Tyres ( rear )

[Aerialmark]

I’ve bitten the bullet and purchased some new rear tyres. I’ve moved away from Bridgestone and put on ( well tomorrow they will be fitted in time for the meet up at Leeds ) some Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Has anyone had any of these on their 370 and if so what did you think ?
I still have Bridgestones on the front but with 5mm of tread still on them I thought it would be silly to change them.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

No sorry, I only used Bridgestones (for 80k miles) but I drove it like the old man I am so can't really comment on dry traction. In the wet I was a bit frightened of the rear and it didn't give me confidence (not like my old Datsuns). In snow it was hopeless and best not to venture out. Also got stuck on a wet field once when directed across it by the parking attendant at Race Retro. Nobody else got stuck.
These cars are for dry conditions only really.
With the Bridgestone RE040 the outer groove in the tyre wasn't as deep as the others from new. I was told twice by garages that my tyres were wearing out!

 

[ALN]

I’ve bitten the bullet and purchased some new rear tyres. I’ve moved away from Bridgestone and put on ( well tomorrow they will be fitted in time for the meet up at Leeds ) some Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Has anyone had any of these on their 370 and if so what did you think ?
I still have Bridgestones on the front but with 5mm of tread still on them I thought it would be silly to change them.

Not on a 370, but I changed to Michelin PS 4S all round on my Golf R - best performing summer tyres you can get, in my opinion. I had Bridgestone Potenza S005's before. The wear rate was better on the Bridgestone, but overall the wet and dry performance is better on the Michelin. Consensus from colleagues and from reviews is that the Michelin PS 4S is also better than the standard newer Michelin PS 5.

 

[Aerialmark]

O thanks ALN, that’s what I was wondering. My theory ( and it’s not always correct) was that newer is better and as these tyres have been around since 2018 I thought that the PS5 may have been better as they are less than a year old.
The price also got me thinking as a pair of PS5,s were £560 fitted and the 4S are £612 !
Anything would have been better than what I have on now to be fair. I can see from the receipts I was given when I bought the car the rear Bridgestones were fitted in 2017 and are now right in the minimum tread line. Thanks again.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

O thanks ALN, that’s what I was wondering. My theory ( and it’s not always correct) was that newer is better and as these tyres have been around since 2018 I thought that the PS5 may have been better as they are less than a year old.
The price also got me thinking as a pair of PS5,s were £560 fitted and the 4S are £612 !
Anything would have been better than what I have on now to be fair. I can see from the receipts I was given when I bought the car the rear Bridgestones were fitted in 2017 and are now right in the minimum tread line. Thanks again.

You probably realise this but the date of tyre manufacture is stamped into the sidewall.

 

[Aerialmark]

Hi yes, sorry but thats not what I mean I should have made myself clearer, I would expect the tyres to be new but I was meaning the year of design

 

[Paul_S]

You'll like the rears so much you'll want to change the fronts.

Those Bridgestones are awful when cold (more like plastic than rubber).

I've Michelin on mine (can't for the life of me remember which version) but beware that you may not be able to match front to rear because not all tyres are available in both sizes.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

You'll like the rears so much you'll want to change the fronts.

Those Bridgestones are awful when cold (more like plastic than rubber).

I've Michelin on mine (can't for the life of me remember which version) but beware that you may not be able to match front to rear because not all tyres are available in both sizes.

No wonder I didn't have confidence in them. So why did Nissan supply the cars with Bridgestones?

 

[status]

I’ve got mps on my sti Scooby,can’t fault em in any way,

 

[ALN]

No wonder I didn't have confidence in them. So why did Nissan supply the cars with Bridgestones?

That's what I am wondering about Volkswagen and the choice of Bridgestone for the Golf R... interestingly enough, the Bridgestones were stamped "AO" Audi Only fitment... so could be a specific VAG thing

 

[Paul_S]

No wonder I didn't have confidence in them. So why did Nissan supply the cars with Bridgestones?

They're fine in hotter climates. I think we (the UK) just lost out because our market was too small to supply us a better option.

They're okay on track because they get hot and last a long time.

 

[Aerialmark]

You'll like the rears so much you'll want to change the fronts.

Those Bridgestones are awful when cold (more like plastic than rubber).

I've Michelin on mine (can't for the life of me remember which version) but beware that you may not be able to match front to rear because not all tyres are available in both sizes.

That is a distinct possibility Paul

 

[Aerialmark]

I went to get my tyres fitted this afternoon . They had the car up on the ramp with a wheel off and tyre already removed when I noticed that the info on the new tyre sticker was wrong. On the tyres I had ordered it was A for wet grip and C for economy but these were B & D !
I brought it to the attention of the fitter and he said thats what they have sent so its up to you. I went in the office and the manager said you get what you get and thats it ! I don't usually kick up a fuss and I don't like confrontation anymore especially when I was joined in the office by 2 more fitters saying it makes no difference. I thought I've paid £612 for these so I'm going to stick to my guns. After another 5 mins of backwards and forwards he found the pair that I had ordered and sure enough they were A & C to which he said they are coming up at £800 for the pair. I assured him that they weren't yesterday and said I'm not paying anymore. He rang head office or whoever was on the other end of the phone (maybe his wife or the dog ! ) and said I can have them for no extra charge but you will have to wait. I replied "no problem just put my tyre back on the wheel and I will be on my merry way". So no tyres fitted but I will get what I paid for.....eventually. I am being awkward or would you stick it out to get what you thought you were getting when you have paid so much ?
Just to add did you know (I do now because I just looked it up ) there is roughly a 3m extra braking distance between each wet grip lettered rating. So that for me could be the difference between stopping just short of the car in front and being in the back seat !

 

[toopy]

At the price you're paying, damn right you make sure they are the correct ones. I don't see how they can mess it up, certainly not the extra cost either, it's all on them for sure.

Interesting fact about the stopping distance letters, i didn't know that, and to be honest had never really thought about what the actual difference is between them!

 

[status]

Get yer money back and go somewhere that know wot they are talking about

 

[Aerialmark]

I will give em one more chance as its not the fitters fault, but still their attitude wasn't right. Anyway its going to give me a small bit of pleasure to educate them on the stopping distance difference of each letter from A to G