LCP

Here's what I've tried on my S4, with my most recent tire first. I've written these so that each tire's paragraph can be read on its own, so some of it may seem duplicative at first. I've also submitted my reviews of the GS-D3, S-03, Pilot Sport and Rosso to tirerack. But of course I want to share them with AudiWorld, so here they are (oh and forgive me for sounding like a a Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 cheerleader, but they're the only ones I've now (JULY 2005) bought twice):

<b>Toyo T1R</b> (purchased MARCH 2007)
The GS-D3's were more expensive than they were previously, so when I realized I could buy Toyo's T1R at three-fourths the price of GS-D3's I decided to give them a try. While I have no extreme dislikes of the T1R, so far with about 2000 miles on them I kind of wish I had bought the GS-D3's again. Even though they're the same 235/40-18 size, the T1R's do not have as wide of a tread section as the GS-D3's and the shoulders appear more rounded. The sidewalls seem to roll over a fair amount when cornering, and the tires squeal readily when cornering hard. I doubt they perform as well in the wet as GS-D3's, but with new tires it's hard to tell for sure since most all new tires do well in the wet. They ride no better than the GS-D3's, and if anything feel a bit more skittish and willing to transmit micro-details of the pavement you're driving over. I had hoped their ride was better; it's certainly not. Overall, they do perform well, but their grip just doesn't seem to be right there with the GS-D3's, S-03's or Pilot Sports. Maybe if you push them enough that they're really squealing they all get to be about the same, but on the street that's not too appealing to have to do. I'll see how long they last to assess their value. They still might be the best tire for the price range they occupy.

<b>Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3</b>
Let me just start with this statement: Goodyear's Eagle F1 GS-D3 is the first tire out of six I have tried on my S4 that I intend to purchase again. I couldn't say that for the Bridgestone RE040, Yokohama AVS Sport, Pirelli PZero Rosso, Michelin Pilot Sport or Bridgestone S-03. The GS-D3 is the ultimate maximum performance street tire (I have a set of track tires for when I go to the track) for performance luxury sedans . It offers the best of all worlds. I have no complaints about it -- none. Now, let me give you the detail. I have the GS-D3's in a 235/40-18 size on a modified S4. In that low profile, I've had a hard time finding a tire that permits a decent ride on poor roads with broken pavement, small potholes and uneven expansion joints. PZero Rossos were comfortable, but their sidewalls were so flimsy I had one completely split open. Pilot Sports weren't horrible riding, but they left some comfort to be desired. S-03's were downright punishing on poor roads, and AVS Sports weren't far behind. While the GS-D3's will still let you know you're on a bad road, they don't rattle your spine in the process. For the level of performance they offer, I'm content with the ride. That was one consideration. Another of course was handling performance. I'd previously found the Pilot Sports to be the winner in that category. I had hoped the S-03's would have been an improvement, but they weren't. They just had a stiffer sidewall and about a half dozen other characteristics I learned to hate (such as ridiculous amounts of tramlining, short tread life, heft, horrible ride, and the unreassuring feel in high speed corners I refer to below). S-03's turn-in may have been a little better, but not by much. Now S-03's gripped great in slow corners, but they were not reassuring in high speed corners. They felt like they were squirming or skipping and were too inflexible to achieve maximum grip on unperfect concrete. Let's just say there was lots of pucker factor with the S-03's in high speed corners. In the end, I've found the GS-D3's to handle as good as the Pilot Sports in high speed corners, yet offer a more comfortable ride, and that the GS-D3's actually offer the same amount of grip in low speed corners as S-03's (without having that "I'm stuck on a rail (groove) in the pavement" feeling though). Also the GS-D3's are better in the wet than any of the others I've tried. That has impressed me the most. JULY 2005 UPDATE: These tires lasted 13,000 miles for me, which is almost what I expected out of them. My right side tires wore faster than my left side tires, so maybe with a fresh alignment I would have gotten another 1,000 out of them. Regardless, that's almost what I expected out of these tires. On a cost per mile basis compared to the others I have tried, I am definitely satisfied. I am now on my second set. MARCH 2007 UPDATE: My second set of GS-D3's lasted 14,000 miles. For cost considerations, I'm trying Toyo T1R's.

<b>Bridgestone S-03 Pole Position</b>
Let me just start with this statement: I'm not sure I would take another set of these if they were free. I disliked these tires more than any of the other five I've had on my S4. I tried these in a 235/40-18 fitment for my modified S4. I was coming from Michelin Pilot Sports and was hoping for improved handling and a little better ride for less money. In the end I got none of those things I desired, but I did get a maddening amount of tramlining to deal with, heavy tires, a horrible ride thanks to the S-03's rock-like sidewall construction, and undesirable handling characteristics in high speed corners. Now, don't get me wrong, S-03's gripped great in slow corners, but they were not reassuring in high speed corners. They felt like they were squirming or skipping and were too inflexible to achieve maximum grip on unperfect concrete. Let's just say there was lots of pucker factor with the S-03's in high speed corners. I lived through a miserable 11,000 miles on these S-03's, and even that was a disappointment. I was hoping for 15,000. On a per mile basis, the S-03's were more than the Pilot Sports. They just were not appropriate for a luxury sedan, no matter how sporting it may be. If you want a good tire for a luxury performance sedan, get the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3. I've now made it 9,500 miles without a single complaint on those after saying good riddance to the S-03's. The GS-D3's are the first ones I've tried for my S4 I would buy again.

<b>Michelin Pilot Sport</b>
Michelin's Pilot Sports are the second best tire I've tried on my modified S4. My current Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's are the best though. The Pilot Sports offered a confidence-inspiring level of grip and cornering stability. Had their ride been softer (I did have them in a low-profile 235/40-18 size though) and their price cheaper I would have bought another pair. Their wet traction was good as well. Goodyear's Eagle F1 GS-D3 offers the same-confidence inspiring grip and cornering stability as the Pilot Sport did, but with the Goodyears you pay less coin for the same treadwear, get better wet grip and a better ride comfort. I did experience 15,000 mostly satisfying miles on my Pilot Sports though before I replaced them. Unfortunately, I replaced them with S-03's, which was my biggest mistake of at least the last half-decade. S-03's offered a maddening amount of tramlining to deal with, heavy tires, a horrible ride, and undesirable handling characteristics in high speed corners.

<b>Pirelli PZero Rosso</b>
At first I enjoyed the compliant ride of the low profile 225/40-18 PZero Rossos on my S4. Then I realized the ride was compliant because the sidewall was flimsy. Then a mild to moderate sized pothole split open one of these flimsy sidewalls and cost me both a tire and a wheel. Then I realized that the Rossos really didn't have very good wet traction. Then I realized the flimsy sidewall led to a sloppy and loose turn-in on corner entry. Then I realized Pirellis are extremely sensitive to tire pressure and prone to wearing out the center of the tread if only inflated 2-3psi above what's printed on the label inside my fuel filler door, even though increased pressure is needed to offset the sloppy turn-in. That's about it. These things lasted me 15,000 miles down to the time they were slicks in the center of the tread. Considering the last 3,300 miles on them were an interstate road trip where I drove them pretty much as slicks, tread life would have only been about 10,000 miles if I'd replaced them when the wear bars were showing in the center of the tread. I will definitely pass on buying these again. There just wasn't enough performance -- the rubber was soft and grippy, but the rest of the tire's construction and design wasn't up to the task. I've since gone through Michelin Pilot Sports and Bridgestone S-03's and am now driving on Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's. The GS-D3's are finally a tire that I have no complaints about, and their ride is nearly as good as the Rossos.

<b>Yokohama AVS Sports</b>
I was pleasantly surprised with the reassuring handling that the lower profile 235/40-17 AVS Sports provided over the RE040's. The AVS Sports had great turn-in, good mid-corner grip and were very progressive at the limit. And boy did you know they were approaching the limit because these tires howled. They also droned, which was especially bad at around 40mph. I enjoyed them though, at least until I got sick of the droning and the rough ride. They were pretty good in the wet, where I found them to be better than any tire I had previously had. Plus the tread compound held up pretty well at the track -- definitely better than some of the softer competitors in the maximum performance category. They're certainly a good tire, but they're not appropriate for a luxury performance sedan with their noise and rough ride.

<b>Bridgestone Potenza RE040</b>
I'd consider these to be Bridgestone's version of the PZero Rosso. In that regard, they weren't as good as the Rosso. These were the tires that coined the terms "Bubblestones" and "Blowtenzas". Needless to say, their sidewalls were jokes -- probably even flimsier than the Rossos. Like the Rossos, they too had a soft tread compound. Of course this made for a tire that wore out quickly. Wet weather grip was also poor like the Rossos. There were really no redeeming features to these tires. If you wanted tires like these, at least get the Rossos, which while they are a step ahead, are still pretty lousy overall.

Russ Scott

It's the GS-D3's for my next set. I'm enjoying the Toyo T1-S on my TT and unless they get wierd toward the end, I'll likely put another set on. My A6 (currently on ES100's) will get the Goodyears, for sure.

ryoung

that let you test 6 different sets of tires?

After 50k miles, I've just started on my 3rd set (and I threw away the first set early). Anyway, I'm trying to figure out why we have such a different impression of the S-03.

With 30k miles from a set of S-03's, including ~2000 track miles, treadlife was obviously excellent. I never had ANY tramlining. The ride with a 255/35-20 was a bit firm, but what was more noticeable was an impact thump driving over tarstrips or cracks in the highway. They were great on track, especially under braking; but on anything except cold or rainy days, they quickly overheat and usually after only three laps. I've hit 240 oF tread temperatures at Mid-Ohio on a sunny 90 oF day, at which point they're very greasy. Before overheating, though, they ran a 1:50 lap, matching the Mid-Ohio School instructor driving an Acura NSX in the "In the Driver's Seat" video ... so even though they're heavy, how bad can they be :-) BTW: I was running the stopwatch that session, not driving :-(

I don't know what explains our almost 180 degree difference of opinion on the S-03's. Is their behavior on an S4 and an S8 that different?

And last but not least, thanks for your write-up!

LCP

...maybe you just drive on better roads than I do -- if I had only good roads to drive on, I wouldn't have had near the complaints I had with S-03's. As for treadwear, I'd suspect I just drive more aggressively. Remember...a squealing tire is a happy tire, and I like to keep my tires happy!

akula-ssh

Great writeup! I've been somewhat undecided between the GS-D3 and S-03; not any more!

ryoung

Since my tires don't squeal on the street, you're definitely driving more aggressively. Actually, I can't imagine where I could get them to squeal without wildly exceeding speed limits; and with my 39/35 psi street pressures, the S-03's would be rolling onto their sidewalls.

LCP

I can be pretty wild when it comes to speed limits.

ex-quattro PETE

When I had my S-03s in northern VA, the roads were pretty good and I never complained, although they did get somewhat noisy rather fast, but nothing unbearable. Then I moved to Poland, and the roads here are so bad - I was experiencing major tramlining and just terrible ride quality - very harsh. I quickly got rid of the S-03s and replaced them with ContiSportContact2. That was a step-down in terms of performance, but night-and-day in terms of comfort and quiet ride. Since I can't push the car hard (I'd risk damaging the suspension and bending rims in this pothole hell), I don't miss the performance aspects at all though.

I'll possibly try the GS-D3 next, or the new Dunlop SP Maxx.

DanosS4

than the S03's and the Kuhmo MX. I didn't dislike the SO3, but the gsd3 really handle well. The so3's were a 235-40-17, the kuhmo's were 235-40-18, and the gsd3 are 225-40-18. Not sure how much that matters. All different wheels too, not sure if that makes a difference either.

fignewton

They're on my 225 TTQ Coupe, and I do about 80 miles a day. They're superb tires
fig