I bought my M5 with the Dunlops on it and replaced them with the same tire on the first go-round. ON the second go-round I put the S03's on it. This last go-round I put s set of the Goodyears on the car, since I was underwhelmed with the S03s. I sortta liked the dunlops and found that the S03s didn't offer much more and no matter what pressures I ran, I still got similar results to the dunlops. Keep in mind I don't do track days just spirited driving with a heavy foot on accleration and on-ramp drifting.
So, I've had the Goodyears about 3 months in Pennsylvania and when I got them the temp was about 50 degrees F, but recently we've had highs in the 20s. When its warmer, the tires seem to work similar to the S03s and the Dunlops, good turn it, quiet and smooth, good accel and brake, as well as cornering traction. Haven;t had a good chance to try the wet performance, but will in the spring. When it's cold out, the tires seem to get very hard, more so that the other two brands,. First by holding their overnight flat spots longer, and second by kicking in ABS and Traction control a LOT more often. If you're not careful, you could lose it.
Keep in mind these are impressions, not controlled back-to-back tests. May give an update in the Spring.
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JesseM
[b]2006 M5 Sapphire Black,Indi red, HUD, rear bags, fold seats, comfort access, BBS RG-Rs,275/35 -285/35, Dinan front & rear roll control 56K Miles, still getting 1200 miles per liter TWS
2003 Silver 325XiT
2003 Black Infiniti G35 Coupe
2005 BMW K12S(<8min N'ring)
Vintage Triumph m/c's(110 rwhp/liter -w/pushrods)
I've had Dunlops, Pilot Sports and F1s on my M5. (I've also spent time at the South Carolina Michellin facility - going through more than one set of tires)
I found the Dunlops to be poor, the Pilot Sports very good and the F1s, by far, the best. After a few months with the F1s I believe they're the best tires I've ever owned - and I've owned a lot of tires.
The F1s in the wet are very good. It takes much more provocation to break the F1's loose on wet pavement than Pilot Sports or, I'm sure, S03s. Trust me, you're going to be pleased.
Give them some more time Jessem - I think you'll learn to love your F1s.
I would agree with Derek. I have had the F1's on for about 6 months and about 5,000 miles. This has included 100 degree days and 20 degree days - these are by far the best allround tires I have had. Plus the wear seems to holding up.
I had the Dunlops and liked the tire until I got the S-03s, they are stickier than the Dunlops and excellant in the wet. The wide shoulders throw more spray than he more civilized Dunlops and since I never had the Michelins can't talk about them. The F1s sound good but I don't like the flat spots, haven't seen that in twenty years. Firestone 500s (I'm dating myself) did that and it was awful.
The tread pattern of the F1's is very hey look at me and may hold water due to the narrowing of the grove toward the shoulders. The price may be the most attractive thing about the F1s, less than the Bridgestones on tire rack and come with a $50 cash card with a set of four. Users rate these tires ahead of the Bridgestones and Michelins but only slightly and that may be motivated by price. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/max.jsp
I don't know if I would switch at this point but will consider them.
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Jim
2006 Silver Gray Metallic over Black
The "Wolf in Sheeps Clothing" is back in the USA again
1971 2002 Colorado(Light Orange)
1976 2002 Inka(Red orange, a classic)
1982 528e Blue metallic
1984 533i Burgandy
1987 325i Alpine white
1988 535is Salmon silver
1993 525iT Calypso red
1999 528iT Titanium silver
2000 M5 Titanium silver
2006 M5 Silvergray
It took about 1 mile for the rock-n-an-roll-n to stop this morning when it was 7 deg F. Not a problem, just something I notice. By far I find the first five miles a non-experience at these temps since I can't run the engine hard. I wouldn't avoid the F1 because of the flat spotting, just an indication of how they prefer warm weather.
BTW, these tires are not easy to acquire as a set, got 2 from TireRack and the other two from my local Goodyear dealer. One of the tirerack supplied fronts needed 8 oz to balance. Tirerack sent a replacement FOC. Gotta love tirerack!
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JesseM
[b]2006 M5 Sapphire Black,Indi red, HUD, rear bags, fold seats, comfort access, BBS RG-Rs,275/35 -285/35, Dinan front & rear roll control 56K Miles, still getting 1200 miles per liter TWS
2003 Silver 325XiT
2003 Black Infiniti G35 Coupe
2005 BMW K12S(<8min N'ring)
Vintage Triumph m/c's(110 rwhp/liter -w/pushrods)
Michelin has recently released the PS2 in select sizes. Most of the other sizes (including the 245/40-ZR18 and 275/35-ZR18 that are the O.E. sizes for our cars), will be released on March 1st. Can't wait! While I love my Pirelli PZero Rossa R-Compound tires, they don't last very long and aren't fantastic in standing water. Plus, they need some heat put in them before they start really gripping. Believe it or not, the initial steering response/slip-angle doesn't have the feel that what I quite like for the street. They definitely require more initial steering input for a given amount of directional change. They're probably designed to work best with racetrack-type camber, caster, and toe settings. The amazing thing is that they are by far the most compliant tires that I've ever had, in terms of how they absorb bumps and road irregularities. And, they're the the most quiet tires that I've ever had. These two properties are partly related to how soft the tread compound and sidewall construction are. In fact, they are so soft that Discount Tire had difficulty in mounting them on the wheels (i.e. they kept "deforming" on the tire mounting machine while placing them on their wheels)!
Last edited by HadE55NowM5; 16th January 2004 at 09:15.
Ooh! PS2! Those are the ones with the MXX3 tread, right?
Just in time!
Right, looks like we've gone full-circle with tread design. On my Vette, the two sets of MXX3's I owned were harsh on the street, terrible in the wet, and wore out quickly compaired to the Pilot Sports. They did autocross marginally better.
Looking back, I wouldn't want such a tire on my M5, but rather would lean towards a max-performance tire that rides well and is good in the wet. The Goodyear is beginning to sound like that tire.
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Sold: 2003 ///M5 LMB/LMB/Al (great car)
2007 RS4, Daytona Gray Pearl/Silver Nappa Leather/Carbon Fiber/12.5:1CR, 8250rpm, 4.11 gears, 8-pot Brembos, modded by Audi quattro GmbH
Daily driver: Cleveland Launcher Ti 460
Serious toy: '07 Ducati 1098S Superbike - quickest bike ever tested by Cycle World, 9.79 @ 147mph.
I've started with the Dunlops and am no on the Michelins. I prefer the Dunnies. I always feel like I'm on the edge of breaking loose.
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2008 M5
Black Sapphire
Black Perf. Merino Leather
Comfort Access System
Multi-function seats w/lumbar
Rear sunshades / Front ventilated seats
iPod / USB / HUD / Sat Radio[/size]
Hmm. The MXX3s were always the tire of choice on E36 M3s, and I never found them harsh or unpredictable when driving those cars.
The OE Dunlop SP8080Es rode a little better than the S-03s currently on my M5, but the S-03s have infinitely more grip. They are, however, about 2/3 worn now and are getting noisy.
Linear Mode
