Hi

im running these tyres in 235/40/18

I just bought them today

As far as i can tell they are a great grippy tyre - but it seems they are a bit spongy on hard turning?
I mean it seems like the sidewalls are alot softer than the OEM bridgestone re040's

any opiions or confirmations?

thanks

They probably are a bit soft compared to the summer tire you had. What is the wheel width you are using? Anything less than 8.5 for that size means the tire will be much less forgiving when it comes to sidewall flex.

That's the only complaint I had about these tires on my old '02. I did so much research before buying them and was under the impression they had reinforced sidewalls, but apparently don't. I ran 225/50/16 on my stock wheels which made matters worse at times when having to brake in even slight gradual turns like on a freeway, the rear could get wiggly from all the flex from doing the +0 size. The sidewalls ballooned slightly causing the flex to come from the bead area at the rim lip... you shouldn't have quite the same problem as this though.

Still, they were vastly better than the RE92's. In heavy rain and snow they were amazing. Absolutely no hydroplaining and wouldn't drift over imperfections on the highway. Under purposeful hard canyon driving I found them to be very predictable and extremely grippy for an all season tire. I remember they seemed to get better with break-in. A little less rolling resistance and their grip level settled into a steady predictable place for the next year I had the car, so see what you think over the next month or so and just be mindful of the softer sides. For a long lasting Hi Performance all season I think you'll like them. I'm considering them them again for the stock 17's on my new 06, but I may go for the Pirelli P Zero M+S which I'm certain have reinforced sidewalls. Ultimately I'll end up with a nice new set of rims with dedicated summer tires on them - which in LA would be for most of the year :lol: ...except today, it's pouring!

Hope this helps... :)
C

I went to these recently from Yoko A520's. Pro's: They are MUCH quieter (the roar of the Yoko's would even drown out my BPM muffler!), don't tramline nearly as badly, and are great in the snow (The Yoko's were like having skis on the car :eek: ). Con's: They are spongier, like you said. I don't take the car to the track, so I don't push them too hard. They are fine for street, and I'm happy with them.

thanks

yeh they are definatly much quieter. Still havnt brokcn them in yet so we will see how it goes after a 1000ks
Still yet to test them in the rain (its autumn here)

I have them stock size on my stock wheels....I think max psi is 50 on em, I have em 42f 40r, the sidewalls are a bit mushy.

It does great in the rain and dry but any more snow than 3 inches is kinda iffy IMO...

The sidewalls are a bit soft....SO WHAT! Give em a bit more air. :)

THey are a great tire that I wish I had bought again rather than the Pirelli I decided to try this go around.

The sidewalls are a bit soft....SO WHAT! Give em a bit more air. :)

THey are a great tire that I wish I had bought again rather than the Pirelli I decided to try this go around.


which pirelli? So the proxes4 are better than the pirellli you have now?

More air firms the feel up for sure - the max range I'd run them was up around 44psi coldl. But it doesn't solve the issues one can encounter with no sidewalll support - though I suspect the lack of the support is what makes them so outstanding in the rain and snow. And that brings us back to the fact you can't have one magic tire that can do everything the best. But for a performace all-season, they're good.

Yeah, which Pirelli's are you using now, Bryan H.? I'm thinking of trying the P-Zero Nero M+S on my stock 17's which I've heard nothing but rave reviews about... Even people autocrossing on them with much success has been posted here...
C

P-Zero Nero M+S.

As the temps drop these things turn into bricks. These are a warm weather tire.

If I was going for a tire to LIVE on year round and had to be in a cold environment it would be no contest. I would go back to the Toyo.

I used to run 40 front 38 rear and make sure you checked it first thing in the morning at its coldest.

And that brings us back to the fact you can't have one magic tire that can do everything the best.
C

Very very true.

nothing is a magic bullet for all people.

Interesting.... good to know. Thanks for the info. :)
C

For you in Los Angeles I would think the Pirelli would be fine. In Virginia it actually gets cold.

yeh, they are running 39psi each

I understand that they have the adv and disadv... Its just i was used to the precision of the oem bridgestone when turning...Not the floppy nature of the proxes4. I agree with u tho they ahve awsome grip levels..

Im not sure if i'l buy this tyre again tho

i have heard nothing but good things about them from my friend.

1 more thing...these things bounce like crazy while driving... I have standard sti struts and teins-stech springs
Im bouncing all over the road!
Maybe im just too used to the stiff bridgee's

. . . I did so much research before buying them and was under the impression they had reinforced sidewalls, but apparently don't. I ran 225/50/16 on my stock wheels which made matters worse at times when having to brake in even slight gradual turns like on a freeway, the rear could get wiggly from all the flex from doing the +0 size. . . .


The 225/50/16's are advertised as being reinforced - some sizes aren't. I have 205/55/16's on my wagon and if I recall correctly they had "REINF" stamped right on the side, although that size is advertized as not being reinforced. :confused:

My only issue with then was they wore out quite quickly, after about 30,000km (18,000 miles), at which point they became dangerous in wet weather.

They must have two different series then, becuase mine definitely weren't reinforced nor had REINF stamped on them. Mine seemed to wear much better than the RE92's for the year or so I had them and I easily put 18000 miles on my car a year with my commute. I would say they looked realatively new when I got rid of the car... Of course, the car was never tracked but saw its share of twisty roads here and there - I certainly wasn't pushing them to their limits on a regular basis though. (wasn't getting sidways as often as the car might have liked to be thrown around) :lol:

I do recall there being some mention of the sidewalls being "built up" a certain way but I believe just with the rubber compound itself. At a closer look after buying them it never clearly stated the sidwalls were actually reinforced via steel belting inside (for lack of correct tire terminology... i'm still drinking my coffee here...). If anyone else has definitive info that they were, please chime in becuase I never found that info at the time... Anyway, that misconception's what lead me to jump head first into buying these tires, only to discover they were not a true reinforced sidewall...

In the end, I really came to swear by these tires despite their disadvantages. I always planned on getting summer rims and tires anyway, but that guy pulling out in front of me causing me to hit a 400yr old oak tree kinda changed those plans. :mad:

I'm still considering these tires again on my stock 06 wheels for all seasons after I wear out the RE92s again but would probably stick with stock 215/45/17 sizing.

C

Do the proxes 4s have a rim protector. Toyo doesn't list that it does, but it would seem odd if they didn't on the lower profile sizes. Considering these as a 3 season tire for lower noise and great wet/dry performance.

Anyone running the 225/50 on 16 x 7 wheels? I am looking to do that on some old RS wheels for my winter tire setup. If so, is the sidewall softness reduced? Are you happy with your choice and fitment?

no its not the tyre i was looking for :(
Id rather super stiff sidewalls for handling then more grip (in my case)

Do the proxes 4s have a rim protector. Toyo doesn't list that it does, but it would seem odd if they didn't on the lower profile sizes. Considering these as a 3 season tire for lower noise and great wet/dry performance.


I'm 99 and 44/100 sure that they do. I'm just too lazy to look right now :lol:

For you in Los Angeles I would think the Pirelli would be fine. In Virginia it actually gets cold.

Could someone define "cold" relating to the PZero Nero M+S turning into "bricks"? I'm looking for a performance A/S tire for southern Alberta, spring-fall (dedicated Dunlop Wintersport M3 go on when its truly crappy out), and its either the Pirellis or Proxes4.

I understand that the Proxes4 are lighter (which factors into the unsprung and weight at edge of wheel acceleration impairment issue that drives us to care about wheel weight) than the PZero Nero M+S, but I can't find published weights for the Pirellis. Toyo publishes the weight of the 225/45R17 as 23 lbs (http://www.toyo.com/tires/tire_specsheet.cfm?id=18).

Edit: Tirerack says the Pirelli is also 23 lbs (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?partnum=245WR70NMSV2&make=Pirelli&model=PZero+Nero+M%26S&fromCompare1=yes).

If you have a winter tire you are good to go.

I would say if it hits freezing I would not be running the Pirelli.

If you have a true winter tire why not get a true summer tire?

If you have a winter tire you are good to go.

I would say if it hits freezing I would not be running the Pirelli.

If you have a true winter tire why not get a true summer tire?

I ran the Pzero Nero M+S on snow and they were fantastic. I was totally comfortable passing the slowpokes on fresh snow over a mountain pass. In a ski area parking lot with several inches of new snow, I has no difficulty getting in, out, or wherever I wanted to go. Here in the Seattle area, they will be my winter tire.

If you have a true winter tire why not get a true summer tire?

I've thought a lot of about that... the thing is, weather patterns where I live are fairly unpredictable. It is normally pretty dry, but we've been known to get significant spurts of rain lately, so I need something that can handle wet roads and not hydroplane me into a wall. It has also been known to snow in july, and I didn't buy a WRX so that I could worry about whether the car could handle road conditions on any given day of random weather ;)

In other words, I'm looking for an excellent 3 seasons tire with a summer bias, able to handle cold+snowy, cold+wet, and cold+dry in addition to all variations of warm (I'll define warm as being above ~10 deg C).

I would say stick the with proxes4 if you're worried about the pzero in cold weather. In NYC it gets unpredictable as well with heavy snow showers and plowing the next morning.

They handle great in rain and slush BTW...