2006 Is 350 25k.

[RPLEWIS]

I am in the market for a new set of tires, would anyone suggest that I stay with the original Bridgestones or something much better.

[EnginePassion]

I am in the market for a new set of tires, would anyone suggest that I stay with the original Bridgestones or something much better.

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From what I know, the new IS comes with either Bridgestone or Dunlop so you may stick with these two names. My delership thinks Dunlop is beter than Bridgestone.

[D2X]

Go online to Tire Rack and check out the ratings. The OEM tires that come on the IS are not high on the list. My IS250 has the Dunlop tires and they do not do well on wet pavement. I am thinking of changing to Yokohama Advan S4 which has a very good rating. It is very important to me to be able to stop when it's raining. :D

Tire Rack

[Manolo1]

What do you want?

better ride?

longer lasting tires?

or better handling?

the answer to the last question is stay with Bridgeston but switch to the S3 Pole Position R050A

[smooth1]

Michelin Pilot sports. You get these and theres no lookin back. I went from stock Dunlops, to Bridgestone S3's, and just switched to the Pilots. I can't tell you how much of a difference there is. Response is amazing, ride is smooth and quiet, grip is unreal, and they look fantastic. the only "complaint" that I would have is the one that I have for all the performance tires Iv'e used. One very course textured roads they do carry the sound more, and the ping over expansion joints can get loud also. But overall, the Pilots are soooooooooooooooooo worth the money.

Wait, wait a minute. I just looked at where your from. You have snow season there. I live in Florida. Here it just gets hot and rains alot. We can use them year round. You'll need all season tread designs. Then I would go with the Goodyear Eagle F1 all seasons. Very nice tire. High performance tire with a very nice profile, and it has great snow season capabilities.

[Manolo1]

For performance tires the Bridgestones are rated better than the Michelins at every level:

check this site: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/index.jsp

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position 1 100% 8.7 8.7 8.9 9.0 9.1 9.0 N/A N/A N/A 8.7 8.7 7.8 546,788

Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 2 99% 8.7 8.6 8.7 9.2 9.4 9.2 N/A N/A N/A 8.6 8.6 7.5 5,428,713

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 3 99% 8.6 8.9 9.1 8.9 9.2 8.8 N/A N/A N/A 8.5 8.4 7.9 18,307,213

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx 4 97% 7.8 8.6 8.6 8.8 9.0 8.8 N/A N/A N/A 8.5 8.3 7.8 976,488

Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position 5 94% 7.9 8.5 8.7 9.0 9.2 8.8 N/A N/A N/A 7.7 7.5 6.6 21,312,616

Pirelli PZero Nero 6 94% 7.5 8.0 8.2 8.6 8.9 8.6 N/A N/A N/A 8.1 7.9 7.4 2,282,551

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A 7 92% 7.0 7.9 8.0 8.9 9.0 8.9 N/A N/A N/A 7.8 7.5 6.7 1,803,365

Michelin Pilot Sport 8 92% 7.5 7.9 8.0 8.9 9.1 8.8 N/A N/A N/A 7.7 7.3 6.7 15,813,691

Dunlop SP Sport 9000 9 90% 7.1 8.2 8.2 8.2 8.5 8.2 N/A N/A N/A 7.7 7.4 7.1 10,230,463

Bridgestone Potenza S-02 A 10 90% 7.7 7.4 7.7 8.8 9.0 8.6 N/A N/A N/A 7.5 7.2 7.0 356,727

Dunlop SP Sport 9090 11 89% 6.1 8.3 8.4 8.2 8.6 8.1 N/A N/A N/A 7.4 6.9 6.5 1,090,400

Yokohama AVS Sport 12 89% 7.2 7.6 7.7 8.5 8.7 8.5 N/A N/A N/A 7.3 7.2 6.8 4,262,597

Bridgestone Potenza RE050 13 88% 6.6 7.6 7.7 8.7 8.8 8.7 N/A N/A N/A 7.4 7.1 5.7 1,561,300

Continental ContiSportContact 2 14 87% 6.2 7.4 7.6 8.3 8.6 8.3 N/A N/A N/A 7.7 7.3 6.3 5,601,240

Michelin Pilot SX MXX3 15 87% 7.0 6.7 7.1 8.9 9.0 8.9 N/A N/A N/A 7.0 7.3 6.2 2,784,713

Bridgestone Potenza S-02 16 86% 7.7 6.5 7.0 8.9 9.2 9.0 N/A N/A N/A 7.4 7.2 5.2 2,784,230

Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 17 86% 7.7 5.3 6.2 9.2 9.2 9.1 N/A N/A N/A 7.6 7.1 6.5 1,903,697

Pirelli PZero Rosso 18 85% 5.5 7.3 7.5 8.5 8.7 8.4 N/A N/A N/A 7.2 7.1 5.0 4,282,155

Pirelli PZero System 19 84% 6.5 6.7 7.0 8.6 8.9 8.6 N/A N/A N/A 6.9 6.7 5.6 3,443,271

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT 20 84% 5.1 7.5 7.6 8.4 8.7 8.0 N/A N/A N/A 6.0 6.5 6.1 502,555

Bridgestone Potenza RE050 RFT 21 80% 5.2 6.8 7.0 8.8 8.8 8.7 N/A N/A N/A 6.3 5.6 4.5 365,150

Dunlop SP Sport 9000 DSST 22 78% 4.8 6.9 7.4 7.8 8.1 8.0 N/A N/A N/A 5.3 5.5 5.7 618,000

Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar EMT 23 74% 4.1 5.7 6.0 8.2 8.3 8.3 N/A N/A N/A 6.1 5.8 3.5 1,057,297

[smooth1]

For performance tires the Bridgestones are rated better than the Michelins at every level:

check this site: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/index.jsp

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position 1 100% 8.7 8.7 8.9 9.0 9.1 9.0 N/A N/A N/A 8.7 8.7 7.8 546,788

Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 2 99% 8.7 8.6 8.7 9.2 9.4 9.2 N/A N/A N/A 8.6 8.6 7.5 5,428,713

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 3 99% 8.6 8.9 9.1 8.9 9.2 8.8 N/A N/A N/A 8.5 8.4 7.9 18,307,213

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx 4 97% 7.8 8.6 8.6 8.8 9.0 8.8 N/A N/A N/A 8.5 8.3 7.8 976,488

Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position 5 94% 7.9 8.5 8.7 9.0 9.2 8.8 N/A N/A N/A 7.7 7.5 6.6 21,312,616

Pirelli PZero Nero 6 94% 7.5 8.0 8.2 8.6 8.9 8.6 N/A N/A N/A 8.1 7.9 7.4 2,282,551

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A 7 92% 7.0 7.9 8.0 8.9 9.0 8.9 N/A N/A N/A 7.8 7.5 6.7 1,803,365

Michelin Pilot Sport 8 92% 7.5 7.9 8.0 8.9 9.1 8.8 N/A N/A N/A 7.7 7.3 6.7 15,813,691

Dunlop SP Sport 9000 9 90% 7.1 8.2 8.2 8.2 8.5 8.2 N/A N/A N/A 7.7 7.4 7.1 10,230,463

Bridgestone Potenza S-02 A 10 90% 7.7 7.4 7.7 8.8 9.0 8.6 N/A N/A N/A 7.5 7.2 7.0 356,727

Dunlop SP Sport 9090 11 89% 6.1 8.3 8.4 8.2 8.6 8.1 N/A N/A N/A 7.4 6.9 6.5 1,090,400

Yokohama AVS Sport 12 89% 7.2 7.6 7.7 8.5 8.7 8.5 N/A N/A N/A 7.3 7.2 6.8 4,262,597

Bridgestone Potenza RE050 13 88% 6.6 7.6 7.7 8.7 8.8 8.7 N/A N/A N/A 7.4 7.1 5.7 1,561,300

Continental ContiSportContact 2 14 87% 6.2 7.4 7.6 8.3 8.6 8.3 N/A N/A N/A 7.7 7.3 6.3 5,601,240

Michelin Pilot SX MXX3 15 87% 7.0 6.7 7.1 8.9 9.0 8.9 N/A N/A N/A 7.0 7.3 6.2 2,784,713

Bridgestone Potenza S-02 16 86% 7.7 6.5 7.0 8.9 9.2 9.0 N/A N/A N/A 7.4 7.2 5.2 2,784,230

Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 17 86% 7.7 5.3 6.2 9.2 9.2 9.1 N/A N/A N/A 7.6 7.1 6.5 1,903,697

Pirelli PZero Rosso 18 85% 5.5 7.3 7.5 8.5 8.7 8.4 N/A N/A N/A 7.2 7.1 5.0 4,282,155

Pirelli PZero System 19 84% 6.5 6.7 7.0 8.6 8.9 8.6 N/A N/A N/A 6.9 6.7 5.6 3,443,271

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT 20 84% 5.1 7.5 7.6 8.4 8.7 8.0 N/A N/A N/A 6.0 6.5 6.1 502,555

Bridgestone Potenza RE050 RFT 21 80% 5.2 6.8 7.0 8.8 8.8 8.7 N/A N/A N/A 6.3 5.6 4.5 365,150

Dunlop SP Sport 9000 DSST 22 78% 4.8 6.9 7.4 7.8 8.1 8.0 N/A N/A N/A 5.3 5.5 5.7 618,000

Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar EMT 23 74% 4.1 5.7 6.0 8.2 8.3 8.3 N/A N/A N/A 6.1 5.8 3.5 1,057,297

The Bridgestones rank over the Michelin's on what car? Wouldn't you say that weight bias, initial torque and power distribution play a significant role in tire performance? Not to mention suspension set up needs. To use a chart as a blanket statement is just not realistic. That chart is for the novice tire buyer and used as a sales tactic. The IS 350 has a very precise suspension, with real acceleration, but the weight bias is off, and needs more help in cornering. The stronger shoulder design on Michelin makes it a better tire for the IS 350. If we were talking about the BMW M3 which is a 50/50 weight biased car, then I would agree with the fact the Pole Position is maybe a better choice for that application.

[Manolo1]

Pilot Sport? or Pilot Sport PS2?

[smooth1]

The Pilot Sport PS2. I have this set on my IS 300 now. These tires are great. They use the silica compound so the tire has full traction till the end of it's tread life. Excellent wet weather handling also. The Pilot Sport, is a summer tire only. ( And if you can make them last for the entire summer then your not driving like you need em anyway.) They put in the sales catalogs that these tires are for " super cars" like Lambo's and ferrari's and so fourth, but that's just so the kids think they are getting a "super high performance tire." But the real reason is that super cars are generally not driven the "average" or typical amount. They are usually a weekend car, driven meduim to hard for sport only. So tread life is not really an issue, and they have highly tuned suspensions systems that need the feedback. And if you have ever heard a supercar throttle up, a noisy tire can't be heard in the cockpit anyway. Personally, if I had say, a 2010 LF-A, I would at that point go with either the Firestone Firehawk KSZ 50 - UNI-T ( Ultimate Tire Technology.) This is Bridgestone / Firestone's summit tire, or the Goodyear FSAE D2692 tire. LOL!!! Do cops really look at tires these days????LOL....

[smooth1]

hey there Manolo, just out of curiosity, I just looked at the charts you posted at that website you have listed there. Tire Rack.com. I wanted to see for myself where it was posted that Bridgestone ranked over Michelin because the Goodyear Eagle F1 is awsome tire also. I saw the rankings you read and posted from. But I have to turn your attention to 2 items I think you may have missed. One is that the list you have there is basically an opinion poll. It's not a fact sheet. They asked people after they purchased that set of tires to fill out a poll sheet. Second is that the Bridgestone rankings are based on about 100 reviews, and gets a 100, whereas the Goodyears are based on 2500 reviews and gets a 99. along with the Michelins. That's not even a close comparison for results. So if one person said a 10 for bridgestone, and 50 people said 10 for Goodyear and 1 person said 9, Bridgestone would have a higher ranking.

[Manolo1]

Totally, absolutely, completely in ....

agreement with you guys... I have had the Michelins in a different car and they were excellent, but they were the previous version, the "ribs".

I am sure the Michelin, the GY F1 and the PP are all excellent tires.

If you go to this site:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...A+Pole+Position

you will find some specific comments comparing the Bridges to the 'lins but again, unless you go to a track and test them one after the other it is always extremely inaccurate to compare the old tire (either brand), bald and with many miles, to the new tire, with all the tread, etc. which is what we all mere mortals do. Unless a big fiasco, the new tire will always appear to be superior.

My preference for the 'stones is that it is just an improved version over the OEM version, stickier, better handling and should just be the same but better, i.e., less chance of error in the selection. Any of the other tires may not be "ideal" in our car while performing better in a Corvette or a Porsche...

...and what I like most about the 'stones in that -very subjective- chart is the higher wet traction rating. That was an area in which my 'lins Pilot did not excel, not bad, but not good either.

OTOH, both of you drive IS300 and I am not convinced you can extrapolate your experiences to the IS350. Cars are similar, but not that similar, if you get my drift...

Enjoying the forum all the time.

Thanks for your comments. I still would stick to the 'stones, cheaper and less "risky", but if you don't take risks, you'll never know...correct?

[Manolo1]

BTW Smooth1, you initially recommended the Pilot Sports and later clarified you were referring to Pilot Sport PS2: apples and oranges, just like our OEM 'stones R050 and the PP R050A!

and to close this thing, here is the tire test rating performed by Tire Rack themselves:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=1

where they say:

In dry conditions, the average lap times for all of the Max Performance Summer tires were within about 1/2 second of each other, showing just how close the group is. The Pilot Sport PS2 showed a slight advantage by providing progressive handling and traction that allowed it to lap the course in 29.412 seconds and generate a little more grip around the skidpad. The Potenza RE050A Pole Position was scarcely 8/100 of a second slower and the Eagle F1 GS-D3 was 2/10 of a second back. The Potenza S-03 Pole Position felt predictable but was about 1/2 second back lacking the ultimate dry traction of the other tires.

In the wet, the difference between the tires was more pronounced. Here, the Potenza RE050A Pole Position showed an advantage by providing the progressive handling and traction that allowed it to lap the course in 31.783 seconds and generate more grip around the skidpad. The Pilot Sport PS2 was 1/2 second slower and the Eagle F1 GS-D3 was only 7/100 of a second further back. The Potenza S-03 Pole Position again felt predictable but was about 1.1 seconds back lacking the ultimate wet traction of the other tires (a capability that it was best in class in just a few years ago). The results showed just how far new tire wet traction and handling has come.

'nuff said... I rest my case!

[smooth1]

BTW Smooth1, you initially recommended the Pilot Sports and later clarified you were referring to Pilot Sport PS2: apples and oranges, just like our OEM 'stones R050 and the PP R050A!

and to close this thing, here is the tire test rating performed by Tire Rack themselves:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=1

where they say:

In dry conditions, the average lap times for all of the Max Performance Summer tires were within about 1/2 second of each other, showing just how close the group is. The Pilot Sport PS2 showed a slight advantage by providing progressive handling and traction that allowed it to lap the course in 29.412 seconds and generate a little more grip around the skidpad. The Potenza RE050A Pole Position was scarcely 8/100 of a second slower and the Eagle F1 GS-D3 was 2/10 of a second back. The Potenza S-03 Pole Position felt predictable but was about 1/2 second back lacking the ultimate dry traction of the other tires.

In the wet, the difference between the tires was more pronounced. Here, the Potenza RE050A Pole Position showed an advantage by providing the progressive handling and traction that allowed it to lap the course in 31.783 seconds and generate more grip around the skidpad. The Pilot Sport PS2 was 1/2 second slower and the Eagle F1 GS-D3 was only 7/100 of a second further back. The Potenza S-03 Pole Position again felt predictable but was about 1.1 seconds back lacking the ultimate wet traction of the other tires (a capability that it was best in class in just a few years ago). The results showed just how far new tire wet traction and handling has come.

'nuff said... I rest my case!

BTW Smooth1, you initially recommended the Pilot Sports and later clarified you were referring to Pilot Sport PS2: apples and oranges, just like our OEM 'stones R050 and the PP R050A!

after going back and reading it again, you are correct on this point, and I apologize for creating confusion if in fact that is what happened.

Secondly, I just wanted to add that I mostly speak from personal experience, I grew up in my dad's custom hot rod shop building dragsters, modified and prostock.My dad and I race both cars and motorcycles. I am the black sheep in the family in that I usually end up turbo charging a Jap car with a juice system and showing them that not only american muscle can move you down the road. Unfortunatley, I am usually displacement challenged in that they just run a 6.0 litre with a supercharger system,( My dad's latest project is a black 2003 Ford Explorer that just dynoe'd at 660 ish rwhp. I have a video of him lining up to a LS1 GTO and taking him in the 1/4. Very funny!!! But I digress.So I have to find that extra go someplace else. Hence I studied tires, and hooking up all that power.

So while some chart or hired pro says that the Bridgestones are a slightly better tire, I have to smile and say that in turn 3 at the Homestead Miami Raceway last month, everyone in the paddocks were walking back and fourth to the Michelin tent for more tires as they got more aggressive with their race setups.

[BostonKiller]

Why not get AVON and save a whole bunch of money? :whistles:

[smooth1]

Why not get AVON and save a whole bunch of money?:whistles:

the Avon's are actually a good tire. And your right, they will cost less. Initially. Avon saves your money at the shop by not spending sooo much in R&D. They try to make up for it by using a slightly softer compound to improve grip. But their tires won't last as long. We found that tread life is usually about 75-80% shorter. So if you were to purchase 4 sets of tires you would actually spend about the same amount of money in that with Good-year, Michelin's and Bridgestone/Firestone's you would only need 3 sets.

[Manolo1]

smooth1, your experience and the TireRack test coincide. In dry conditions the PS2 is minimally faster than the PP.

You can only find that difference at the track, rarely if ever on the streets and highways of our flat state.

My preference for the PPs is in their wet capabilities. 1/2 a second in 30 is a little bit more than minimal and it is in the wet when you want the best possible tire. If you add to that the fact the PPs are cheaper than the PS2 while being - for all practical purposes- an equal tire, I go for the PPs.

However, I will be delighted with either one, but my next tires will be the PPS. I only have 7k miles in my IS and I have already a piggy bank with $900 towards my next set. Perhaps after the PPs I will try PS2s again.

I understand they are a little bit quieter too, but don't quote me on this.

[smooth1]

smooth1, your experience and the TireRack test coincide. In dry conditions the PS2 is minimally faster than the PP.

You can only find that difference at the track, rarely if ever on the streets and highways of our flat state.

My preference for the PPs is in their wet capabilities. 1/2 a second in 30 is a little bit more than minimal and it is in the wet when you want the best possible tire. If you add to that the fact the PPs are cheaper than the PS2 while being - for all practical purposes- an equal tire, I go for the PPs.

However, I will be delighted with either one, but my next tires will be the PPS. I only have 7k miles in my IS and I have already a piggy bank with $900 towards my next set. Perhaps after the PPs I will try PS2s again.

I understand they are a little bit quieter too, but don't quote me on this.

Ok, let's level the playing field here. The average driver even if they qualify as an " aggressive" driver will probably only ever use about 60% of the capability of their tires because they generally will only use about that capability of their car. That is until they need to slam on the brakes or swerve suddenly to avoid an object in which case most of these scenarios is considered an unskilled reactive response, and often exceed or overpower the limits of the car and tires.

the amount of difference in the tires we are discussing is so minimal that for the sake of this discussion I will agree that who ever picked any of these tires will be experiencing the best combinations of performance tires currently made. In fact, we could broaden the scope to include Nitto, Dunlop, Cooper,Pirelli, and a few others. ( Although even in the elite level of high performance tires the combinations mostly become specialized to the point that they become not very practical.) Which is really the what most are after. A high performance tire that is practical. But, I have to revert to my age old philosophy when it comes to my car, "It doesn't matter if it really works or not, just so long as it looks good!" And the Michelins look soooooo good on the car. the fact that they perform as good as they do is a plus. ;)

Manolo, I've enjoyed our discussion. I hope to see you around the boards. I didn't mean to hijack this thread.

I hope everyone reading our posts takes some good info away with them.