Performance Shocks

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 03, 2013

These came stock on the 19" x 8.5" rims of my 2011 Mustang GT. I drive 6-speed with 3.55 gears, so the rear tires get a bit more shock treatment than that of an automatic.

Brand new, the tires are great. You almost can't get them to break traction short of turning the traction control off and dumping the cluth after reving up to red line. But after doing that a few times, you will find the traction/stickiness of the tire will have depleted.

They are still good all-around tires, but after a few months of driving, they lose their launch traction.

I have already replaced two sets (four tires total) in the two years that I have had the car and am about to replace another set on the rear. That would mean that about every 10,000-13,000 miles, they need replaced. The tread is not down to the cords or anything, but you can feel a major difference in the performance at the 10k wear point.

Road noise is pretty minimal for a low-profile tire and the ride is comfortable as the suspension on the GT with these tires rides very well. There seems to be a bit of roll/softness in cornering, but if you know your car well enough, you know what you can and can't do and the tires stay fairly firm. I will buy them again for all year tires, but I will probably switch to something stickier for Summer track action on street tires.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
March 19, 2013

I have worn out a number of very high performance tires on this car. All have their quirks. These are still low miles, so I haven't really tested them much, but so far so good. The PZero Nero offer surprisingly civilized ride, fairly low noise, with strong and predictable cornering. My suspension is mostly stock with Koni shocks, and these tires will out perform my suspension with no drama or unexpected motion, and max cornering on ramps is very stable and predictable. I am impressed that wet traction is very good and they still behave well. I can't wait to put them back on after snow season!

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
March 04, 2013

I'm comparing these to the 225/45-15 RS3's I normally run. They are a bit sketchy at the limit and required a big setup change to get the balance back on the car, but once we did that the performance was very good. They drive differently than the RS3 so don't be shocked when it feels different. As far as time difference on a 60 sec course they seem to be a few tenths faster at most than the RS3...but we'll see in 2 weeks when I get to do a back to back test.

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
February 18, 2013

Good performing tire if you don't mind a ridiculous amount of tire noise. Brand new shocks and springs and a perfect alignment and they still wear unevenly which creates a ton of noise. Snow traction is acceptable but on ice they are terrible.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
March 25, 2011

I purchased this tire to replace a pair of worn Blizzaks on my daily driven MR2. The tires were mounted on the stock rims on a car with a refreshed and slightly upgraded suspension setup (stock height), all parts replaced and aligned. Even though the stock tire size is 185/60/14, I went to the 195/60 in hopes of getting a bit more comfort, but still great traction, with this car that I DD (highway) and still hit up the backroads with on the weekends.

Based on reviews and ratings (price wasn't bad either), I opted for these Bridgestones. I haven't really done too much serious driving, but I can say that the tires are much quieter than the old Blizzaks and just as much so as the 215/45/16 Hankook RS2s (great tire, but not much creature comforts) I had last summer. Also, these Bridgestones are predictable and direct with inputs. On the highway they ride smooth, as a new tire should but, again, they are nice and quiet.

Just this evening, I took them down one of my favorite stretches of backroads, and for a tire so comfortable, they just blew me away! Very direct, predictable, and firm. I didn't feel any squirm or "mushiness" from the front to the back, even through some interesting set of turns. They catered amazingly to my mid-engined coupe's unique handling characteristics, and had me having to throttle down a bit because of how fast I was going with the car still feeling so secured to the road... Frankly I was shocked! I look forward to making these tires last, all while getting the best use out of them. I hope to report back in the future!



A note about a previous review; perspectively good tires don't make your car lose control, but a poor alignment might. Proper alignment is important when judging how well a tire performs. Side note, I was surprised at the number of Porsche owners who commented on how well these tires performed for them, certainly in the pursuit of comfort from day to day, and performance from weekend to weekend.

Initial Review, 800 Miles on Tires
December 13, 2012

I've only had this tire on my car for about 1 month/800 miles. I'm exchanging them for a set of Continental DWS instead. The RE970's have great steering response. The DWS have ok steering response, which gets better with higher PSI.
Why the switch? The 970's are quiet, quieter than the stock Bridgestone summer performance S001 that came on the car.
They are a decent tire but they are directional. My 335i has staggered tires so I can't rotate my tires, but with non directional tires, like the DWS, I can at least swap them left to right, and that made a difference when I had them on a previous 135i.
Also, the RE970's make my 335i's rear end HOP on hard standing start launches.
The worst part of the 970's is their ride. On smooth pavement the ride is excellent, and very quite. But, on moderate to larger bumps or road imperfections these tires 'crash' into bumps and the shock is sent into the cars chassis. I hate that. The stock tires were run flats, which are notorious for having a harsher ride on road imperfections impact. These RE970's feel about the same as RFT's except they aren't RFT's.
On impacts these tires feel heavy, and literally their are. Their weight is about as much as the OEM RFT's. I can see why Tire Rack got a 1mpg decrease with these tires, they are heavy, and more unsprung weight can degrade MPG and performance. I'm surprised these tires received the high praise they did. Granted, steering response is excellent for an all season tire, but ride comfort is not that great. Also, I don't see how the tread on the 970's can be good even in light snow. There seems to be no siping at all and moderate tread. We're not seeing snow reviews and it's becoming clearer that Bridgestone did not improve snow capability. Isn't that why we buy all seasons in the first place? I know I do. I'll give up some steering response for better year round performance, and better ride comfort.

Initial Review, 8,500 Miles on Tires
January 21, 2013

Great tire. I have had Toyos, Yokohama, and Generals on this car. (Daily Driven)
I have moded this car with suspension change, springs, shocks, sway bar, and alignment. Oh yeah, the power is up another 60+ hp
Previous tires just did not work as well, These Michelin's are wonderful on this car. Grippy, predictable, reasonably quiet, they hold the road. I have tried them, more than once in the mountains of Georgia, Tenn, and the Carolinas. Jan 2013 Here in North Bama we had 7" of rain and 3" of snow. I put on ~250 miles and not a problem, went through some serious standing water and slushy roads. Wear is great, much better than previous tires. If I had to find a fault is the ride comfort is not like your 15 inch tires. But they are pretty darned good for a performance tire.

These are with out a doubt the best tire I have owned. Yes I have had several Cars prior to the MSM, Porsche, BMW, Mazda

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
December 27, 2012

I put these tires on my '99 Mazda Protege which I use to commute back and forth to work and leave the truck parked to save on gas. I purchased these in August when Tire Rack had a closeout on them, and Michelin was offering a $75 rebate, which means I got the tires for around $60/ea! Anyway, we had our first couple storms the other weekend. First was just a inch or so which turned into pure ice on most of the roads. Could not believe how well the tire performed. A couple days later we got hit with 13" of snow, along with the ice still underneath. I decided I had better take the truck out since it is 4wd. Was I shocked! I couldn't believe how much better my little Mazda was than my 4wd Silverado. Now, the truck has Destination A/T's on it which are awesome, but have about 50,000 on them so they are down to around a 1/4 tread left. The roads were completly messed up for the next 3 days and I had no problem with the snow tires on the packed snow, honestly driving around other vehicle's stuck on hills. I will never not have a vehicle without snow tires on it again!

Initial Review, 33,000 Miles on Tires
November 07, 2012

Great cornering ,Michelin MXM4 , in highway up to 120 mph providing an awesome response for dry traction, breaking and smooth cornering, also, I am shocked to see how well they do after hiting many potholes,no issues at all. treadwear is pretty good for a High performance tire, wil probably get 55 to 60,000 miles out of this set of Michelin tires !

Initial Review, 32,000 Miles on Tires
November 05, 2012

These Michelins have given great service. There is plenty of tread left and the overall performance is about what you'd expect from Michelin.I have never been disappointed with this brand. I have used them on three of my wife's cars and all have given good value.
On this truck I am primarily looking for good treadwear, low noise and decent wet/snow and dry traction.This tire delivers. Keep an eye on the inflation and rotate them at about 5k miles and they should last a long while. I waited to write this review til I had some time/miles on them and there is still plenty of tread left to get through this and probably next winter.
I replaced 10 ply Goodyear Silent Armor Pros, from a local dealer, that did not go 30k. So trust Tire Rack, (I've bought many winter tires, brake parts and shocks from them), and Michelin.

Initial Review, 13,000 Miles on Tires
October 25, 2012

These tires are a good match for me.
1) My DWS are not as responsive as the OEM which dulls the Speed3 torque steer and reduces some of the steering corrections (?necessitated by surface bumps?).
2) The Speed3 has little sound isolation, and Tire Racks testing demonstrates that the DWS is the quietest tread on concrete highways which are increasingly prevalent. I found the tread so quiet that concrete road noise is less than engine+wind noise at all speeds!
3) My 2010 Speed3--(my neighbors 2012 feels a little more refined)--has next to no shock absorption; and the DWS is significantly smoother than OEM, but I still my $$$ German cars.
4) Efficiency (combined city highway) immediately improved from 28 to 31 (10%) upon switching
tires and wheels. Rolling resistance and weight are likely the factors (24+21 to 19.1+18). My car definitely feels quicker.
5) The DWS in 1.5 Rocky Mtn Winters have proven very sufficient for me. And they are performance rated for my high speed, high-g driving (when conditions permit) unlike dedicated Winter tires which are faster wearing and less efficient.

I drove the OEM (Dunlop SP Sport 2050) tires 20,000 miles. They had maybe 5,000 miles remaining

when I replaced them.

I would buy DWS for this car again, but in a size (225/45R17) closer to the original. I got 205/55R16 to maximize Winter, mpg, and sidewall. OEM sidewall is so short, a 1" steel plate cut into my and wheels and tires, and a 1" rise to my driveway felt like sledgehammer. I like avoid breaking on off-ramps. 205mm-wide DWS unfortunately have me sliding some at 30 mph on tight turns when the 225mm-wide OEM allowed me 40 mph without any sign of slip. I have slid the rear DWS in many turns, and have squealed the fronts during many starts, not trying to.

OEM tread noise was horrendous when new, and then worsened. Radio vol@ 45 to hear over concrete hwy. Other surfaces were quieter but even on smooth asphalt @75 mph when tires were new, I could barely hear cell phone ...

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
October 26, 2012

I was shocked at how good these tire are. I was expecting a low performing tire for the money but found them comparable to tires costing much more. Granted, last winter in VT was a winter that wasnt but we had plenty of slush and ice. I would not hesitate to buy these tires for any vehicle.

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
October 04, 2012

On the advice of several friends who run them, I purchased a set of these tires 285-70R-17 for my 2002 Ford 150. The above ratings are based on my experience these tires at 50,000 miles and with a variety of other AT and Mud Tires.

Folks these are rocks star mud tires that can handle highway driving without being too obnoxious. They are not formula 1 tires but they are predictable on-road...I have no complaints regarding their on-road performance.
Off-road is where they shine... On at least 3 occasions, I have driven across fields, stopped and backed up to other trucks that were stuck before putting my truck in 4wd and pulling them out. (Yes I was showing off and yes I couldn't resist coating their trucks in a rooster tail of mud... at least one of these trucks now runs the same tires.) I have driven thru wet woods cutting deep ruts, hitting stumps and loaded with firewood countless times and driven thru snow dragging the undercarriage. I am still amazed at the difference in off-road permformance vs AT tires.

They will last if you rotate them and have good shocks and tight suspension/linkage...50,000 miles with half tread is pretty common. Be warned...Ignore rotations and maintenance and irregular wear will occur.

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
September 25, 2012

So far 100 miles on these Michelin Pilot ss barley broken in and they feel like champain quality in every performance area.They are almost too good for my RX-8 like a class up on it. Might be because I have 100,000 miles on it. I put 4 of these tires on with new Mazdaspeed shocks, Mazdaspeed lowering springs and a cold air induction K&N intake system all at once. The car runs and handles like new.I highly recommend doing this even a little at a time. These are better than the PS2 tire 235/40/18 do fit all around. Still havent put these through some real hard driving yet, will report back with some feedback in time. Did shift across two lanes hard with just two fingers on the steering wheel and it was amazing! steering response that is. It felt like my internal abdominal organs suddenly shifted!I was there in a second! Total control is outstanding! 6-speed 2005 RX-8

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
September 17, 2010

Prior to this tire, I had Continental ContisportContacts. Those tires were getting to the wear indicators but I didn't notice any drop in performance. I had excellent, very crisp feel with those tires. I have Bilstein Sport shocks & struts and H&R Sport springs. The ContisportContacts are a very good tire for on Bilstein Sports.



Moving to the V12 K110's, it was immediately obvious that responsiveness was not as good. This gave the handling characteristics a "rubbery" feeling. Transitioning in turns really brings out this negative characteristic for this tire, in this size, on this suspension.



That said, the overall dry grip is very good. Wet grip is completely acceptable, but I definitely could feel some hydroplaning in heavy rain. They are more comfortable and much quieter than the Conti's (I don't recall how comfortable/quiet the Conti's were when new).



Due to the rubbery response I now have, I won't get these tires again. Other than that, the price was great, they have great traction, and they're comfortable and quiet.

Initial Review, 3,450 Miles on Tires
August 29, 2012

Please ignore phrases like: "great tire for the money". This is a great tire. Period.

I went from Dunlop SP Sport Signature non-run-flates and then Michelin PIlot Sport A/S to these Kumhos, and he Kumhos are easily as good or even better than both of those much more expensive tires, all on my slightly modded MINI Clubman S. Haven't had a chance to push them when it's wet yet.

A TireRack salesmen recommended these, even after I told him that price was not an issue. They handle great, have low noise and a good ride for a performance tire, though I can see that tread life will be lower than advertised. The only reason these are cheaper is probably because they are made in Korea...the 4Xs definitely outperform the Dunlops on most levels, and are as good as the Michelins (even better as far as road noise). There is very little tramlining, and I feel confident pushing them.

It's strange to see some people complaining that they feel floppy -- this must be very car and suspension dependent, because on my Clubman S (with Koni FSD shocks and a stiffer rear sway bar) they feel as or more strong than the Dunlops or Michelins that I had, when it comes to sidewall stiffness.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
August 23, 2012

I bought these to replace my continentals which were wearing great, but the sidewalls rolled, steering response was not good. I actually took my 750Li to a BMW driving school. These tires ROCK! my 5000 lb beast surprised everyone! I was passing all but two of the other cars. It was a shocking performance(mostly to me) These tires held in there through 60 mph 90 degree turns! They were screaming, but held well enough to let me pass Porsches, 3 series, and one of the corvettes that showed up. The fact that this car was even close to the other cars was amazing. The tires held up to dozens of 130mph - 40mph then being thrown into a hard turn. Even the treads held up well, i did not have to replace the tires after two days of racing. On the street, they are very civilized. Almost as quite as the continentals. the ride was tighter than the continentals, but steering response more than makes up for it. I have had these tires on other cars, They are not great in snow. I am very happy with their performance in rain. I am taking them to another track event which will probably finish them off, so i can't talk about wear, that would not be fair.