Michelin Firestone or Bridgestone?

sgw_88FoxGT · Jul 17, 2008

Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S, Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval, or Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position?

Looking for a tire that performs great and keep my knuckles from turning white in the rain.

sgw_88FoxGT · Jul 17, 2008

Or Michelin Pilot Sport A/S?

Any help from anyone who has used any of these or has suggestions of their own would be great.

Thanks!

Notchbck93 · Jul 18, 2008

I first ran the Firehawk Wide Ovals on my 03 spec V and absolutely was astounded by the performance difference over Continentals that came with the car. I hit a fricken curb the first time I took them out because I was use to the car drifting a bit and with the new tires, they hook'd hard.

I then threw them on the 500hp Notch, again, never happier with a tire purchase, car hooks really well, handles and rides better than ever. 245/50/16's on stock pony's.

Then, I threw them on my 04 Gt when I bought it and again, excellent wet traction, dry traction and the car still get's 27 mpg on the highway.

These are summer performance tires only, if you drive your car in snow or sleet, plan on getting a set of blizzaks strictly for winter.

I don't believe in going with whatever magazines are pushing, Wide Oval is the secret competitor and will perform just as well as the Bridgestone's, for a fraction of the cost.

Not all Firestone's will handle like Bridgestone's, but the Wide Oval is an acception to the rule.

SVT32VDOHC · Jul 18, 2008

That 66 GTO I rode in had some sort of Michelin racing tires on it. We pulled 1.04 G's around a couple corners on the street and the tires didn't make a sound!!!

sgw_88FoxGT · Jul 18, 2008

Thanks for the info on the Wide Ovals. If I get those then I'll definitely pick up some Blizzaks for winter.

Notchbck93 · Jul 18, 2008

The blizzaks WS50's on my 04GT were so strong, I let my wife take the car to work during a snow storm. People thought she was nuts pulling into an unplowed parking lot in a Mustang GT in the middle of a snow storm. What really freaked em out was the fact that she put the car in reverse and backed up the hill to her corner spot without spinning the tires.

Blizzaks are a bit pricey, I got mine used off of craigslist with rims for 275. Even being seven years old on the front (will be replaced before this winter) and four years old on the back, they still made my Stang perform like a 4x4 in the winter. I feared nothing but high drifts; lets be reasonable. Three inches of unplowed or messy parking lots didn't stop the steed. The car performed flawlessly. I felt safer in the GT than my posi fwd Nissan Sentra that I had previously sold to purchase the GT.

TIRES ARE EVERYTHING.

If you notice the snow on top of the tires of the 4x4 Xterra, it hadn't been moved, I took the Stang out. The Xterra runs the Bridgestone Dueler A/T's Revo's.

sgw_88FoxGT · Jul 18, 2008

Wow great to hear that the WS-50s work so well. I'm actually picking up a set right now. I found new ones for $40-$50 in 215s which will work fine for me.

Shakerhood · Jul 19, 2008

Notchbck93 said:
The blizzaks WS50's on my 04GT were so strong, I let my wife take the car to work during a snow storm. People thought she was nuts pulling into an unplowed parking lot in a Mustang GT in the middle of a snow storm. What really freaked em out was the fact that she put the car in reverse and backed up the hill to her corner spot without spinning the tires.

Blizzaks are a bit pricey, I got mine used off of craigslist with rims for 275. Even being seven years old on the front (will be replaced before this winter) and four years old on the back, they still made my Stang perform like a 4x4 in the winter. I feared nothing but high drifts; lets be reasonable. Three inches of unplowed or messy parking lots didn't stop the steed. The car performed flawlessly. I felt safer in the GT than my posi fwd Nissan Sentra that I had previously sold to purchase the GT.

TIRES ARE EVERYTHING.

If you notice the snow on top of the tires of the 4x4 Xterra, it hadn't been moved, I took the Stang out. The Xterra runs the Bridgestone Dueler A/T's Revo's.

I had REVOs on my old Truck, they were awesome Tires!

RUNINAGT · Jul 19, 2008

If you want the Michelins then go with the PE2 for best dry and wet traction. I have gathered that you do need an A/S tire. Down here in S Carolina we dont need A/S tires because it does not snow. So summer tires do just fine.
I went to the Michelin proving grounds and drove BMW's on an enclosed wet course and with 2 different types of Michelins on them and was amazed @ how well the PE2's did in standing water. They are a bit pricey though.
I have a set of BFG's Super Sport A/S on my GT and they grip very well. I put the A/S on for better wet traction. Had them put on before the BMW thingy but then found out that the A/S was a waste because they are not made for wet, but snow and extreme cold. Been in the tire business for 15 years and still learned something new this year.

Notchbck93 · Jul 19, 2008

RUNINAGT said:
If you want the Michelins then go with the PE2 for best dry and wet traction. I have gathered that you do need an A/S tire. Down here in S Carolina we dont need A/S tires because it does not snow. So summer tires do just fine.
I went to the Michelin proving grounds and drove BMW's on an enclosed wet course and with 2 different types of Michelins on them and was amazed @ how well the PE2's did in standing water. They are a bit pricey though.
I have a set of BFG's Super Sport A/S on my GT and they grip very well. I put the A/S on for better wet traction. Had them put on before the BMW thingy but then found out that the A/S was a waste because they are not made for wet, but snow and extreme cold. Been in the tire business for 15 years and still learned something new this year.

I think if one is a true hardcore enthusiast and has no other options but to drive the car in all four seasons, two sets of tires are a must; summer performance and winter performance.

Michelins and BFG's are all good rubbers, don't get me wrong, I just happen to roll with the path less traveled when it comes to summer performance skins. In Chicago, I can run the SP tires mid April thru November.

RUNINAGT · Jul 19, 2008

Ya NOTCHBCK93 I can't advise you on any kind of snow tires. Heck we get a flurry here and the entire lowcountry shuts down. So I would have to agree with you on the 2 sets of tires. Here we really only need a summer tire.

Mustang5L5 · Jul 19, 2008

Don't go bridgestones. I just had them. GREAT dry performance tires, but so-so in the wet and they followed every damn groove and rut in the road and transmitted a lot of road vibration.

I just took mine off after 22K miles completely worn and put on Some Yokohama Avid W4S's (i wanted a performance allseason this time) and the car rides nice and quiet

sgw_88FoxGT · Jul 20, 2008

This is all great advice. Thanks a lot. this is actually my first time buying tires and I'd rather not make a mistake that could cost me $600... or hospital bills. I picked up some Blizzaks WS-50s at Tirerack for $43 so I figure I can't beat that cost-performance ratio. Now I just need some Spring-Summer-Fall tires. Sounds like I got votes for the Firehawk Wide Ovals and Michelin PE2s. Right now I got a set of BFGoodrich T/A Radials which came with my car. They look pretty cool but don't turn the car too well.

Michelin Firestone or Bridgestone?

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