After 18,900 harsh miles on the Dunlop runflats, I now have four new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires. I debated between the Bridgestone Potenza RE960 A/S Pole Position's and the Michelin's. I chose the Michelin's based on the overwhelming positive feedback I read on this board.

Here are my thoughts after only 60 miles. The coupe is now an entirely different car. The harshness felt over all bumps, including lane dividing reflectors, is all but gone. The car has a much smoother ride as you would have expected from Lexus initially. The handling seems unaffected but I'm not one to push it with this car.

I do have a couple of concerns at this point and am wondering if others with these tires have them as well. The look of the car has changed due to the asthetics of the sidewalls of the Michelin's. They are a bit rounded on the side with aggressive tread design on the outer edge of the sidewall. The tires appear "fat" rather than the vertical appearance of the sidewall on the Dunlop's. I'm definitely not liking this look as much. Next, at low speeds with the window open and/or the top down, I hear the tires as they roll across the pavement. They make a sweeiping sound that I cannot recall ever hearing before. Will this go away???

Price: These Pilot Sport "Plus" tires are more expensive and have replaced the "non Plus" version. Tire rack's price was $250 per tire. I went to Discount Tire and they matched this price but first wanted $272 per tire and $1,196 installed including tax with lifetime balance/rotation and no road hazard. I then went to Costco and they priced at $258 per tire before an $80 credit for purchasing four, total of $1,087 including tax, lifetime balance/rotation and no road hazard. I went back to Discount and they beat Costco @ $1,085 out the door, installed today without waiting three days for the tires to arrive as it would have been with Costco.

I now have to get my wheels aligned tomorrow. I will not be aligning to factory specs as those include a negative 1/2 degree of camber which resulted in the Dunlop's wearing out on the inside with plenty of tread on the outside remaining. I will align to zero and wait to see the handling afterwards. These tires have a 45,000 mile warranty that will only be honored if they wear evenly. I'm in favor of that.

 

congrats. now that you've mentioned about the fatter Michelin A/S's, that's what I noticed also after I switched out the Dunlop to these.
After the A/S's, I'm on the PS2's which seem to be also "fat".

And yes, I also noticed that noise that you've experienced as it rolls thru the pavement. Not a big deal, but I believe it's due to the more aggressive performance thread on the A/S's and PS2's. Wider gap for performance handling, cornering and stability, I guess.

I also like the more vertical line of the other brands' sidewall, but again, you'll sacrifice the comfort and noise level of those compared to the better overall comfort of these A/S's.

BTW, my PS2's in the back have worn out, so I'm running Toyo Proxes for the 2 rear backs and have some tread left from the PS2's on the fronts.

I do like the more aggressive straight sidewall of the proxes, but when I roll my window down while in dry/wet conditions, I can hear more of the noise from the rubber hitting the pavement.

I am lowered and do push the car often around corners and highway cornering to the point where my sensor will beep. I have VSC on all the time.

So my tires wear out very fast and I usually get a brand new set every 1.5-2.0 years. Mine is an '03 and I'm on my third set waiting on my 4th new set for '09.

Oh well, this mixed set will get me thru the wet winter and I'll be getting a new set next spring.

remy

 

Tire rack's ratings suggest the Bridestones are a quieter,smoother ride than the Michelins. What am I missing?

 

I was aware of that before I made my choice. I weighed their rating against the posts of SC430 owners on this forum which seemed to favor the Michelin's.

Has anyone used both sets and can prioritize each brand?

 

I am new SC owner facing my first winter (Minnesota). Can anyone help me with a choice for a winter tire? Also, would wheel size make a difference? Thank you.

 

I wanted to go Michelin, however, I went with the Bridgstone 960 as a result of testing and #1 rating by Tire Rack. They ride well and make no noise at all. They also have mileage warranty. My tires from Discount Tire were $191 each plus $12 ea. for mount & balance. I believe both are great tires and will serve us well.

BB

 

I don't believe it took you 19K miles to make the switch.
It took me about 1Kmiles to make this decision.
Tires were worn out at the en of the lease and the run flats went back on. Doing the same with my 2nd SC.

 

Well, I'm due for a new set of non-run flats.

245/40/ZR18
------------
1st set - Michelin A/S
2nd set - Michelin PS2
3rd set - up in the air right now?

Should I stay w/ the Michelin A/S - PS2 or go with the Bridgestone RE960AS Pole Position ?

BTW....The Michelin PS2's went up $40 and cost around $288.
I previously bout the PS2 at $242 over a year ago.

But I've been reading about the Bridgeston RE960AS Pole Position that some of you have experienced with.

How many miles can u get out of the RE960AS?
Were they quiet? Any major road noise?
How was the grip/handling?
How are they in wet/dry conditions?

The RE960AS are not rated "Z" but rather "R".
I'm still ok w/ the "R' rating on these, right?

I'm in Norcal so no snow for me to worry about.

any additional feedback on the RE960AS would be helpful.


thanks...

 

Posted response about the pole positions above under need help with new/ TIRES, so far have experienced flatspotting overnight, slight balancing problems.Have to drive car more for greater observation, next week I will know more.