Porky

Think I will go with Ron - Michelin's are the safest bet. Never had the BS tires and don't want to risk it.

Deanski

I've never had these newer versions (RE050A) of Bridgestone, but sure do remember the run-flats (run craps) that were on my Lexus SC430. Now those were horrible, but that's a whole different animal and back then their Pole Position tires were very good.

I too have the Rosso's on my C2S. Not sure, but may go to Mich PS2's or go all out for a sapre set of Sport Cups which are flypaper (and wear like it too).

Deanski

RonCT

Hey Deanski,
The PSCs will surprise you if you treat them right
I'd estimate 8 days at Lime Rock and 4 at Watkins Glen and they still had 50% life left to them.

Deanski

WOW!! That's really impressive!!

Thanks!!
Deanski

Edgy01

At 8000 miles (s Cab) I have 5/32s of tread remaining. Remarkable wear compared to most other tires put on the 997s.

JFScheck

I'm a Pilot Sport guy - Cayenne, 997, A6 and Boxster once new tires are needed...

multi21

I don't have a 997, but I saw the topic and ventured over to this side.

Over the years I've driven the PS, PS2 and Cup tires on an M3 and GT3. My garage is full of spare tires and rims. I don't get the full life out of my tires due to my track addiction, but I recently did buy my first set of Bridgestones, the very same ones you are considering.

I have to say I am extremely impressed. Not much noise and tremendous amount of grip. As has been stated by someone before, it's not easy finding the difference on the street with the exception of noise. But at a recent autocross, the tires worked better than the PS2. Where the PS2's would slide progressively in a drift as I went around corners, the Bridgestones would slide progressively and then hook up. I attribute this to the possible treadwear rating of 220 to 140. This allowed me to get on the throttle sooner and inspired more confidence. Later this week I'll try them out at Laguna Seca and see how they work on that track. Too early to tell if conditions will be wet or dry.

That said, the tires are considerably less expensive than the PS2's for near or better performance. It's a no brainer. I'll consider them again in the future.

PAULSPEED

Hi,
I am on my secound set of PS2 tires and I need a softer
set. I willl go with th Yokohamas at the next track event. The
PS2 tires are good and last a long time. If a nail or screw goes
into the tire you can get a patch. I had a screw go into the sidewall
after 500 miles and I threw away the tire. For a good long
lasting tire I would chose the PS2. For a track tire, I would chose
a Pilot Cup tire.
Paul

etmorcus

I have hadPs2's on my BMW 540i for several years. They are by far the best tire I have ever owned, with the exception of longevity. The years had to be replaced every 12-15,000 miles are became quite expensive. My 2006 S has the Bridgestones and are holding up fine after 6000 miles. When it is tiem for a tire change, I will most likely stay with Bridgestones. BTW, I have the Carrera Sport wheels with the 305 rears.
It's not the money, but since i am not a professional race car driver, it's not worth the added expense to get a "better" tire.
Tires get expensive if you replace them every year...
Regards

Edgy01

Finally, at 17,000 miles I'm replacing the rears on my S cab. The Bridgestones have performed very well, and replacement prices are even better than the Pirelli and Michelins.

mdrums

I have 10K miles on my PS2's and in those miles I have 7 track days (2 beginner, 1 advanced w/ instructor and 4 solo) and I still have ok tread on the rear and ok onn the front except the front outer are worn down.

I am in the process of pricing out some track tires and wheels and then get some new street tires. Just because of the price I will probably go with the Bridgestones for the street tires. I will never know the weight difference. For the track I will get either Pilot Cups or RA1's.

etmorcus

Here is my .o2 worth, I had 2 or 3 sets on the pilot sports on my BMW 540i. Before you say, you can't compare these two- I know. The most I ever got out of the rears on the 540i were 12k rears. Yes, they were more expensive than other brands, and yes they rode nicely and handled like glue. However, I would expect an ultra-high performance car like the 997s (mine) would eat through the Bridgestones really fast. I have close to 10 k miles on them, and will probably get 15-17k on the rears and prob 20k+ on the fronts. I drive both cars the same.
What will be my choice next time, Bridgestones. I am not a professional race car driver, or even close, so I have given up the image of "Michelins" for the tires that have really surprised me. Even if I could afford $1000 on 2 new rear tires once a year, I would rather spend that money on horsepower.
Next time for me-Bridgestones...

ronmart

Nice, thanks for the update! I got 6600 miles out of my Michelins, but I did have 3+ track days. I've had my Bridgestones for 4000 miles now and they look brand new, so I've been very pleased with them thus far. I also paid $600 less for the and that INCLUDED road hazard protection verus the PS2's with no road hazard protection.

Ron

Dr. Car

Telling how many track days or how many street miles you get out of a certain model tire is not useful unless you're comparing it to what you got with another model used under the same conditions.

There are so many variables at play: driving style (the most significant), amount of track time, alignment settings, surface conditions, etc. I might get two weekends out of a given tire while my smoother-driving buddy gets a six weekends out of his.

IMO, the Michelin PS2's are the same as the OEM Pirellis in terms of performance. At last weekend's autocross here in San Diego, I got a 1:21.5 on Pirellis in the first session, a 1:22.5 on Pirellis in the second session when it was hot, and then a 1:21.9 on Michelins in a third session after 3:00 in the afternoon. So it's a toss up and I didn't feel the Michelins were any better or worse. Both sets of tires had several autocrosses in them.

I have no impressions of how they work on the street. I simply don't push them to their limits very often and on the rare occassion that I do, I could care less about a .02 g difference here or there.

From what I've heard from all the commentary above, Bridgestones sound like a good bet for both street and track. Pete's recommendation means a lot to me. Unfortunately I can't run that tire in local PCA autocross because of its treadwear rating!

mdrums

ronmart, where the heck have you been? Good to see you post again!

dr.car, who is Pete and what was his recomendation?