sidicks Posted September 6, 2003 Report Share Posted September 6, 2003 I remember reading Autocar last year (and it was referred to in this week's edition) about the tyre test they did with an M3. They said that different tyres had considerably different characteristics and they put the Michelin Pilots near the bottom of the table. I noticed that the M3 at me dealer had Michelins and wondered: What tyres have other people got ? Any problems with those on Michelins ? Is there a choice ? Should I ask my delear to see if they can fit something different ? etc etc It may be that Autocar don't rate the Michelins as they make the back end of the car 'too' stable (fine by me - I don't want to write the thing off soon after leaving the showroom !), and they prefer a bit more oversteer. Any thoughts, please let me know. Cheers Sidicks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brabus Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 I had michelins on my last one and would not mind trying the conti's on the new to see if I can tell any difference (probably not). I always thought the pilots were pretty good though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drillslinger Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 How many miles would you expect from a set of tires Chris?? While the Conti's are my first "Sport" tire, I've been quite impressed with them, but I've gotten around 16k miles on mine, and don't expect to get many more Just a heads-up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brabus Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 Hey, guess what! My new M3 arrived and what tyres do you think I found on it? Yes, conti's. Im very happy and Im gonna see if I can tell any difference. As for wear...depends how heavy your right foot is Drill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidicks Posted September 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 Anyone got a copy of the Autcar test from last year - I pass on my old copies to a mate who has got rid of this edition I'm sure that I won't notice much difference between the two, but if they got that different reviews then it might be worth my while trying to get Contis instead. Cheers sidicks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brabus Posted September 10, 2003 Report Share Posted September 10, 2003 Couldn't find the article, however, I found some personal reflections from a poster on www.bm3w.co.uk I've had experience of Bridgestone S02s on the track but only with an E36 M3 Evolution. They were fantastic in the dry and unbelievable in the wet. The only minor criticism would be that they don't last particularly well on a very hot track (i.e. they melt). While I have 5 mins, here's my opinion on various road tyres for the track. Some of these will be opinions formed while I was still a novice but still worth reading: Bridgestone S02 - Standard sizes (225/50R17, 245/45R17) As above ... excellent dry tyre and the best I've ever tried for wet driving. Melts on a hot day. I was never a good enough driver during E36 ownership so can't really remember understeer characteristics. Conti Sportcontact M3 - Standard Sizes (225/40R19, 255/35R19) Lots of understeer and pathetically weak sidewalls mean lots of shoulder wear, especially on the front nearside tyre (on clockwise circuits). One harsh-surfaced airfield day on Contis once had me down to the canvas/wire on the front tyre (although I wasn't doing a great job of quelling the unersteer that day so partly my fault). If you use these on the track, suggest LOTS of extra pressure. Michelin Pilot Sport - Standard Sizes (225/40R19, 255/35R19) Hard-wearing and even-wearing but average and (importantly for track driving) overpriced. Less understeer than the Contis but not as good as the Pirellis. Best tyre for lasting the longest IMHO. Reasonable grip. Pirelli P0 Rosso - non-Standard Sizes (245/35R19, 275/30R19) More grip than Contis or Michelins and less understeer (partically due to non-standard sizes I suspect). Made of blu-tak. ... and for reference ... Dunlop D01J Formula-R Semi-slick - Very non-standard Sizes (235/40R18, 235/40R18) No understeer. Tons more grip and very hard-wearing. Apparently useless in the wet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Bangle Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 I've run the P-zero's (245/35-19 front and 275/30-19 rear combination) on my last 2 M3's and they've always proven to be fantasic in all conditions. Remember this test was conducted with Pilot Sport 1's and not the new, much improved PS2's. Here's a synopsis of the Autocar tyre test: The M3 was some four seconds quicker around Michelin’s wet handling ciruit with P-Zeros fitted than it was on Pilot Sports. Here's the results: Dry handling - Pirelli wins Wet handling - Pirelli wins Straight aquaplaning - Michelin wins Aquaplaning in a curve - Pirelli wins Wet braking - Pirelli wins Rolling resistance - Continental wins Noise - Michelin wins Verdict - Pirelli win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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