Hey guys. I’m in a bit of a bind. I have a 2006 GS430 with stock 18s, 245/40/18. I replaced my tires (Pilot Sport A/S Plus) about 2 months ago with Bridgestone Serenity Plus because I was looking for a quiet comfortable ride. Well, the tires definitely provided that (which was a good thing), but they were very lacking in feel and cornering ability (which is obviously a bad thing). And mind you, I’m not a race car driver. I’m 45 years old, 2 kids, etc. I’m talking about basic cornering ability. The car would dive going into the most simple of turns. It almost felt like the sidewall of the tire was rolling under itself. Also, on the highway, the tires were squirmy, requiring constant steering wheel adjustment. And, speaking of steering, there was no steering feel/response at all. In short, the car felt completely numb and I didn’t enjoy driving it any more.

Fast forward 30 days, I exchanged the tires under Bridgestone’s “buy and try” policy for the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. Wow, world of difference. Great tire. Incredible feel. The car corners like it’s on rails. But there’s a price you pay for that handling and that’s ride harshness. The tires are relatively quiet on the highway (which is good), but they transmit every little bump and road imperfection directly into the cabin. And sometimes it’s downright bone-jarring. The Pilot Sport A/S Plus I had on the car for years never felt this firm. They weren’t soft, but they also weren’t harsh. I’ve had the tires 14 days as of today, and I just don’t think I can keep them.

So, where do I go from here? I know many of you rave about the Continental DWS, but it seems like there are problems with that tire in terms of treadlife, soft sidewall and noise after 5k miles or so.

I called Michelin and they recommended that I go back to the Pilot Sport A/S Plus, because it has a load index of 93y (versus the A/S 3 which has a load index of 97y). I am skeptical as to whether that would make much, if any difference, in ride quality. Also, with the A/S Plus being discontinued, this seems like it would be a step in the wrong direction.

Any other suggestions?

Mods – can you please leave a link to this thread here for a while? It seems like the tire forum doesn’t get a lot of traffic. Thank you.

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The DWS definitely has a VERY soft sidewall. Personal Experience: Wife drove the car over a curb (in a drive tru..trying to back out). So it wasn't a head on driving impact, more like a curb scrape. Tire deflated in seconds. Almost no damage to the rim! Tire was brand new. Ended up with a 'gash' in the sidewall. Thank God for Discount tire protection.. lol

So far the DWS seem to do pretty ok for me. I had the Pirelli Pzero's before and those were ok too, but get noisy after they start to wear (don't all tires do that? lol).

Between the two, I dunno...the Pzero's seemed to give me a bit more grip on dry roads, but would make me back off the throttle on wet roads. So far the DWS seem to do very well on Wet roads, but still give me some spin on dry. Not tail out spinning (yet), but still some spin, and that is when getting on the throttle hard.

 

I have the DWS and I hate them, they flat spot very easily. Everyday I will get a slight vibration that will go away after a block or two. I called Conti they claim it is because of the nylon they use in the tires.

The DWS is shaped differently then others tire makers, it is more square tire. If you rubbed in a previous tire youll more likely rub more with them.

Try Nitto 555 Ive heard good reviews about them

 

I have dws, cornering sucks so bad, i feel like the sidewall bends in. But thread life and traction is super b. i noticed there is no such a tire that has everything you stated. You give something away to gain something in return. I say stick with the new michellin tires that you currently have.

 

Hey guys. Thanks for the replies. Good info.

Here's one other option/question. I have the A/S 3 with a 97y load/speed rating. They also make the A/S 3 in a 97v load/speed rating. Is it true that a V rated tire will ride slightly softer and more comfortable than a y rated tire? They also make it in an H rated tire, but I don't think that's minimum spec for our cars.

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I have Dunlop Sport 5100 which are noisy.Soon I'm going to go with Michelin Primacy MXM4 for a better ride and less noise.People here who have these tires seem to like them.

 

What size are you running? The Primacy MXM4 does not come in the stock 245 40 18 size.

 

235/45-18..

 

ah gee... i just change all 4 tires to Conti DW, not DWS, thought i really like them coz they are quiet, really grippy. but ya i do agree about the flat spot, they vibrate the **** out of your car for the first 10mins drive, after that, it seems to be better

 

^ and I thought I was the only one feeling the flat spot. The tire is good, just the flat spot issue. I wouldn't call it a problem cause it drive just fine with the flat spot, it's just a bit annoying for awhile but unlike road noise it go away until the next 48hrs park.

 

So does anyone know whether, all else being equal, will a V speed rated tire ride softer than a Y speed rated tire?

 

I went from 245 45 18 Potenza RE960AS Pole Position to 235 45 18 Primacy MXM4. It's quieter and much better handling on the freeway with less drift and better steering feel, but I also went narrower hoping it would lower the road noise.

 

Have you tried checking the footprint with a couple of pounds less pressure in the tires. Might be an acceptable tradeoff if you can still get a decent contact patch but soften the ride a touch.

I will be interested to follow this thread. I have A/S Plus on our '06 GS430 and '94 SC400 (on its second set). They have been fantastic tires and if the A/S 3 is noticeably harsher with respect to road feel, that's disappointing to hear.

 

I am currently running my tires at 32 PSI, so I don't think I would want to go lower than that. As for the MXM4 in 235 45 18, I didn't realize that was a possibility. Isn't that out of spec for our cars?

 

One last option would be to go back to the AS plus, if I could find some hold over stock in the correct size. I don't mind doing that, but the problem there will be that if I have a blowout or a defective tire or some other issue, I may not be able to replace it with the same tire.