But the damn worldwide backorder is killing me. Has anybody tried the Michelin Pilot Sports in 275/30/19 to see if they exhibit the same floating effect as the Bridgetstones when new?

:eek:

I've never seen anyone go through tires so fast. How many miles are on your 2003 now?

I have a 2002 and I just hit 31,000.

I'd try the Pilot Sports in 19s...if I could justify spending almost 1500 to wrap my 19s.

Originally posted by AzN_M5
:eek:

I've never seen anyone go through tires so fast. How many miles are on your 2003 now?

38,500 last time I looked.

holy cow, you drive a ton huh?

I tried ordering some S03s, Tirerack said 2 or 3 months backorder.... DAMN!!!!! So I am going with YokoHamas AV Sports

-=Art

Originally posted by ///M3ryder NY
holy cow, you drive a ton huh?

Ya... I'm on the highway way too much.

Kevin,

do as Art is doing, try out the Yokohama AVS, they are really great tires.

When I'm up for new tires (in 30 years), I'll be considering these verse the S03.

-Ron

Wow, the S-03's must be a lot more popular now than a while ago... I ordered a set of S-03's for my E36 in the summer of '02. Got them in within a week.

Kev, consider the Toyo T1S. It's considerably lighter than the SO3's and cheaper. It could easily be 5 lbs lighter per tire.

Originally posted by aus
Kev, consider the Toyo T1S. It's considerably lighter than the SO3's and cheaper. It could easily be 5 lbs lighter per tire.

Aus, I'll have to respectfully disagree with you on the T1-S. I had them on my car for a total of 2 weeks and no more. They were one of the greasiest tires I've ridden on next to the Nitto NT555.

they couldn't hold the power nor could they keep me on the road as well as my current Pirelli PZero Rosso Asimetrico. For that matter, Kevin have you considered the PZero line?

Granted the torque delivery in my car is much more brutal then in your car but you get the picture...the Rossos just held on to the road better and had MUCH better linear grip then the Toyos. Also consider that the toyos that I ran were NOT brand new and well broken in so it wasn't a "new tire" issue.

-Ron

Originally posted by themadhatter
do as Art is doing, try out the Yokohama AVS, they are really great tires.

Never tried them... I heard they don't last as long as the Michelin or Bridgestone tires tho

Wow, the S-03's must be a lot more popular now than a while ago... I ordered a set of S-03's for my E36 in the summer of '02. Got them in within a week.

It's because of the size... it's the same size that Porsche uses for the 911. Bridgestone has to fulfill their commitment with them first before releasing the tires to the rest of the world.

Kev, consider the Toyo T1S. It's considerably lighter than the SO3's and cheaper. It could easily be 5 lbs lighter per tire.

I had the Toyo T1S on my E36 M3... I didn't like them at all. I found that they only had good traction for about 3-4000 miles, after that... while they had huge amounts of tread they had no traction. I did a write up on the comparison between the two in the wheel/tire forum a while back.

they couldn't hold the power nor could they keep me on the road as well as my current Pirelli PZero Rosso Asimetrico. For that matter, Kevin have you considered the PZero line?

If it's the same tire I'm thinking about... the tread did not look very water friendly.

you mean this tire?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=PZero+Rosso+Asimmetrico

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/BigPic.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=PZero+Rosso+Asimmetrico&sidewall=Blackwall

I'd give it a 6 out of 10 in rain performance.

I was thinking about this tire...
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=PZero+System+Asimmetrico

but either one doesn't look rain friendly as it's not a directional tread pattern.

they aren't directional in the traditional sense but they are side specific when mounting with the "THIS SIDE OUT" enscribed on the sidewall.

I will say this though, with 3k on them already, I am happy with their grip and auto-x'ing with them is very fun. Rain isn't a big deal with them but watch out for standing water - they HATE standing water.

Since you're running a staggared setup, you can choose the directional Rosso tires up front to eliminate this issue. I didn't want that for my ride since I like to rotate my 245/40/17 rubber all around. Who knows, if I make it back to Jersey in March, I'll roll out for bikeweek in the bimmer with a bike on a trailer in the back. You can check it out for yourself then. :D

-Ron

Ron I had some Yoko AVS Sport in 19 on a maxima before I had my M3. I loved them in the rain but though they wore out way early. I mean come on. The car was front drive and 200hp at the crank. I got MAYBE 10-12k and they were done. Most of that was just highway driving.

My impression of the grip on them was good. I have a friend who has them in 19 also on an S4 and we both decided that the traction was good but once the let go, they've LET GO. And there is no coming back.

It is my opinion that the S03 is ugly... I really liked the looks and shape of the AVS. But how far do looks get you?

Originally posted by Kevlar
[I had the Toyo T1S on my E36 M3... I didn't like them at all. I found that they only had good traction for about 3-4000 miles, after that... while they had huge amounts of tread they had no traction. I did a write up on the comparison between the two in the wheel/tire forum a while back.
[/B]

Damn. I haven't noticed any changes. I have noticed that they are VERY sensitive to air pressure. Over inflate a little and they get REAL squirmy and get a little loose with low pressure. It only takes 4-5 lbs or pressure to notice a difference. Probably due to the soft sidewall.

and I agree with the guy who said the AVS wear out FAST, and they're a little loud too, but otherwise a nice tire.

Originally posted by 12:03
Ron I had some Yoko AVS Sport in 19 on a maxima before I had my M3. I loved them in the rain but though they wore out way early. I mean come on. The car was front drive and 200hp at the crank. I got MAYBE 10-12k and they were done. Most of that was just highway driving.

My impression of the grip on them was good. I have a friend who has them in 19 also on an S4 and we both decided that the traction was good but once the let go, they've LET GO. And there is no coming back.

It is my opinion that the S03 is ugly... I really liked the looks and shape of the AVS. But how far do looks get you?


I agree that the AVS isn't a wear forever tire but neither is the S-03. As for tire looks, as long as the sidewall isn't "busy", I can care less what the business side of the tire looks like as long as it does it's job well.

as for tire wear, I'm sure you already know that front wheel drive cars are brutal on tire wear but rotating them every 3k will stretch out their life. As for getting 10-12k per set of tires, I really wouldn't concern myself too much since eraser head tires aren't really meant to last too long so I'd consider that an average case on tire wear. now buy an NSX and see that you're only getting 3k per set of tires and see what you're missing. :D

-Ron