Originally posted by poysonivee
:stupid:
No one ever said the MXV4 was a performance tire. Like I said before, that tire comes as factory equipment on cars that are not designed for performance, like the Mercedes S-Class and many BMW's, even Camry's and Lexus uses it because it is the best riding tire out there (as I said before, for highway use) The fact that you tried to even put that tire on the track is incredibly amusing. That likens to many tire customers going "gee, I only got 15,000 miles out of my "Z" rated tires, I must have a defect." What were you thinking? You can argue all you want about the ups and down's of the S-03 tire, but the fact remains that it is an O.K. tire at a fair price. If you weren't shopping price, why would you not go to an actual tire store and let them put some tires on your car that you buy from them? Any decent tire store can order that tire. Fact is, you won't find many that carry it in stock. I won't go into why, but lets just say that the truly discriminating customer thinks it's crap. We can continue a pissing contest until we run out of hard drive space--you have your opinions about the tire, we have ours. Fact again, Butler Tire services MOST of the high performance cars in Atlanta, and even though they are a Bridgestone dealer, the S-03 is not a tire that they have ever carried...
Pricing aside, if you really want a tire that handles rain, handles the track, is extraordinarily quiet, and looks good, buy yourself a Michelin Sport Pilot (or Pilot Sport if you like). Remember, you get what you pay for and you pay for what you get. You can't make chicken salad with chicken SH!T.
-poysonivee and co.
The idea wasn't to put the tire on the track to begin with. I had driven down there with my girlfriend for the Porsche Challenge and the opportunity to drive on the track for 3 laps presented itself. I bought the SP9000's a week later. Since then I've gone to open track events there with SP9000's and the S-03's. The S-03's handled much better, especially at the limit, with less body roll and understeer and far less tire squealing. I get about 2 summers out of my Z rated tires, or about 25,000 miles. The fact that you stick up for the MXV4 is very amusing. It has been ripped constantly by automotive publications and it is not built for handling. I am not a straight line speed guy, I enjoy a good handling tire. I find the S-03 much more comfortable and eager to go faster on the highways than the MXV4 as well. If I was shopping price, I would have either gotten the MXV4's again or something similiar. I shopped for the best tire in a reasonable, and the S-03 has gotten the best reviews by experts (people that have actually tested them back to back with other tires). it's funny you mention the Pilot Sport, as that was my second choice. However, I could not find it in 215/55/16, and it is a very expensive tire. But all in all, I'd say it's impressive that more owners (I guess they're not experts though, since they aren't tire salesmen) surveyed would buy the Potenza S-03 again than the Pilot Sport.
But hell, the Pilot Sport and S-03 were compared back to back. What did Tirerack have to say? All the subjective categories were about equal, with the Pilot having a slight edge in comfort categories and the S-03 having the edge in performance categories. Let's compare lap times:
Dry
Michelin Pilot Sport - 31.42 seconds
Bridgestone Potenza S-03 PP - 31.12 seconds
Wet
Michelin Pilot Sport - 32.61
Bridgestone Potenza S-03 PP - 32.15
"On the track in the dry, the Pilot Sport showed crisp response on initial turn-in, but was willing to understeer slightly when pushed to the limit. The Pilot Sport ran lap times equivalent to the other tires. In the wet, the Pilot Sport’s tread design and silica-enhanced compound provided good traction and responsiveness, matching the average lap times of the Pirelli PZero Rosso Assimetrico, but could not equal the performance of the Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position."
"On the road, the Potenza S-03 Pole Position provided a good blend of road comfort and responsive handling, appropriate for the max performance tire category. Although not compared side-by-side, the new tire road noise levels and ride comfort of the S-03 Pole Position seemed to lose a little ground vs. its predecessor, the Potenza S-02 Pole Position.
The sporting nature of the Potenza S-03 Pole Position’s road manners was evident on the test track. In the dry, the S-03 Pole Position offered a good combination of overall grip and responsiveness and was highly praised for its composure and exceptional grip under braking at the threshold of wheel lockup, giving it the slight lead in dry lap times. In the wet, the Potenza S-03 Pole Position really showed its stuff, providing a level of driver confidence under cornering and braking (and quickest lap times) that just wasn’t attainable with the other tires in this test."
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/bs_s03_rd.jsp
Amd the S-03 PP is replacing the S-02 PP, BTW. But I suppose Tirerack comparing these tires back to back in 3-Series BMWs just doesn't compare to the expertise of a tire salesman who has talked to people who had them on their Civics, right? No offense, but I like proving my point and I'm very stubborn. I can't wait until I take my S-03 equipped Accord to Watkins Glen this May for open track
You're right about the chicken shit comment. But what does it have to do with this? And anyone that doesn't shop for the best price is a moron. Why would I give up my hard earned money just for better service when I can get professional first hand reviews online?