Michelin Pilot Sport

[bmwrocks]

Do you know the old TV show Hogan's Heroes? I am using Major Hofstetter's accent when I read your posts.

 

[Bryan330i]

That is funny bmwrocks, I thought it was just me. I read Tim's posts with a German accent in my mind, funny how that works. Its like a mental accent gets applied. But Tim, you probably do the same thing hey, we don't all sound like SOME of the people in Texas though.

 

[andreyiv]

I don't think kilometer/liter is the equivalent of MPG in Europe. I think it's the amount of liters the car eats up in 100 kilometers, so the lower the better, unlike MPG. Am I right Wadula?

 

[bmwrocks]

I don't think kilometer/liter is the equivalent of MPG in Europe. I think it's the amount of liters the car eats up in 100 kilometers, so the lower the better, unlike MPG. Am I right Wadula?

It's actually liters/kilometer or liters/10 kilometers etc. Which is the inverse units of miles/gallon which is why it is so confusing to me.

Or more simply we measure distance/amount where they measure amount/distance.

 

[frolf]

i pray i can get 15k out of my next set of tires. i sure love ripping them to shreads. which inspires me, maybe i should work for bridgestone, so i can rip a set of S-03's to pieces per month. oh what a grand time it would be.


Bridgestone - - Michelin
--------Pirellli ------------
_______________________

Dunlap - Kuhmo (heavy though)
_______________________

Continental

 

[andreyiv]

I'm pretty sure it's 100km and not 10. Wadula you know what's the right way, tell us if it's no bother.

 

[Tweet227]

Yes Tweet, thanks. Hopefully I didn't sound too obnoxious.

Not at all... Glad I could clarify

 

[Wadula]

yep it is per 100 km.

5 l/100km = 47 mpg
10 l/100km = 23.5 mpg
15 l/100km = 15 mpg

it is correct that the way to measure it is the completly opposite
20 l/100km = 11.8 mpg

 

[bmwrocks]

Wadula, I am just gonna call you Kommandant Wadula.

 

[mikev]

Thanks for your replies. I was a little bit worried only because my Brother in Law has a 530 with Conti's on it. He said the Conti's were "better" tires, but from what I gather he might be FOS[???1] He also lives where it never rains (Carlsbad).

the continential tires are one of the best around supurb grip in the dry (not the best yokohamas are better for example but don't last any time at all) in the wet the continentials offer THE BEST in europe on braking handling etc. this hasbeen fully tested and documented in several magazines. OH and we run them on the M5 as recommended by Munich Legends

 

[Wadula]

bmwrocks, you just invented my new title

 

[kenzopvfl]

myharley,

Don't feel bad. I have the Dunlops and they are actually pretty good. No complaints with wear or handling. Cars assembled at Regensberg seem to have their fair share of Dunlops.

 

[vlad]

Hey Vlad, I know Z is a high speed rating, but what is ZR? What do you have for speed rating on your M3?

Or anyone that knows about speed rating.

The S-03's on my M3 are Y speed rated, 186 mph - 300 km/h.

 

[Average Jae]

thanks guys now everytime i see wadula's posts, i'm thinking of a german w/a cowboy hat, herading cattle around in his bimmer, speaking in a german accent combined w/ a hee haw at the end.. thanks

 

[Akakubi]

Pilot Sports are a great STREET tire, no more. They are absolutely horredous on the track. My friend had them on this M3 and melted the rubber after 3 laps.... Aftert that, it was all sideways and poor braking. My S-03's can handle a lot more punishment and run laps around the PS in the dry and wet. Pilots are only great when they are medium hot - i.e. street use. S-03's turn into a "semi-slick" after they get hot. [:d]

Conti's are good for the street only, and even then till they reach 50% or so treadlife. Then stay away from standing water on the HWY at even speeds of 50MPH. I almost went into the divider once because of the hydroplaning at 50MPH. Take the same water with the S-03's and you'll never even feel it.

Pilots are not worth the $$ at all. Pilot 2 is supposedly much better, but we'll see.

For the $$ I'd get either S-03's, Goodyear F1 Ds-g3 (I think is the name) or Kumho MX. We run all three brands now on our cars after multiple testings on the roads and tracks.

 

[Bryan330i]

But don't the Pilot Sport have a very high AVAILABLE speed and heat rating?

I have the Pilot Sport rated "Z" for speed, the best you can get from what I understand, and "A" for heat, again the best available.

What rating would one look for in track tires for a street car?

 

[bmwrocks]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Bryan330i
Hey Vlad, I know Z is a high speed rating, but what is ZR?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The R just means Radial. I guess there may still be Bias Ply tires out there that we have to distinguish. Z is of course the speed rating (149+ mph).

I know in the US tires now come with a specific speed and load rating, telling the speed above 149 that they are rated for, and the max load capacity in lbs. I did notice that the ContiSport Contacts that came on my car don't carry this secondary rating, but they were made in Germany so all bets are off I guess.

 

[Bryan330i]

For some reason I was thinking that Conti's were an entirely US brand and company that was used for the most part on US vehicles like Ford, and international use on bikes and so on like you see during bike races.

For some reason when I think of them I automatically think Ford, Dodge. But it looks like many other brands use them at times.

 

[Akakubi]

But don't the Pilot Sport have a very high AVAILABLE speed and heat rating?

I have the Pilot Sport rated "Z" for speed, the best you can get from what I understand, and "A" for heat, again the best available.

What rating would one look for in track tires for a street car?

The ratings are unfortunately way too broad. Manufacturers only have to meet certain specs to be able to put Z and A rating (I've seen AA on some rubber BTW). But some go an extra mile to make the tires more suitable for track abuse.

Pilots unfortunately are not a good track/street tire. I will also include Yokohama AVS, ES100, Dunlop SP9000, Kumho 712, in that list for the same exact reasons - no grip when hot. All are great street tires (if you can live with road noise), but just that.

As for what rating to look for, it's hard to use it to tell. You'll need to read up on the comparative testings. Tirerack is a pretty good source.

 

[Bryan330i]

I look for a good heat rating when I buy tires because of the high road heat. We tested our lot at 160-170+ in the summer with a laser measuring device. I wonder if you give up some traction with higher heat tolerance? That would seem reasonable but I am sure not an engineer.