Bridgestone RE-11 or Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2

I have gone through 2 sets of the re-11 and 2 sets of the reo1r's before they were discontinued. These tires are amazing. Never driven with better rubber. My car is set up for the track and these tires make it glued to the road. No problem with noise, and ride is very comfortable. The only real problem is wear is really short. Have yet to get more than 10,000 miles from either tire.
That said , if you want to experience the 308 maxed out and the way a real sports car should be take the plunge and get the re-11's.

Bob

 

I recently put the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 on my 308, 16 inch wheels. Of course, like many, I have always had good service from Michelin products.

The improvement over my 1993(!) Michelins that came on my car was amazing, as you might guess. The total bill, from a local tire shop, mounted, balanced, was only $831.06, so the price is very reasonable. (And this includes nitrogen instead of air in the tires- another discussion for another time).

One thing, aside from the performance issue, is the appearance of the Michelins. They look right on the car, no weird markings on the sidewall, and the tread pattern is not some bizarre design. In other words, the overall look of the tire is in keeping with the rest of the car.

Good luck with your choice.

 

Thinking about changing mine this year, they are heading twowards 6 years old

Has anybody gone from F1 D3G3s to either of these tyres & could say how they compare to the Good Years?

I had a look around at the back end of last year & it seemed like it was still possible to get F1 GSD3s

 

I completely agree - I did all 4 Michelins on my car last year... they look great, quiet and handle great as well.

 

The Michelin PE2 rear tires weigh 4lbs less each. I would most definitely go with those. You do not want any additional rotating mass on those rear wheels.

 

+1 on Michelin

 

Sorry John, we're not in the same camp on this topic. This is a street car, utilizing 1960-1970 suspension design principles. Tire mass in itself should not be the sole deciding factor. There are so many other factors to consider when picking a performance tire that's on a street car. Why do they way less? Is it due to less materials used in the sidewalls? Less sidewall strength/stiffness likely translates into poorer turn-in. Considering the unsprung weight in general with cars of this era, four pounds really doesn't mean jack. Both the Michelin and the Bridgestone are superb tires. For my money...and personal experience in many, many Ferraris equipped with both, I'm in the Bridgestone camp. If we were talking about Michelin PS2 or Supersports, my tune will change toward the brand.

Best,
David

 

You're probably right David. Possibly being overdramatic here over 4lbs.

 

Naaaa....just a die-hard car guy that hasn't had his daily does of hydrocarbons yet. Everything on a street car is a bit of a compromise, but as always, I enjoy reading your point of view.

 

Have you had a look at the Bridgestone potenza REO50A? I have them on my 328 they run great and the tread pattern works for the period of the car.

 

I have Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 on my BMW and they are fantastic. I'd love to get another set when these go but they are no longer made in the size I want.

 

I am using these as they have a tread pattern and sidewall that is not as radical. I think they handle and look great which is important to me. They war OEM on the Honda S-2000. Since I do not track the car and only drive 8/10ths! HA I like these I put so few miles on them i am on my second set changed because of rubber life!!!



Looks like they changed the tread design from my last set. Notice how much more rounded that the Pirellis. On the GT4 the wheels sit way more in the well and I actually had a 225 not fit in front so the 205 R16 stock size on a QV wheel works well. By stock I mean for the GT4 Euro option


http://www.bridgestonetire.com/productdetails/TireSubBrand/Potenza_S-02A
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That's what I am running on the Dino (and my BMW's). LOVE them...

 

You have to match the tires to your driving.

Do you drive in the city, or mostly on the highway?
Are you looking for tires for track days, or just to cruise the strip?
Does the car ever see snow? Rain?


I had S-03s on my 328 in MA and they worked fine in both wet and dry.
But in Xtal City, I couldn't keep 'em up to temp. (Which is the problem I had with the VRs in Metro West suburban traffic.)

When I was in MA, after I bought the EVO for bad weather, I was thinking I had the tires backwards: the S-03s would have been good on the EVO and the (summer) Advans on the 328.

But when it came time to replace the S-03s on the 328, I was in the city, and A-048s just wouldn't work in the cold.

So I went for RE-11s, which were designed for Auto-X, and work without a lot of warm-up.
They do seem to be designed for a lower profile than the stock 328 sizes (ricers tend to be 35 to 45 series), so they give away just a barely perceptible crispness on turn-in.
(To someone who can align by driving feel.)

If I didn't do most of my driving in the city, I'd probably have gone for the A-048s (heat cycled).

I've always had good luck with Bridgestones. The Yokos grip well, but they do tend to be noisy.
My experience with Michelins is decades back (XAS, XZS), but they tended to squeal early and be a bit pricy.

At this point, I'm getting lazy, and I'm thinking about replacing both sets of tires for the EVO with all season Bridgestones RE-970AS, and not changing wheels twice a year. (In MA, I wanted dedicated winter tires, but in DC it's not as important -- especially after the pothole ruined my Nokians.)

 

I'm throwing in my vote for Pirelli Cinturato P7s. Terrific grip and very quiet.

 

No one has mentioned Dunlop. Last fall, I went on a quest for a new set of 16" tires. I looked at the forum and a variety of test reports. I found Consumer Reports had some very good information on a range of tires (including UHP Summer). The CR report included information on both warm and cold performance that was not just technical but real life tests.

I also considered Bridgestones, Pirellis, and Michelins. My original thought was PS2s but I was not able to find them in the sizes I wished and the price seemed unreasonable given what else was out there. After reading reading in the CR reviews the Dunlops performed almost identically to the PS2s and had better performance when cold, I was sold.

I had Dunlops on an RX7 back in the 1990s and loved them. I switched from Bridgestones to the Dunlops. I also had experience with Goodyear and noted they sucked when cold and in day to day driving rarely got warm enough.

I think it is healthy to try something different, you always learn something. In addition, I was also surprised that no one else had talked about the Dunlops on this forums.

I purchased a set of the Dunlops and have no regrets.

 

I'm the poster girl for Yokohama. Have not bought another brand in over 20 years. But then again my other sports cars are all Japanese... All I can say is the high performance Yokos have extreme grip in turns both wet & dry. Tore up a few sets racing. They stick like glue.

 

You are right on that - I've been out in my car today for the first time in a while & its not that warm here maybe 12-13 deg c - (55F). The F1 GSD3s on my car are 5 years old now so they will be a bit harder than when new I suppose.

They were really not very nice at all until I'd done 8-10 miles & pushed them a bit round some bends. I think I'm definitly going to try something else when I replace them this time.

 

If you can handle the noise, you might find the Yoko A048s a good match.
They're street legal racing tires, but if you get them pre heat cycled, the wear isn't that bad. And they can handle a surprise shower.

Otherwise, you might want to consider the Bridgestone S-02.


I'd used mostly Bridgestones on my cars for years. But I was very impressed with the OEM Yokos on my EVO.

If I could keep 'em warmed up, I'd have gone for the Yokos on my 328. I can handle a bit of grumbling on the straights.
The Michelins I had on the Alfas (XAS, XZS) used to squeal like a banshee long before they came loose. That's attention I don't need.

At one point, Bridgestone was going to discontinue the S-02s when they discontinued the S-03s. I guess they bowed to popular demand.