Eagle F1 GSD3 vs. Michellin Pilot Sport

[2005-330i-ZHP]

I've got an 05 330i ZHP and my tires are gone. I need to put a new set on but I can't decide between Eagle F1s and Michellin Pilot Sports. Wet weather traction is very important (I live in Florida). Could somebody recommend one tire over the other? What about the idea of different sets on the rear and front?

[kyfdx]

I've got an 05 330i ZHP and my tires are gone. I need to put a new set on but I can't decide between Eagle F1s and Michellin Pilot Sports. Wet weather traction is very important (I live in Florida). Could somebody recommend one tire over the other? What about the idea of different sets on the rear and front?

Pilot Sport? or Pilot Sport PS2?

The eagles are probably better than the Pilot Sport (which is a decent tire.. I got 30K out of my rears), but the PS2 is a better tire than the Goodyears.. by most accounts.

[Jeremy - BMW]

the new continental contisport contact 3 has been getting rave reviews...if they have sizes that fit your car i would definately put these into the running as well. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ContiSportContact+3

[swajames]

Pilot Sport? or Pilot Sport PS2?

The eagles are probably better than the Pilot Sport (which is a decent tire.. I got 30K out of my rears), but the PS2 is a better tire than the Goodyears.. by most accounts.


Not so sure, they've been pretty much tied on the TireRack survey - and the Goodyear's rating is based on far more reported miles than the PS2. The Goodyear also won a C&D tire comparison test maybe a year and a half ago, with the PS2 coming in 4th.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=MP

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10252/tire-test-the-quick-and-the-tread-page13.html

[kyfdx]

Not so sure, they've been pretty much tied on the TireRack survey - and the Goodyear's rating is based on far more reported miles than the PS2. The Goodyear also won a C&D tire comparison test maybe a year and a half ago, with the PS2 coming in 4th.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=MP

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10252/tire-test-the-quick-and-the-tread-page13.html

I meant: By most accounts... of Bimmerfest members.. :-)

[Athos]

This may be a non-issue if you are about to buy soon. I tried buying the Good Year F1s for my car and was told by a couple of places (including Tire Rack) that they are back ordered 8 to 10 weeks on the rear tires for my car (2006 330i with 18 inch wheels). Might want to check availablity first. I ended up buying the PS2s.

[PK8]

I've had PS2's and loved them.

[Helios]

I've had Goodyear F1s on my M3 for about a week and 250 miles. I can definitely say they ride smoother than the old Pilot Sports, and after pushing them a bit last weekend, they seem to grip just as well. I've heard some people remark on how soft their sidewalls are, but it's not an issue with me...at least not yet.

Since they're new I can't comment on how fast they'll wear. The F1s are also supposed to be superior in the wet...that also remains to be seen. First impressions are good, though.

[gIzzE]

They are 2 very different tyres when you a pushing them, for normal everyday driving there is not alot between any of these brands, and I don't know the prices in the states but the Falken FK452 is also a great tyre (very similar to the GDS3) and around 50***37; cheaper than the Goodyear.

The Goodyear will grip for longer,alot longer than the PS2, so you have to be going very fast for the back end to come out, but when it goes it really goes and is not that easy to control, but you do have to be going very quick to loose the back end so for most people this is a good choice.
The PS2 on the other hand lets go alot earlier, at far slower speeds, but it is very progressive and you know exactly what it is doing underneath you can really control the car easily with this tyre, however not everyone wants that from a tyre, most people would prefer them to grip longer.

I personally prefer the PS2 on quicker cars, had them on my M3 CSL and then put Goodyears on and after getting used to the car I regretted that move, at the moment I have the PS2's on the 335i and it really suits this car.
The PS2's really alow you to get to know your car well, and know how to control it properly like no other non track tyre can, it is very impressive.

If you don't drive it that hard though save some money and buy a GDS3 or Falken FK452, they are very good too. I wouldn't touch the conti sport contact 3's at all, they only thing they have going for them is wear rate, they are not very quiet, not that comfy and the handling on twisties is shockingly bad. Problem with reviews is the set tests don't really want to tell us what we want to know, breaking in a straight line is always within a couple of feet from each other, same with in the wet etc. and this is where the marks come from, so what if one tale 400ft to stop and the other takes 396ft to stop, driver reaction has more to do with that sort of distance than tyres, what we really want to know they can't really test. I prefer some of the German reviews where they take the car down a mountain road and tell you it straight, this one kept grip, this one let us slide nicely and this one was scarey!! :D

[2005-330i-ZHP]

This may be a non-issue if you are about to buy soon. I tried buying the Good Year F1s for my car and was told by a couple of places (including Tire Rack) that they are back ordered 8 to 10 weeks on the rear tires for my car (2006 330i with 18 inch wheels). Might want to check availablity first. I ended up buying the PS2s.

Iwas told the same thing but I just went ahead and ordered 265's for the rear (instead ofthe 255's). Anyone think that's going to be a problem??

[kyfdx]

Iwas told the same thing but I just went ahead and ordered 265's for the rear (instead ofthe 255's). Anyone think that's going to be a problem??


Yes... too wide for your wheels.. and too tall, as well..

[ganseg]

Since you already ordered them, your could go 235/40 on the front which are also slightly tall than stock. I don't think you will have a rubbing problem from what I have read. But call the place that will mount them, since they may be too wide for an 8.5" wheel. In the future, I would get the widths closer together. This car doesn't need wider rears.

[Fireman]

One of your biggest enemies is standing water.. The GSD3 will slice through that issue every time!
Im on my 3rd set
F1 GSD3 all day long;)
However, its hourses for couses:thumbup:
Bloody good write up gIzzE:thumbup:

[KrisL]

Yes... too wide for your wheels.. and too tall, as well..

A bit wider and a bit taller.

...but it won't cause any problems. They fit fine.

[2005-330i-ZHP]

A bit wider and a bit taller.

...but it won't cause any problems. They fit fine.

Yea, I went ahead and threw on the 265's today - we were worried about the rubbing, more so on the driver side rear than the passenger side (for some reason the clearances are different width-wise). I took it for a spin and there wasn't any rubbing, ran it up to 90mph (there are no safe straight-aways where i live) and there wasn't any rubbing.

the 265 f1 gsd3s look bad ass too, i love that tread. my steering seemed to kind of soften up, took less strain to turn those wheels than the old ones (bridgestons re40's i think). i actually miss the ultra-tough steering ...
haven't had a chance to really test the f1s out yet

[2005-330i-ZHP]

the new continental contisport contact 3 has been getting rave reviews...if they have sizes that fit your car i would definately put these into the running as well. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ContiSportContact+3

thanks for the advice jeremy - i just had my car in at capital euro to replace a control arm.

[Eddie Bimmer]

They are 2 very different tyres when you a pushing them, for normal everyday driving there is not alot between any of these brands, and I don't know the prices in the states but the Falken FK452 is also a great tyre (very similar to the GDS3) and around 50% cheaper than the Goodyear.

The Goodyear will grip for longer,alot longer than the PS2, so you have to be going very fast for the back end to come out, but when it goes it really goes and is not that easy to control, but you do have to be going very quick to loose the back end so for most people this is a good choice.
The PS2 on the other hand lets go alot earlier, at far slower speeds, but it is very progressive and you know exactly what it is doing underneath you can really control the car easily with this tyre, however not everyone wants that from a tyre, most people would prefer them to grip longer.

I personally prefer the PS2 on quicker cars, had them on my M3 CSL and then put Goodyears on and after getting used to the car I regretted that move, at the moment I have the PS2's on the 335i and it really suits this car.
The PS2's really alow you to get to know your car well, and know how to control it properly like no other non track tyre can, it is very impressive.

If you don't drive it that hard though save some money and buy a GDS3 or Falken FK452, they are very good too. I wouldn't touch the conti sport contact 3's at all, they only thing they have going for them is wear rate, they are not very quiet, not that comfy and the handling on twisties is shockingly bad. Problem with reviews is the set tests don't really want to tell us what we want to know, breaking in a straight line is always within a couple of feet from each other, same with in the wet etc. and this is where the marks come from, so what if one tale 400ft to stop and the other takes 396ft to stop, driver reaction has more to do with that sort of distance than tyres, what we really want to know they can't really test. I prefer some of the German reviews where they take the car down a mountain road and tell you it straight, this one kept grip, this one let us slide nicely and this one was scarey!! :D





THIS IS THE BEST REVIEW AND COMPARISON OF THE TWO TIRES I'VE EVER READ!!!!

You're right about the US magazine reviewers not telling us what we really want to know. It irritates me to no end that such a behavior is as a result of the lawyers telling them what not to do. :mad:

Thank you!!:thumbup:

[roverT]

Here are my Falken FK452 265/35's on my stock rears and suspension:

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6981/falkenfk452closeug3.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/391/falkenfk452overalldw9.jpg

[KrisL]

Here are my Falken FK452 265/35's on my stock rears and suspension:

Eek! Clean those wheels once in awhile, will ya?




:)

[roverT]

Eek! Clean those wheels once in awhile, will ya?




:)


:p those wheels have 75,000 miles on them. I know they're sooo dirty. :eeps:

[PK8]

[deleted- duplicate message]

[PK8]

at the moment I have the PS2's on the 335i and it really suits this car.

gIzzE, could you please describe your impressions of the PS2's vs. the OEM runflats on the 335? I have a 335 on order, and I'm considering swapping the RFTs for PS2's (I had PS2's on my 540 and loved them), but, since the 335's suspension has been "specially tuned" for RFTs, I'm concerned that swapping RFTs for PS2's won't be worth it (or, might even be a negative). There's been a lot of discussion about RFTs vs. "regular" tires on the 335, but almost no direct comparisons between OEM RFTs and PS2's by someone that has actually driven on both sets of tires (and seems to know what they are talking about, as you do). Thanks! PK

[Raz5219]

I can't see swaping the RFT's as a negative thing. The only reason the car comes with RFT's is because the engineers decided not to put a spare in the car. As far as performance (and this is a performance oriented car), non RFT's are superior to RFT's. I think everyone can agree with that statement. No matter how the suspension is tuned, more gip (a la non RFT's) and more lateral traction equals better driving feel. But like everything else in life, there's a give and take. The price for better grip and performance is the risk of blowing a tire and not having a spare. So you decide which way is right for you.

[Wosby]

I've got an 05 330i ZHP and my tires are gone. I need to put a new set on but I can't decide between Eagle F1s and Michellin Pilot Sports. Wet weather traction is very important (I live in Florida). Could somebody recommend one tire over the other? What about the idea of different sets on the rear and front?

If it's of any help, Consumer Reports just ranked the Eagle F1 GS-D3 as the number 1 High Performance Summer Tire. The Michelling Pilot Sports didn't even make the top ten.

The Eagles are also less expensive and has longer treadlife than the Pilot Sport. I've been using the Eagles for 4 years now and swear by them.

[ExcelonGT]

I too am in the same dilemma with my 04 ZHP coupe. The car has 35k miles on it with the OEM pilot sports. My problem is, the fronts have half treadlife left but the rears are about a 1000 miles away from being slicks. I'm a bit short on cash and would like to only replace the rear set asap and worry about the fronts just before winter. I'd like to go with the F1 GS-D3's...can I buy them just for the rear and run the Michelin PS up front?

[KrisL]

I too am in the same dilemma with my 04 ZHP coupe. The car has 35k miles on it with the OEM pilot sports. My problem is, the fronts have half treadlife left but the rears are about a 1000 miles away from being slicks. I'm a bit short on cash and would like to only replace the rear set asap and worry about the fronts just before winter. I'd like to go with the F1 GS-D3's...can I buy them just for the rear and run the Michelin PS up front?


Yes.

I wouldn't do it, personally, but I'm anal about front/rear traction balance, especially since I autocross and such.

[roverT]

If you're short on cash then yes replace the rears first then. That way the back will have the most traction and if you drive too spiritedly, you will most likely be penalized with understeer. If you had better fronts, then you'd fishtail quite easily when you drive hard or even had to make an emergency manevver.

[gIzzE]

If you have managed to get 35k miles out of a set I would say that you will be fine with running different rears, I managed between 8-12k miles from my tyres.

[Leonidas]

I have had the GSD3's and can attest to the brilliance of the tyre, I don't believe you can get better in the wet. I had a 200KW FWD Opel OPC which you can imagine was well capable of lighting up the front at every prod of the loud pedal, but even so the GY's grip was stunning.
I do however thing the PS2's will be a bit better in the dry, but then the GY's are not far off and as you said you need a good wet tyre...look no further than the GY GSD-3.

[stressdoc]

They may not be available in the size that you want, but I got the new, just released Pirelli P-Zeros for my 335, and they are fantastic. The other tires I was considering were the GYs and the PS2s. IMO the rank is P-0 > PS2 > GY for the 335, but that is also the pricing. The Pirelli P-0s are $100 more for a set than the PS2s. The P-0s are the only tire in 335 ZSP sizes that merit the "extreme performance" rating at TireRack. They have more of a "gum rubber" feel to them, if that makes sense to you.

[KrisL]

They may not be available in the size that you want, but I got the new, just released Pirelli P-Zeros for my 335, and they are fantastic. The other tires I was considering were the GYs and the PS2s. IMO the rank is P-0 > PS2 > GY for the 335, but that is also the pricing. The Pirelli P-0s are $100 more for a set than the PS2s. The P-0s are the only tire in 335 ZSP sizes that merit the "extreme performance" rating at TireRack. They have more of a "gum rubber" feel to them, if that makes sense to you.

Have you tried the PS2s for Goodyears personally? All the other reviews I've read put them far above the PZeros, regardless of tirerack category.

[gIzzE]

I agree, I tried the P Zero Nero first and hated them and then Rossos, better, but ended up back with Pilot Sport 2s, bliss!!

[apar330i]

Here's another vote for the F1 GSD3. I've had them for 15K miles and have no complaints. The biggest thing for me is the noise - they're still nice and quiet. On my old 328i I had a set of Bridgestone's and by 15K miles they sounded like monster mudders. When the time comes I'd definitely buy the F1 GSD3 again.

[Mike_Check]

I had the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires on my 87 Porsche 944 Turbo. Amazing dry traction. Really, it felt like autoX slicks...but when it rained, the car had to be parked. Absolutely awful wet traction. Hope this helps. :D

[KrisL]

I had the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires on my 87 Porsche 944 Turbo. Amazing dry traction. Really, it felt like autoX slicks...but when it rained, the car had to be parked. Absolutely awful wet traction. Hope this helps. :D

The cups are completely different tires.

[KrisL]

I should mention that I was going to try the Goodyears this time, but the rear ZHP sizes are backordered 2-3 months! ...and I got a good deal from a friend on a set of front PS2s with only 500 miles on them.

So another set of PS2s it is!

[killerdeck]

Thanks for all of the great information. I too need rear tires on my 04 ZHP. Managed to get about 22K out of the crappy RE040s. Hopefully I can find some GY's for sale somewhere.