Track tires or all seasons. Sounds like a simple choice until you’re staring at a weather app that can’t make up its mind and a departure time that’s locked in.

I’m heading from McKinney to Kerrville, running 335 and 337 with the Hill Country Region PCA group, leading one of the packs. This isn’t a track day. This is a multi-day drive with real roads, real variables, and real responsibility to keep things clean and predictable.

Car is my 718 Boxster GTS 4.0. Just came off five-plus track days. Cresson, COTA, G2, ECR. The Yokohama Neova AD09s are at about 50%. Still strong. Still consistent. I know exactly how they behave. And I’ve driven them in the rain at Cresson and at COTA. Not puddles, but proper wet sessions. They don’t fall apart. They just demand respect.

At the same time, the forecast is doing what Texas does. Hot and dry to start, then storms roll through, then cooler temps and roads that may or may not be fully dry depending on shade and timing.

So the question is simple. Do I run the AD09s or rush to throw on all seasons the day before I leave?

On paper, all seasons look like the safe play. More forgiving in the wet. More margin if conditions turn. Less thinking required.

But that’s not the real risk here.

The real risk is introducing a brand new setup with zero seat time right before a trip where I’m leading a group through technical roads. No time to scrub them in. No time to dial pressures. No feel for how they transition, especially in mixed conditions.

That’s a bigger unknown than a damp road.

Now layer in the alignment. After those track days, the car started feeling like it was dragging—no subtlety to it. Rear toe had drifted way out. Massive scrub, killing efficiency. The car felt planted but heavy, like it was towing something. In reality, it was—15/32” of rear toe, basically dragging a parachute every lap.

Got it corrected at Fifth Gear Autosports in Lewisville, my go-to independent Porsche specialist for most of the work on my Porsches. Rear toe cleaned up, camber balanced, steering centered. The car woke up. Freer, lighter, more precise. That was the real performance unlock.

So now I’ve got a known tire with known behavior and a fresh alignment that actually lets the car work properly.

Why would I throw a wildcard into that mix the night before I leave?

Let’s talk about the roads. 335 and 337 aren’t forgiving. You’ve got elevation, off-camber sections, and shaded corners that hold moisture longer than you think. After rain, you get that film of oil and dust that makes the first hour the trickiest, not the storm itself.

But here’s the part people miss. I’m not running ten-tenths. I’m leading a group. That means smooth inputs, controlled pace, keeping the train together. That’s a six or seven out of ten drive. At that level, the AD09 is completely fine if you drive like an adult.

If it’s damp Friday morning, I back it down. Brake earlier, roll into throttle, stay off the hero line in shaded sections. Give the tires ten minutes to come in. After that, it’s just driving.

Once it dries out, the AD09 is the better tire everywhere that matters. Turn-in, feedback, confidence when you start linking corners. That’s the part you actually enjoy.

So the decision is simple. No scrambling. No last-minute install. No new variables.

Run the AD09s.

This isn’t about chasing perfect. It’s about controlling risk. Known setup, fresh alignment, predictable behavior. That’s the edge.

Sometimes the smartest move isn’t adding capability. It’s removing uncertainty. This wasn’t just a tire decision. It was a risk management decision.