Car & Driver Compare 11 Best Tires

[MAlby7]

Here's a LINK (CLICK HERE) (http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=10252) from the Car & Driver's test on the 11 best Max Performance Tires available at this time. All the tires were fitted to a 2006 BMW 330i and run through the exact same tests. The following list is of the tires included in the test and their respective scores:

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3: 1050.4
Continental Contisportcontact 2: 1031.9
Yokohama Advan Neova AD07: 1027.0
Michelin Pilot Sport PS2: 1018.7
Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212: 1015.4
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx: 1002.2
Pirelli P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico: 1002.1
Toyo Proxes T1R: 999.7
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A: 993.9
BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD: 993.0
Kumho Ecsta MX: 990.7

[philippek]

Continental Contisportcontact 2: 1031.9


:wow:

[racerdave]

:wow:

That's what they said too... they had to recheck their math. But after combining all the scores for dry/wet autocross, dry/wet skidpad, dry/wet braking, etc, that's where it wound up.

Even though the result is surprising, their test is about the only time you're going to see that many high-performance tires tested in such a way. They even included the Hankook's and Toyo's, which TireRack doesn't sell (and therefore never tests in its own tests).

No, the tests cannot quantify "feel," because that's so subjective. But for just laying out the numbers, the test was pretty decent.

(And that said, the results of many of the tests (dry skidpad for example) were not hugely disparate)

My major beef was them weighting "wear rating" into the score. There's no standard for those ratings, so one mfg's 220 might be another's 120. Silly.

[Artslinger]

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3, Continental Contisportcontact 2.

I guess I should've gone with the F1 or the Contis for my replacement tires instead of the Potenzas.

Lesson, don't let past experiences influence your buying decisions. My Mustangs F1's were loud and trammeled like a bitch, and my 325's OE Contis just plain sucked.

[Cliff]

It's too bad they tested the RE050 runflats instead of S-03s as I would have liked to see how they stack up against PS2s. Interesting comparo though.

[Artslinger]

It's too bad they tested the RE050 runflats instead of S-03s as I would have liked to see how they stack up against PS2s. Interesting comparo though.

I didn't notice that the RE50s were runflats, and was wondering even berfore that why they didn't use the S-03s in this test.

Not a fair comparison IMO, from what I've read of runflats.

[Cliff]

I didn't notice that the RE50s were runflats, and was wondering even berfore that why they didn't use the S-03s in this test.

Not a fair comparison IMO, from what I've read of runflats.
Actually, I just assumed it was a runflat since the runflat RE050 is the OEM SP tire for the E90. After perusing the Tirerack site, I think my assumption was in error.

[Artslinger]

Actually, I just assumed it was a runflat since the runflat RE050 is the OEM SP tire for the E90. After perusing the Tirerack site, I think my assumption was in error.


Still I think they should have used the S-03, if I'm not mistaken it is Bridgestone's most aggressive tire. The RE050 is designed for more of a cushy compliant ride than the S-03.

The RE050 comes in a runflat and non version.

[TLudwig]

Like Racerdave said, these numbers don't tell half the story. I recently changed out my old Pilot Sports for the F1 GS-D3's, and I'm wondering whether I should have spent the extra few hundred to get the Pilot Sport 2's. Except in the rain, I actually prefer my old Pilot Sports over the F1s, and the PS2's are supposed to be a significant step up from the Pilot Sports.

Like Artslinger mentioned, the F1's do tramline like crazy; much worse than my Pilot Sports. The sidewalls are also much less stiff than the Pilot Sports. This gives a weird squishy feeling (not confidence inspiring) when I first enter a turn. They will dig in and grip hard, but the initial feeling is a little disconcerting and requires you to exercise faith that the tires will hold. This explains the better numbers in track tests, but less positive reviews by daily drivers. In terms of actual grip in dry weather, the F1's and Pilot Sports feel about the same, but in the wet, the F1's are MUCH better than the Pilot Sports. This is what actually sold me on my purchase, since we see so much rain down here in Houston.

In terms of noise and comfort, the F1's seem quieter than the Pilot Sports, but that may just be the fact that my Pilot Sports got pretty loud at the end of their life. Surprisingly, I think the Pilot Sports actually rode better, despite having firmer side walls. I have no explanation for this, but bumps and potholes feel much more jarring on the F1's. :dunno:

I've been meaning to write this mini-review/comparo up for awhile, but never got around to it.

[Chris90]

I had Conti Sport Contacts before my SO3s on my E36, and i liked them. Did 4 track days on them. Less grip for sure, but more progressive and communicative than the SO3s, and were fine in the rain. For the money ($88), I would have rebought them if I'd needed new tires. I don't think the SO3s are worth twice the money.

[jvr826]

Man, I couldn't get the OEM Conti Sports off of my two E39's fast enough! I have PS1's on my new 3'er and can't wait for them to be gone so I can try PS2's or get a set of my all-time favorite S-03's. Wet traction on the PS1's is very disappointing compared to the S-03's.

[Gary@Tirerack]

It is important to note that the tire they tested was the Conti Sport Contact2, a very large step up from the old Conti Sport Contacts that many of you are likely thinking about.

[Ack]

I had the SO3's on my car prior to upgrading to the PS2's. Both tires are pretty damn close in both wet/dry traction but what sold me was the weight differential in the PS2'. Overall, the PS2's were about 3-5 lbs lighter than the SO3's per tire! :yikes: I could feel the difference in the acceleration when I switched to the PS2's.

[Gary@Tirerack]

I had the SO3's on my car prior to upgrading to the PS2's. Both tires are pretty damn close in both wet/dry traction but what sold me was the weight differential in the PS2'. Overall, the PS2's were about 3-5 lbs lighter than the SO3's per tire! :yikes: I could feel the difference in the acceleration when I switched to the PS2's.

If your S-03's were nearly worn out near 2/32nds, they may have acutally weighed *less* than or very near to a set of full treaded 10/32nds depth PS2's. The butt-o-meter is easily tricked by by mind thinking you've made an improvement.

[Chris90]

It is important to note that the tire they tested was the Conti Sport Contact2, a very large step up from the old Conti Sport Contacts that many of you are likely thinking about.

Yeah, I might consider them when i need to replace the Pilots. I was just bringing up that I think the Conti Sports get a bad rap - there's lots of people on Tirerack who drive their cars like 6/10ths and say the Contis are crap. I drove them on 4 track days and thought they were fine. I can do faster laps on the SO3s, but I don't find them any more fun.

[doeboy]

Man, I couldn't get the OEM Conti Sports off of my two E39's fast enough! I have PS1's on my new 3'er and can't wait for them to be gone so I can try PS2's or get a set of my all-time favorite S-03's. Wet traction on the PS1's is very disappointing compared to the S-03's.

I've never had S03s before, but I'd agree that wet traction of the PS1s aren't as good as the tread pattern may lead you to believe... I've had Pirelli P7000s and Dunlop SP9000s and those did awesome in the wet as far as I've seen...

But in the dry, the PS1 is quite decent... not the greatest thing around but quite good IMO... they like to sing a lot, and are very communicative. They also wear like rocks... I've done 11 DEs on my fronts... and they're just now getting to the wear bars... :D

[wannabracer]

Amazing the results when the question is put in the correct forum. Thanks for the change.

As was mentioned up front, I'm not in the least bit concerned with wet weather performance. I'm in the desert:rofl: From all that I can gather the PS2's are the way to go if I can find a price that is appealing. Again from the top budget is somewhat of an issue.

Thanks gang.

[Chris90]

My Goodyear Eagle F1s kind of suck in the rain as far as i can tell.

I never really trust tire ratings, so if you find a tire you like, stick with it. I may go back to S-O3s next time, the Eagles don't seem that great.

[claud 3]

Conti Contac 2s have given me 17,000+ miles of good driving, including four HPDE track days at VIR. I ordered another set last night.