simons

how firm are the sidewalls especially the fronts? I know they are 91W XL (extra load) according to sites who sell them in europe.

To which previous tires in the same sizes canbyou compare? U already mentioned they steer a little more direct than Pilot sport 4 (not PS 4S correct?)

im looking for a stiff tire with direct feedback to 'feel' the car best. In 17" stock sizes.

any feedback welcome!

SkyladyZ

I just got back from the dragon with the Firehawk Indy 500s in the rear. They are a little more noisy than the RE71Rs I had before but the grip seemed good to me. I seem to have something wrong with my rear passenger wheel that started the second day which could be adding to the noise so once I figure that out I can give you a better review.

Mr.Matchbox

I cant tell you exactly, becaus i only had the Michelin PS4 for comparison. Owning my S since three years...so, take my words with a grain of salt.

But, yes it seems that the Bridgestone have stiffer sidewalls compard to the michelin PS4. While i changed the damping of the suspension (Soft-hard) when altering the tire pressure of the Michelin (And i NEVER found a satisfying one..) i only change the amount of grip when i play around with the tire pressure at the bridgestone. I dont alter the Soft-or-Hard feeling of the suspenion. Or, not so noticeably like it did on the michelin, to be precise.

Oh, and one guy in the german S2000 forums wrote that the S dont feel right with the PS4. He wrote that the S "Drags the rear axle around corners behind the front axle" and YES, that´s nailed it. At the first 5 minutes with the bridgestone i was thinking "Wow, the car gets better around corners, feels much more "Rounder", front and rear axle work together as they should. Hard to explain for me in english...

And, the Bridgestone Potenza offers a insane lelvel of grip and confidence, a real safe feeling while going cross country on lonesome, twisty country roads with "a little bit higher speed than allowed..."

Love them, i am happy with them, i will buy them again so long as they get produced.

rpg51

I've tried a lot of different tires in this category and I like the Firestones best. I'll be getting another set after next year. I have them on 17" wheels. The car seems a bit more lively with the Firestones v. S04. I don't mean gripwise - just quicker steering and transitions left to right on twisty back roads.

Lester

I put a set of Indy 500's on my 02 stock wheels. Only used the OEM S02's previously. The Firestone's were dirt cheap. Like $100 ea. No complaints yet. Moved from NH to FL last Nov. Get to drive my S year round now.

kissthepilot

Now I’ve got about 4000 miles on the sports and I can’t say that I like them. Despite the fact they’re kind of ugly, I just don’t feel I get the steering response and the grip that I’m used to, and there just a different kind of feel from the Michelin pilot super sports. Of course the sports four‘s are not as good so I think I might go with something completely different. Just got back from having Billman work on my engine and fix my clutch master cylinder, and he had Dunlop Direzza ZIII’s on his dragon car. Now since I live 20 minutes from the dragon, I think I wanna get those and give them a shot. He said they had great dry grip, and are great wet too. He also said he would buy a supercharger as soon as someone beats them on the dragon with one. He said the normally aspirated engine is just fine for curves, and he’s not interested in straight line speed. I totally agree with that.

Also the firestone dealer was kind of stupid and wouldn’t give me the warranty since I was only buying the front tires, as the back ones were on order. Seems to me that they would give me the same deal as I’m buying all four because it’s their fault they don’t have the rears. I don’t think I wanna go back and find out.

Eric

Car Analogy

Another reason I always use tire rack. They work with you on these sorts of things.

Also now use their mobile installer service, as it seems they only have guys that know what they're doing in these mobile trucks, you get to watch the whole job, and no one drives your car.

simons

hi Eric,

I have a specific question about the Potenza Sport. Are the front sidewalls a tad softer than the rears? Both are 91 load index. For both 215 and 245 only 91 load are made.
Did you by any chance feel the sidewalls before install?

Im asking because I received a full set 215 and 245 (uninstalled yet) and noticed the fronts feel softer, more flex in the sidewall if I compress on the sidewall by hand. I got the fronts and rear from different suppliers (for quicker delivery time) but my fronts are Made in Hungary and the rears are Made in Italy.

So now I wonder if the front softer sidewall is due to being made in Hungary vs Italy... or if its due to bridgestone deciding to make a 245-40 stiffer than a 215-45 although both have equal load index.

the manufacturer country is on the sidewall of the tire about next after where Bridgestone logo ends, in small letters (in case you want to check yours, I read all are made in europe)

Also the 245's from Italy look matte, and the 215s from Hungary look a bit shiny. Both brand new in the plastics.

Hope to hear from you! Tnx

ps Would there be a difference between production in Hungary vs Italy?

Jah2000

Awesome idea... I've never used a mobile-installer before.

Also... super convenient if let's say you bought new wheels... as it's a big hassle to figure out how to bring your new wheels to the shop, for them to mount tires and wheels on your s2k, then still gotta bring your old wheels/tires back home... gives me much more reason/temptation to get some Ap2 v1 reps for my Ap1, hehe.

kissthepilot

I only bought the fronts as my old Pilot super sports were too old in the front and the back ones were still serviceable. Yes the front ones only come in 45 series, and I do think they are softer. Can’t compare them to the rears, just the Michelin‘s. Today I went to a local Michelin dealer and ordered the Dunlop Direzza ZIII’s in 225/45R17 and 255/40R17. These are the tires that Billman uses on his Dragon car and I want to have the same performance he’s getting, except of course his are wider and squared.

I’ve always wanted really sticky tires and can’t wait to try them. I’ll tell you what I think in a few days.

Eric

PS, I don’t think it matters where the tires are made because most companies have high centers for quality control. I’m sure that the same everywhere, but I do think the profile changes the sidewall a bit because I am pretty sure the internals are all the same. I guess it’s a matter of leverage.