Opinions: Michelin PS2 or Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Tires

[TurboDurbo]

One of the guys at work has an M5 running Michelin PS2 tires which he says are pretty good. Did some looking around seems to be a common preference with BMW M series owners. I have the stock Bridgestone Potenzas which are also a really good tire I think. There are some advantages such as the rim guard and run flat, not sure if the PS2's are run flats. What is everyone running and what are your opinions between the two?

Michelin Pilot Sport PS2

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A

[Kenrik]

There are better tires for less money... check Tirerack.com

[etschell]

yea IMO Potenza and PS2s are only for rich people. I would go with toyo, nitto, kuhmo's or yokohamas.

[gwoods]

Nitto 555's or Kumho SPT's will be less then half the price and have equal performance.

[Q45tech]

Not true in every test,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,for most people wet 50 mph braking is a comparison to look at as is the noise level after 10,000 miles.

10 feet can surely make an expensive difference/ plus ponts in a rearend collision in the rain or damp.

Michelin is true are made for people whom only the BEST is good enough.Darwin and luck takes care of poor and cheap on tires drivers, the rich or smart try to give themseves every single possible edge.

The SPT is not a good wet braker: 106'http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...id=97The PS2 is decent at 94.5'http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...id=98

Compare the wet slalom and Wet Lap time to see other problems.

[gwoods]

For twice the price I would expect a bigger performance difference between the SPT & PS2. The tests were almost a year apart the difference could be weather! The test size SPT is $88 the PS2 is $188.

SPT's 320 treadwear rating, AA Traction and A tempPS2's 220 treadwear rating, AA Traction and A temp

Look at the government side wall rating the PS2's last a 1/3 as long as the SPT's. LOL Darwin indeed!



Kumho's are a great choice for me living in Arizona driving the way I drive. We have been getting back to back storms here. I have had a chance to drive the G in the rain with the SPT's and I can use almost half throttle from a light, which is GREAT imo. I kicked the back end out purposefully in a parking lot and it was an easy recover.

The only knock I can give the Kumho is they follow lines in the road. On an uneven road you will need both hands to drive.

[C-Kwik]

http://www.tirerack.com/images...s.pdf

Here is a comprehensive article that includes both the RE050A and the PS2. There are plenty of stats to look at to aid your decision.

gwoods: You get what you pay for when it comes to tires. Kuhmo most certainly sacrificed wet grip to make an affordable performance tire. Unless you live where there is no rain, I consider this important. And this isn't only about braking. If you look at the test data from both of the tests you posted screen shots from, the raw performance data paints a much different picture than the "real world ratings" would suggest. And from the link I posted above, you can see that Kuhmo's max performance tire (MX) is no different. It was pretty close to the other tires in this class in the dry, but placed last in the wet.

While most people strongly consider price when buying a tire, the OP has apparently narrowed his choice already. Given his budget might allow for a higher priced tire, I'd recommend he stick to the better tire. However, the test reveals the Goodyear F1 S-D3 actually performs remarkably well all around while being somewhere around the middle in price and having treadwear rated at 280.

If noise were a concern, Michelins in general tend to have the least noise. IIRC, they spend a lot of money on reducing tire noise.

Of the 2 tires the OP asked about though, I'd go with the PS2. But I'd read more reviews and evaluate the traits that are most important to you and your local conditions. Both are very good tires, but the PS2 tends to get consistently favorable reviews from testers. Not just pure numbers, but in how it feels on the road as well.

[gwoods]

If you ever agreed with me the world would implode

And yes Phoenix Arizona does get very little rain

[C-Kwik]

If you ever agreed with me the world would implode

And yes Phoenix Arizona does get very little rain

I agree. Phoenix, AZ does get very little rain.

Well, so much for that. I was in the mood to end the world tonight...