CAR & DRIVER TIRE TESTS...FINALLY

Finally finally finally, my new Car & Driver arrived with the test we've all been
waiting for: The best summer tires and here are the results:

9. PIRELLI P ZERO they didn't like this tire "struggled with understeer and post grip
recovery was noticeably worse than most of the other tires"

8. DUNLOP DIREZZA SPORT Z1 STAR SPEC too much understeer balance and
lacks grip

7. TOYO PROXES R1R lacked an abundance of grip and so-so remarks from testers

6. GOODYEAR EAGLE F1 ASYMMETRIC 2 performed strangely ..less braking control in dry than in wet.. worst dry grip...no great inspirer of driving confidence

5. CONTINENTAL EXTREMECONTACT DW handiest tire on the autocross...top honors in ride comfort and noise and least expensive at $133

4. HANKOOK VENTUS R-S3 second most affordable...super dry stopping numbers..
tied the Yoko for best dry skidpad ...similar to the Michelin on the autocross but
worst wet autocross lap time

3. YOKOHAMA ADVAN NEOVA AD08 super times in autocross.. the winner ..dry performance was strong.. but not so great in the wet. seemed louder than ratings and ride was pretty firm

2. BRIDGESTONE POTENZA S-04 POLE POSITION easy to drive ..no mind blowing traits, just solid performance all around...top score in quietness.. second in braking

AND THE WINNER IS: (no surprise here)

1.MICHELIN PILOT SUPER SPORT "Two years ago, Ferrari launched the 458 Italia a few months before Michelin released it Pilot Super Sport (PSS). Because Ferrari wanted the PSS for the 456 but Michelin didn't want to preempt its own release, some of the early 458's were delivered on "Michelin Pilot Sport Ps2" tires. Those were actually PSS's".

Praised for its steering precision in the wet ..most lateral grip in the wet.. felt firm and planted on the dry autocross ..best balance of wet and dry performance they've ever experienced testing.

 

I love the Bridgestone.

 

I'm surprised Hankook placed so strongly.

 

I had SuperSports on my S5 and loved them. As soon as the PZeros on m 991S wear out, they will be replaced with SuperSports

 

I just put super sports on my Cayman S replacing the PS2s. I haven't had a chance to really try them out yet but initial impressions are positive. I will be track testing it 7/8 however.

Dave

 

The RE-11,the Corsa,and the F1 Supercar G:2 should have been included.

 

Just replaced my Pilot Sorts on my M3 with Super Sports ( today), and so far impressions are VERY positive!

 

I wish they included the RE-11's too. Will replace with my Rosso's with them but would have been nice to see a comparison to the PSS's. I really want the michelin's but I don't want any taller sidewalls in the rear.

 

PSS ranks high in the wet, otherwise it's inferior to a lot of the other high-grip tires in the dry. Who pushes their car to its limits in the wet (where limits are so much lower vs dry surface)?

 

I have put over 13,000 miles on these^^^ on my 355, and I don't have any complaints (dry or wet) with them.

However....I will be replacing them with Michelin PSS's next year.

 

Nobody pushes their cars to the limit in the wet. But what if you have to perform an avoidence maneuver on wet ground through no fault of your own? The added wet traction would be much appreciated.

 

I have PSS on my 575M with more than 6 000 km on them. They last much longer as the P Zeros did and stick better in the dry as in the wet. Before I had 3 sets of P Zeros on the car that lasted only between 4 000 and 5 000 km per set.

Markus

 

+1, have them for about a year, love them vs. old Pilot Sports

 

How many Ferrari owners drive in the rain at all? Dry grip and predictable handling were tips on my list. For a touring car, though, I would definitely want superior performance wet and dry, as well as ride quiet.

 

I do, even in snow (see pic below).

But I agree: dry handling is on top of the list by far.

Markus
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Interesting results. I guess the Michelins really do live up to their reputation. I haven't used any extreme summer tires but I have had the Bridgestone RE-050A Pole Positions and absolutely loved them. I had never been passionate about a tire until having these on my car. The dry grip is superb and the wet weather grip is the most planted I have ever felt driving in the rain, as good if not better than grip in dry conditions.

 

I have driven my F355 through 2 solid days of 2" per hour of rain on a 1000 mile journey from Texas to WV. Not fun, but no troubles.

I have, also, driven my car in 1" per hour rain at TWS (slip sliding away.) It is a lot easier to learn a cars handling characterisitics in the rain than in the dry. And in the rain, at least when you loose it, you have a small enough amount of energy in the car, you can save it befor you hit something.

 

If it were my 360CS or Carrera GT or Zonda I'd make it a point to either A)never take them out in the wet, or B) if I did, I'd definitely tone down my speed in anticipation of an emergency maneuver like you mentioned....all while staying on the best dry grip rubber, which, incidentally, have grooves anyway for that very reason.

Sure, but touring cars don't need A048s or RE-11s or P Zero Corsas; they'll make do with A/S high performance tires, which are more than enough performance for them as they are not as pure as the aforementioned machinery.

 

With regard to the understeer comments by the reviewers... won't it depend very much on what car you have and how it's set up as to which tire will perform marginally better than another? As is plain to see if F1, one team can really make a tire work and another team on exactly the same compound can comparatively struggle. I wonder if the general characteristics observed for a specific tire are only relevant to you if the car used to do the test is identical to your own (including suspension options).

Other measures such as stopping distances in a straight line do seem far more objective.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

I'd live to see the statistical regression between advertising spend over time and performance results.

Pretty linear, I'll bet.

 

I haeven driven Ferraris in rain a lot. They are just fine. But I do not push them. I have a lot of respect for wet roads. All you have to do is hit an oily spot with water on top and bad things can happen quickly.

Dave

 

tires are only as good as the guy behind you.....

 

I like to push it to the limit in the wet on the back roads because I can have fun at speeds that are slower and safer. I've been doing this since Goodyear came out with the first high-performance tire that had big grip in the wet--the GS-C-- two decades ago. Since then,other tiremakers have joined in and the selection has gotten better and better. Today I use a Subaru STi with RE-11s. I plan to try the Michelin Super Sport next.

 

I put Nitto INVO's on my 456M and love them (Note that I have 18" Barchetta modular wheels). Smooth, quiet, sticky enough for a GT, and nice wet performance on the one time I got caught in the rain. Have 2K miles on them and they still look almost new. WAY better than the P-Zero's that came on the car, but they were ancient and hard.

Cheers,

George

 

This. I haven't read the article,... but what car/cars were used in the test?