Hi, I'm due for tire replacement (again) and looking for advice.

The car is a 2004 MCS with the stock 17" S-Lites that came with the sport package. The car shipped with with Pirelli runflats which I replaced at 24K miles with Bridgestone RE-01R's. The RE-01R's have been absolutely superb (simply amazing wet/dry grip), but didn't last very long (20K miles to the wear bars). I occasionally drive fairly aggressively and have tracked the car a couple times, but I doubt I will in the future. If anything, I'd like to tilt the compromise a bit more towards a quieter tire than a better-performing tire. The car never sees snow/ice, but does see wet roads quite a bit. I want to stick to the stock size (205/45-17).

I've done some research and narrowed my choices to the following (Tire Rack prices shown):

Yokohama S.drive ($104/tire)
Bridgestone RE760 ($112/tire)
Bridgestone S-04 ($159/tire)
Bridgestone RE-11 ($187/tire)
Michelin Pilot Super Sport ($208/tire with $70 rebate for four)

I realize this is a tremendous gradation in terms of grip/price, but I'm interested in the tradeoffs. My thoughts are that both the S.drive and RE760 are likely to be good tires with decent grip, long-life, reasonably quiet, and great values. The RE-11 (which is closest to the RE-01R I have) and Pilot SS's are high-end tires with superb track levels of grip, but expensive and somewhat short-lived, especially the RE-11s. The S-04 is an intermediate compromise between the two extremes.

I'm tending towards either saving my wallet and getting the Yokohamas or reaming my wallet and stepping up to Michelins which look like a true state-of-the-art tire which would match the performance of the RE-01R's I have, but last a lot longer. Win the current rebate for the Michelins, they are about the same price as the Bridgestones and have a tread wear rating of 300 vs. 180.

Any thoughts from the tire experts? Thanks,

- Mark

 

The S.Drives are surprisingly quiet, but not up to the performance level of the RE-11s. The RE-11s I reserve for the track.

 

I'd agree, and the Pilot Super Sports are not as quiet as S Drive.

 

I went with Hankook Ventus V12's on my 2005 MCS, and drive it in all kinds of Pacific Northwest weather!! Quiet and comfortable, and reasonably priced. Just changed from Ventus V12's to S.Drives on my Volvo S80 - quiet and smooth too so have no hesitation recommending both.

 

So are the Super Sports really the greatest thing since sliced bread in the world of sports tires? A tire that is as quiet and long-lasting as a good street tire, but with track tire levels of grip?

- Mark

 

I had typed my reply incorrectly. S drive is quieter. The Pilot Super sports are pretty amazing. Their grip and longevity would qualify them as a bar that has been set, industry wide.

I'd say they don't as much grip as extreme performance tires, but are easily leading the maximum performance category.

 

Thanks Alex. The pregnant question now is whether the extra grip is worth twice the price.

- Mark

 

^^^
I must be deaf!!!

Ive used the S-drives on my Z for 2 cycles now without too much complaints, gonna do the same on our MCS when these need to be swapped out. I'd recommend the the S-drives as a pretty good all round tire from all my experiances with them