Ricracing

Thanks UUronL for the Car and Driver link!
.Did you check out the ADAC test? Link here

It' so hard to choose...
One vote for Michelin, one for Continental and one for GoodYear.

Anyone for Pirelli?


I'm looking for a silent, comfy and non-tramlining tyre - anyone

gIzzE

Have you considered 15" wheels??

Seriously, I am in the same boat as you and have been trying to decide what to go with. I think I am going with the GS-D3 though as it gets the thumbs up more than any other tyre from what I have read.

tachyon

I just ordered a set of these new Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position tires to put on my shiney new 19" M5 wheels. I went with the standard size tires for this set-up (245/35 F & 275/30 R) becasue they do not make a 285/30 size tire in this model (for the rear set).

My tire guy (Duxler in Glenview) is very enthused about these new tires. He just installed them on a 911 and he wanted to have someone try them on a sports sedan too. He gave me a decent deal (no mounting, balancing or installation fees), so I said yes.

I will have them installed on Friday and will let you know my first impressions.

colejl

Don't think you can go wrong with the GS-D3's, PS2's or Conti Sports...

heezy545i

I'm currently have a set of each tire on different cars. A comparison in this case may be unfair, but I prefer the PS2s, though the RE050As are a quality tire.

If you're not going to push the limits of the car though and are just concerned with driving on the street, I don't think their is much of a difference between the top tires out there.

Ricracing

Thanks for your help all you guys.

The decision is made.

I will continue which the damned RF's until June.

But when I can get my summer wheels on, I don't know.
The winter doesn't seem to end at all this spring overhere.

Our roads are so coarse after the winter.
Most local cars have spike winter tyres so the roads are like
raw sandpaper in the spring.

But in early June new tyres have to come on.

Pirelli, Mich., Conti or GY - I still don't know...

Peter530i

I've just put my new 18" with Potenza RE050A on.
So far no DTC light blinking while full accell from stop.... meaning excelent grip. With my 17" winters it was blinking while heavy take off

They are 18" NON RF but still smooter ride than with those stupid 17" RF wooden tires

Peter530i

and you got that from where???? do you drive an MB??? seems like the same kind of thinking to me
Bridgestones are a F1 supplier, Ferrari Enzo supplied tires, and winning all the major test in Germany lately.
B-team tires????
Michelin is way behind their best times those days, there you really pay for the name only.

tachyon

"Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue." Or, for me, it looks like I picked the wrong day to put on new summer tires - It's 37F in Chicago and sleeting.

I put the new Bridgestone RE050A Pole Position tires (245/35 F & 275/30 R) on new M5 style 19" wheels and had them mounted this afternoon.

Here's my initial impressions:

1) The wheels look way cooler than I thought they would. Man, oh, man those wheel are so sexy to see in person.

2) The wheel offsets look less pronounced than I expected. Yes, the front wheels stick out farther than the stock sport wheels, and yes, the rear wheels are slightly inset from the fronts. But this perspective is hardly noticeable in person. I don't think I'm going to take any steps to trim in the fronts or put spacers in back.

3) The 245/35 size front tires fill up the wheel wells nicely and look well-proportioned. No way anything larger goes in there.

4) The 275/30 size rear tires look OK, but 285/30 would be perfect. (Bridgestone doesn't make the larger size in these Pole Positions right now) As I look at the attached photos the rears do look ill-proportioned compared to the fronts. But this perspective looks much worse in a photo than it does in person. Walking up to the car (and glancing back at it, of course) the lower profile rear tires don't stand out at all. I like the set-up as it is.

5) While I drove only 35 miles on the new Pole Positions today, my first impressions are very positive. They are very quite and roll smoothly. I tested the grip in the cold rain and sleet and they held on brilliantly. (This is not a temperature these tires should be good in - but they performed beyond what you could physically expect). The handling is very crisp and right-now responsive - the best I've ever experienced. This is a very different tire than the stock RE050 run flats that came with the sport package. I can't wait for warmer weather.

Also, the Bridgestone RE050A Pole Position tires are less expensive than Michelin PS2s (by about $30 per tire). And right now Bridgestone is running a $100 rebate for a set of 4 of these tires. So they seem to be a good value too.

EDIT: I should have looked this up before, but these Bridgestones are a heavy tire. The 245/30 weigh 27 lbs (compared to the PS2s at 23 lbs) and the 275/30 weigh 30 lbs (PS2s are 25 lbs). However, the car feels so nimble on the 166 wheels with these Pole Position tires that I can't say they drive heavy at all.

colejl

Still lighter than any RunFlat