tires

[Taka Mizutani]

I've pretty much heard unequivocally that Michelin tires are the best in
terms of quality from many shops that run the range from medium and
heavy-duty truck tire places to places that run mostly race cars and sports
cars.

Michelin PS2 have been the most civilized summer tire that I've driven in a
long time, compared to the following:

Bridgestone RE-01R
Falken RT-615
Continental SC2
Bridgestone RE-050 (don't know the variant)
Bridgestone RE-070
Yokohama A-046
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx (this was close in terms of noise and comfort, albeit
brand-new tires)
Michelin Pilot Sport
Michelin MXX3
Sumitomo HTR-ZII
Bridgestone RE-040
Dunlop SP 9000 (these vary depending on if they are German-made versions or
not)
Goodyear F1 GSD3
Yokohama AVS Sport
Dunlop SP 8000E
Yokohama AVS Intermediate (these were very good, but eclipsed a long time
ago in terms of treadwear and performance)
Bridgestone RE-71

I'd run the PS2s over all of these unless I wanted an all-out dry
performance tire at the expense of any other considerations. For that
purpose, I would run either Bridgestone RE-01R, RE-070 (if avail. in the
appropriate size) or Falken RT-615. I would also pay the price premium for
the Michelins- I'm very happy with my current set on the V70R.

I'm running RE-01R on the Miata and RE-070 on the STi.

BTW, none of these tires is really any good at temps below 38-40F,
borderline deadly if it's that cold _and_ wet and/or snowy.

I run Nokian WR for winter tires, will switch over the STi and the Miata to
WR G2 when the current tires need replacement.

Taka