Rohrl .. though in all honesty I don’t take any celebrity / sports star or manufactures endorsements seriously in light of the fact all have an underlying agenda involved .. much of which includes the passing of money from one hand to another in order to garner said endorsements .

FYI; But I can tell you what you can do with your attitude and snarkiness .. JAlfa . So whats your deal anyway son ? Upset over the fact that I’ve outed the ‘ new ‘ Alfa Romeo ? Cant deal with reality when its presented uncensored ? Afraid of the facts because perhaps they make some of your decisions look a bit foolish on the best of days ? Or just plain envious that I due to age , guile , wisdom and experience know a whole lot more than you’ll ever be capable of comprehending ? Which is to say JAlfa .. stick to the subject at hand rather than pithy , pre-adolescent insults aimed at me … because son … to say the least … you’re in over your head .

JAlfa
JAlfa
8 years ago
Reply to  JAlfa

LOL! You’re awesome GS… I just like bugging you… I unfortunately don’t take everything as serious as you do… It’s just a joke take it easy and relax brother…

Bryan Dickerson
Bryan Dickerson
8 years ago

This is, to me, a strange and seemingly aborted article on an interesting topic. The thing that really got my attention was the pair of Pirelli CN36s next to Walter R. The CN36 is, I think, the best looking tire ever. Even after doing some searching though, I’m still unsure if they are being manufactured. Michael, can you add more info here?

Stephan P
Stephan P
8 years ago

You have to go the link.
After wading through the rest of the Porsche Classic site (not a bad thing) you get to chart of tires recommend by Porsche.
The CN36 is available from classic tires suppliers like Lucas (I don’t know if Pirelli actually makes). Sadly for me, not a Porsche owner, the smallest size is 15″

Guitar Slinger
Guitar Slinger
8 years ago

Excuse me Mr Dickerson but isn’t the entire focus of tire choices supposed to be based on the performance of said tire rather than the aesthetics ? Or has the choice of the single most important aspect of a wheeled and tire’d vehicle including a bicycle [ e.g. the tire ] now come down to fashion over function as well ? Honestly the only justification for placing form over function when it comes to tire choices would be if said vehicle was a ‘ Trailer Queen ‘ barely if ever driven . In which case you’d do a whole lot better investing in Fine Art rather than a classic vehicle of any kind

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