Opinion: Dunlop Sp9000 vs Bridgestone S03's
 

Given: Wet Coast and 50/50 mix of Dry and Wet driving. Stock Rims & 245/45's Which to go with? Any bad observations on either?

Thanks guys.

Anyone?

I have yet to use either .... but I only buy Bridgestone tires. They almost always seem to be the best despite claims made by other people I talk to.

watch out on the 245's if your car is lowered at all. a freind of mine is running 245/45 Pirelli P-7000's on the front and they are catching his fender lip (his car is lowered 1"). I'm running 225/50 Pirelli P-Zero's up front with a 1" lower and still get a bit of rub (not on the lip, but inside the fender) - I didn't get any rub with my old Goodyears GS-A's (but they sucked).

Other than that, I haven't tried either of tires you're looking at.

Oh, and Pirelli is better than Bridgestone no matter what spyfish007 says. hehehe j/k ;)

ive been thorugh dunlops sp8k perellis p-0 and bridgestones(s02)

price wise, dunlops are the greatest street tire. ($85)

but the best street tire ive had without lookin at prices are the bridestones.

i dont believe in paying that much money for street tires when you can get competition DOT rated tires for a bit less. not only do they perform WAY better, but probably last almost as long as bridgestone s02.

the SP8000 are a lot cheaper than 9000, 9000 DO NOT cost 85$. they are comparable in price to S03s. I read a report on the 9k, SO3s and Pirelli pzeros. It said they all were the best 3 max perforamcne tyre you can get. but the only differnces were the compunds were slightly softer in 9000s.

I woudl go with bridgestone S03, just caue that is what came on my car, and they are great tyre.

SP8000 are good too, but much harder compound. They are good for money but not much else.

I wasn't terribly impressed w/the sp9000s. My friend Nick loves them, though. I will say they were outstanding in the rain.

I'm running 245 series S02pp's right now, and I love 'em. Grip like a mofo. I spin the tires much less than I used to.

ok, ok, so they are not the cheapest, but who ever said the best was cheap?

Exactly. That's what your Mom told me, and I believe her now :D

Seriously, you get what you pay for (usually) and your tires *are* the only part of the rex in contact with the road...

Dude leave my mom out of it ... I don't play like that.

For The WET I would recomend sticking to the stock 225/50s on the front - longer + narrower contact patch = LESS HYDROPLANING!
the fronts clear a path through the water so this is not as critical for the rears

Oh geez :rolleyes:

C'mon Carson, I was only kidding...I'm really sawwy...

Haven't tried the S03's, but I've had the S02's and Dunlop 9000's. I think the S02's were better, and if you got the Pole Positions, they're great in the wet. Don't know if the S03's are the same Pole Positon layered compound construction as the 02PP, but if so, I'd pick that one. Of course, what I'd pick over either of these are A032R's (and they're great in the rain), but they'll last 6-8k miles as opposed to about 15-17k.

I use RE71's and I love them. To bad they don't make them anymore!:( I think I'll stick with Bridgestone/Firestones. Great wet and try traction, and good tire wear. What do people think of the Kuhmo Supras or whatever they are called. They are cheap, but I hear good things about them. Any opinions? Maybe I'll get some AT Wilderness tires. :D

Bridgestones Hand down. I own the S-02's and Its harder for me to break them loose in the rain than my old tires in the dry. You cant go wrong with Bridgestone performance tires.

I have had both and I have to say the the bridgstones are better all around. I do have to say that the dunlops are a great tire for the price. If you have the extra cash go with the bridgstones, you wont be dissapointed. They do wear rather fast though.

SP9000s have long been the underperformer of the Max Performance category. S-03s are currently at the top of the pack since Michelin screwed up their top performer. My 265/40-17 S-03s hold 367 RWHP in second gear with no slipping. Braking feels great, too -- those tires just grip! The sidewalls are softer than my old AVS Sports (which is a very good tire at a great price), but the ultimate grip is noticably better.

A032Rs will stick better than any street tire, but they are very very loud. Kumho V700s or Toyo RA-1s are streetable R-compound tires, too.

You do get what you pay for for the most part. It is silly to buy an FD and put cheap tires on it. I vote for S-03s or P-Zeros.

-Max

Dunlop got the nod.
 

I elected to go the Dunlops, the price difference was too great here almost $50/tire! Compared to the s*it I had Firestone Firehawk something (not my choice but the previous owner) these tires are spectacular! I did go with the 245's up front also, makes rotation easier, an I test drove them threw standing water on the road at about 60MPH with still some rubber on the road! Stick both wet and dry except for leaves on the road, almost lost it! And quiet up to 137MPH at least, need longer stretch of road for faster!?!?! Can't get S-02's anymore, there replaced with the S-03's here.

Thanks for all the opinions!:D

"Go fast and prosper!"

I recently replaced my pirelli assimmetrico's with the 'new' s-03 pole positions and i fuckin love the. i had some 9000's on my other seven and, i think they are the reason that i ended upside down in a ditch.

cheap tire+faft car=no traction and ditch digging!

i have 285/30 19's on the rear and 266/35 18's up front.

hope that this helps....

-louis

suggestion
 

It was recommended to me to check out the bridgestone RE730s as an alternative to the S02s. I had the S02s, but the RE730s grip better in the wet. And for the price you can't beat'em. Check out tirerack.com for some comparison information about the tires.

I have them now (RE730s), and have no complaints. I don't notice more spin with these tires, maybe less. My S02s were on the wear bars, maybe that has something to do with it. I got all 4 for 618 bucks, installed mounted balanced and all (well the bridgestone dealer wanted 850 for the same, so look for a better shop than that).

As for the S03s, I just can't afford such tires, and I would bet I have better wet traction anyway.

PS. I live in Seattle

Re: suggestion
 

Well it doesnt matter much now does it? The S-03 is better in wet and dry. Any NTB in your area would have price matched tire rack and you could have got in the so-2 or so-3 for 600 bucks. Happy trails.