Anyone know? The S-03's are heavy. Anyone know of an alternative that is lighter and just as grippy if not more grippy?

Several tires can match the S03 dry traction and weigh considerably less. Kumho MX, Bridgestone's own S02's, BFG KD's for example.

I think that's you'd be hard pressed to blend find equivalent wet traction though.

Personally, I still have trouble swallowing the weight of the S03, and will go for some MX's next time around.

MX's dry grip is equal to s-03's? What about the wet traction? How much do they weigh anyhow? Thanks for the response frayed.

How much more weight are we talking about for these SO3's?

I don't know the weight difference, but my 18x8.5 RK's with 255/35 S-03's weigh 47 pounds. The 16" sport package wheels with worn out 225/50 RE-730's weigh 40. The RK's are supposed to be something like 21, so that leaves about 26 just for the tires. Seems kind of hefty. They stick like glue though and look very cool ;)

I will consider some lighter tires next time, since my acceleration definately took a hit...

Actually Bernman...your S-03's weigh in at an ungodly heavy 28lbs:eek:
Click here.....http://www.bridgestonetire.com/dpp/index.asp

And the RK's are only 19lbs not 21.....quite a nice weight in 18x8.5 if you ask me....damn heavy S-03's though.

oh yeah and on that link...click on 'Products", then on the drag down bar, go to S-03's.

Ouch...

At least they handle wonderfully. I'll have to catch them in the corners ;)

Thanks for the info!

Butch

Wow, those are some pretty dramatic differences. On average, the SO-3s are about 4lbs heavier than their Kumho counterparts...

http://www.kumhousa.com/Products/PtnDetails.asp?mainCatID=1&PtnID=KU-15

http://www.bridgestonetire.com/dpp/sizespecs.asp?passproductid=227

What do you guys think about Dunlop SP 9000s? I couldn't find weight info. Are they any good?

Originally posted by Keda
What do you guys think about Dunlop SP 9000s? I couldn't find weight info. Are they any good?

Great tire in the wet, decent in dry (comparable to Kumho 712's...no where near MX's or S-03's). ....and the best thing is their weight, they are EXTREMELY lightweight! Dunlop used to post tire weight info on their website, but for some reason (that really pisses me off), it is no longer available.

However, the SP Sport 9000's are very close in weight to the Toyo T1-S's.....so check this link below to see Toyo's weights.http://www.toyo.com/tires/tire_specsheet.cfm?id=2

Yes, the Toyo T1-S tires are quite light (see link above by Nimble). I have them on my car and they seem to grip pretty well. They're cheaper than S0-3's also.

Good luck,
Wes
'95 M3

I must be going crazy, because I thougth I posted this yesterday. Maybe they connection didn't go through. But...

What do you all think of Pirellis? Particularly the P7000 http://www.us.pirelli.com/en_US/tyres/catalog/tyre_product.jhtml?selected=desc&productid=2626&catid=US_UHP

The tire weight is only one part of the equation. In my opinion not a very valid part of it. The tire mfg's can make lighter weight tires but they also have softer sidewalls with more flex and lean in the corners.
Weight on the wheel is important again to a point. Wider wheels will weigh more but they will square the shoulder of the tire and make it lay flatter and make the car handle better. So weight is not the only factor. Same thing with the tire. A narrower tire would weigh less but not neccessarily handle better.

All I'm saying is that weight is not a good reason to rule out a tire. The S03 is still the best all around handling tire I have driven and tested.

Jim, how would you personally compare the Kumho MX to the S03?

how about falken azenis?

The advatage the S03 would have is the wet and the ride quality. You may also get a little more tread life out of the S03.
The MX is every bit as good in the dry and cost quite a bit less.
In the tire test with the MX they were right behind the BFG KD in the dry. The KD is about as good a dry tire you can get on a street tire.
I hope this helps some.

Jim

Jim, are you saying that the MXs have weaker sidewalls than the SO-3s? The weight difference between the two is more than I thought...enough to affect performance. It seems like it would be a factor in decision making, assuming the handling is similar.

I doubt that Keda. The MX's have pretty stiff sidewalls, and their dry performance shows that. . . you cannot generate world class dry grip w/o stiff sidewalls. The trade off is poor ride quality, which Jim was referring to.

From the tires I've run, and from talking to the Bridgestone engineers and the Kumho techs, I think, for dry traction they are rated as follows:

BFG KD
S02
Kumho MX
S03

Dunno where the Azenis fit in, but they come in funky sizing. Some say the goodyear F1's outhandle the BFG's as well.

As for wet, S03 takes it; not b/c of their out of the box performance, but b/c they maintain the majority of their wet traction as they wear, as other tires take a nosedive as they wear. But, S03's, while cheaper than they used to be, still command a premium over the MX's.

My next set will be the MXs. Killer dry traction, killer wet (at least when new), and light. Sidewalls a bit funky though.