jacksonman

I know I am asking about three all seasons and one summer tire. I have the IS350 with the 18" OEM Bridgestone ER33s for summer and some Blizzaks for winter.

I drive spirited like most, but never track or autocross. Mostly it's my daily driver taking corners and off-ramps at as much speed as I can. If I really feel the need for some hotdogging, I could just take the little BMW M Roadster for a rip.

My question is of the three all seasons, which is preferred? I've heard the DWS get noisy later in life, some love the Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus while others say they are numb, and the Bridgestone's (ranked 1 on tirerack.com) are W rated. Of course I could just go with the Super Sports and have a highly regarded tire. I don't know if I need that much of a tire. I don't want to give up the road handling, steering, and feedback a car like this can deliver. It would be cool if an AS tire would fit the bill so I don't have to worry about getting stuck when that first dusting of snow comes.

Thanks for all who advise.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Get the summer tires.

Some are certainly better than others, but compared to dedicated seasonal tires, all seasons suck. In all seasons.

http://www.insideline.com/features/t...vs-summer.html

Note especially the massively longer stopping distances the all seasons stick you with in wet conditions versus summer tires.

silvaIS

iTrader: (2)

dws or re970 hands down....dws a bit less expensive but dont handle potholes as good.. $159 for great all season tire re970

jacksonman

Thanks for the replies. I'm leaning towards Michelin Pilot Super Sports since I already am switching into a narrower 17" winter set once the snow flies. However all seasons are intriguing so I don't get caught in that first snow. Also, ride quality and noise are concerns and I have heard lots of reports that the DWS tires degrade in this area at their half life (which probably equates to roughly the life expectancy of the Michelin Pilot SS).

Does anyone know how these all seasons compare to the max performance summer Pilot SS as far as ride comfort and noise? It's kind of hard to find A-B comparisons since they are obviously in different categories.

I'm moving slowing on this since whatever tires I go with will likely be on the car for 5+ years. As Jimmy Buffett said, indecision may or may not be my problem

Action

Rexus300

iTrader: (1)

Avoid DWS at all cost. Made my BMW 5 feel mushy, vibration, wandering, etc. Go with the Michelin tires or even the new Bridgestone RE970 A/S. The 970 are amazingly smooth, quiet, sharp handling and good threadwear compared to other Bridgestones.

RangerJoe

iTrader: (1)

I have the 970s and have been very happy with them. Very quiet and comfortable. I've had them for a few months, but they were pretty expensive when I got them. I went with all seasons because I'm not going to get different tires and or wheels for winter.

knox_sport

Does anyone have any experience with the new Kuhmo Ecsta 4X?

I'm running the Bridgestone 970's now and like them very much, but these new Kuhmo's seem to be getting great reviews on Tirerack.com and are cheaper.

panjfj

i have had bad experiences with my DWS so i would avoid them. I have the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus and have only driven about 150 miles on it.

My review of the DWS is that it was very quiet, comfort was pretty good. What killed it was the vibrations at 80+ mph and that it was impossible to balance perfectly.

So far with my Michelins, drive and handling seems pretty good, but i was surprised at the noise level. For one, i was told that it takes about 500 miles to burn in. I will say that the noise in the first 50 miles were unbearable and seems like somehow it is getting a little quieter. I will monitor and see how. It is not perfectly balanced now but i will continue to work on it. Driving wise, it is certainly more responsive than the DWS and also it has a lot less wondering than the DWS. You get a lot of feedback from expansion gaps on the road. Other than that, i actually like the drive and comfort. If noise was the same as the DWS, i would certainly rated it 10/10, right now it is a 8.5/10 and i would say the DWS is a 7/10.

I am thinking that grand touring tires might be my way to go since noise and ride comfort is my top priority. I dont take hard corners and am only occasionally aggressive, which is secondary to me.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Don't forget BFG KDW 2s. 300 treadwear, reinforced sidewall, handles negative camber well; only downside is they'll be "noisy". But isn't that what the stereo is for? LOL!

IS2FIFTY

iTrader: (5)

heard great things from DWS !

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

If you can afford them, get the Michelins. I have DWS on my BMW and IS250 because I don't use separate winter tires. I got the DWS because they were cheap, had good snow traction (Tire Rack surveys and test results) and decent ride/handling, but they're still a compromise.

Enginerd

Got the RE970's a while ago and I was very surprised how nice they ride and grip for an all season tire. I'm a fairly aggressive driver and have yet to hear any tire squeal when taking spirited corners. They are fairly new and rated very very well on tire rack in the AS tire comparo. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=147

jacksonman

Super Sports were installed today. So far only about 10 miles on them, so nothing much to report other than I am hoping they improve. The ride seemed a little mushier than the old stock Bridgestone RE33s. Maybe I'll have to checkout the air pressure too.

I'll report back later...

slimjimtel

Bridgestone RE760's are the way to go. I'm on my second set on my MINI Cooper. Ultra High performance, quiet, TONS of grip, good stiff sidewall.. It's also a good looking tire.

When the dunlops wear out on my IS, I will switch to the RE760's.

langjaykev

iTrader: (1)

i guess ill be going for the Re760s as well when the time comes!