Endaar

Hi,

Does anyone have direct experience with both of these tires on a 3IS? I recently replaced the stock EL400s on my IS350 F-Sport with a set of the Continentals and am extremely unhappy with them. Another poster here said they felt like driving on a turkey sandwich - that's as good an analogy as any. They're very soft, to the point where there's a noticeable delay between trying to get the car to change direction and it doing so. I'm also disappointed with the traction outright, as I'm seeing the traction control come on at times it never had previously. (On turns I know well, in other words.)

I know the Michelin PSS tires are well regarded but those are summer tires and I haven't seen much feedback on the A/S variant. I'm in downstate NY. Snow performance is not a huge issue though I need a tire with at least some winter capabilities. Tread wear is not an issue; I have a year left on my lease.

Any feedback is appreciated. I'm open to other tires too so long as they handle at least as well as the OEM tires.

Thanks,
Endaar

toyoman29

I had the Michelin AS/3 on my old 2IS and loved them, great all season tire. I have some Bridgestone's on my 3IS and like them so far, I'll get the style of those later for you.

BostonIS

I recently got the Michelin PSS A/S 3+ for my IS350. First impressions so far is they make the car feel and drive like a whole different car but in a good way. The traction of the tires make the car feel real planted to the road where driving at high speeds makes taking those corners fantastic. Handling of the car just feels alot more stable at higher speeds and you won't get any delay from changing directions. However, I've only driven in the rain with these once and they felt just like the road was dry still. The rain season in Washington is currently over so I'll see how they handle when the rain starts back up again in November...

Overall, I am very satisfied with Michelin PSS A/S 3+. The traction and handling is superb on these tires.

CriMe

I have had the AS3+ tires for about 1500 miles, and I stand by my original assessment that these are the best tires I have ever had. I echo the sentiments of this poster "to the T". Car is planted and responsive. I still have my set of DWS 06 in my basement. Will end up selling them as I don't see myself putting them back on my car.

TeamBone6

A "Tire Rack" comparison of those two tires (plus some others) determined that the Michelin tires are sportier in both dry and wet, but the Continentals are more comfortable at the cost of a little less sportiness. A link to the video review is below. Note that the Michelin tires that were tested were the older AS3 series, not the newer AS3+ series.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

cantinoz

I have the conti DWS06 on my 2015 350 Fsport and I love them. I had the original DWS on my bmw 535i and they were amazing in snow. If you are getting all season for snow and dont want to switch out during the winter DWS06 is perfect. If you want performance without worrying about snow then go from the AS3.

I drove to vermont last winter for a boarding trip and it handled the snow with no problem. Got back to NYC during that 1st snow storm we had, and i didnt get stuck at all even with the car being really low for stock.

CriMe

To add, I got a chance to test my AS3+ in the snow, and I found the snow performance to be on par with the DWS that I had on my old car - very good. I had the original AS3 tires on my previous vehicle as well, and snow performance was just fair. Michelin definitely nailed it in all categories with the new AS3+. Never got a chance to test the DWS 06 in the snow because I took them off after about 600-800 miles. Handling was way too mushy for my liking.

CobraGSF

iTrader: (2)

really odd, I just got a set of DWS06 tires put on my car and I love them. I also feel like the handling is much more responsive. Im sure Michelin has better overall performance but I was looking for better tire life and ride quality. I read you sacrifice those with the Michelins. So far extremely happy with my purchase!

Endaar

Well I have a set of the Michelin's on order. I'll post back once they're installed and I can compare the two, at least in the dry. We better not see snow for a while.

Napalvr

Agree wholeheartedly Have them on my 15 AWD FSport and couldn't be more satisfied.

CriMe

Endaar, congrats on an excellent choice of tire. Based on my direct experience with the DWS 06 vs the AS3+, you won't be disappointed. If you get a chance, Please report back with your assessment after the 500mi break in period.

TeamBone6

Consumer Reports tested Ultra High Performance (UHP) All Season tires a while back. The Michelin Pilot Sport 3 and the Continental DWS rated 1st and 3rd in their tests. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All Season was rated 2nd. Before I go any further, understand that this test information is somewhat dated in that Michelin now has updated their tire to the Pilot Sport 3 “Plus” and Continental has updated theirs to the new DWS ”06”. So, this is somewhat of an apples-to-oranges comparison, but I wouldn’t expected the newly updated versions to be significantly different than their predecessors.

The Michelin’s overall rating was 76 and the Continental’s was 66. The Michelin beat the Continentals in the tested areas of Dry Braking, Snow Traction, Noise, and Tread Life. They tied in the tested areas of Dry Handling, Wet Handling, Wet Braking, Ice Braking, Ride, and Rolling Resistance. The Continentals beat the Michelin in the area of Hydroplaning Resistance.

doodlebug

I can't compare the two, but I can tell you that I have the Conti DWS (not 06) on my car and I'm getting rid of them this week. They are loud, seem to vibrate, are too soft and I just don't like them. I'm surprised and heart broken. I'm getting Pilot SS put on my current wheels to use for summer and will get the AS3's put on my stock wheels to run in winter.

Endaar

I've had the Michelins on my IS350 for about two weeks now and I'm happy with them, and (thankfully!) once again happy with the car. That said, they feel very similar to the OEM tires, with a slightly harsher ride and slightly more dry traction. They've handled the rain fine so far, though in an AWD car I wouldn't expect any problems in rain regardless. I can't really assess road noise; I bought the ML audio for a reason.

What I do want to make clear in an effort to prevent anyone else from making an ~$800 mistake is that if you like the ride and handling of the IS on its OEM tires, do not buy the Continentals. They are drastically different tires: far softer, with a better ride quality but terrible handling. They belong on a family car, not a sports sedan. I'm glad some of you are happy with them - and clearly if you prefer a softer ride they're a solid choice - but they change the character of the car dramatically.

All in all I'm happy with the Michelins, and even though I'm out a lot of money on the Continentals, it was worth it to enjoy driving the car again.

Endaar

kolyan

AS tires are no good in dry and even worse in snow. Why not get summer tires and performance winters and have optimal performance and safety all year round?