zdubin

Here is my amateur review and comparison.


My 2010 G37S Convertible's O.E. Summer Bridgestones were nearing their end of life and winter was coming. I have been following the Pilot Sport A/S 3's release and reading the stellar professional and user reviews. These tires weren’t available in the stock size, so I opted for the slightly wider tires that were recommended for my 19 inch wheels and won't impact the speedometer, because the wheel/tire circumference doesn't change. The sizes I purchased are 245/40ZR19 front, 275/35ZR19 Rear. I live in a cold climate (NJ) and didn't want to go through another winter with a summer tire, again.


According to the reviews, these tires seem to excel at everything; the only minor gripe I could find was that the ride wasn't as comfortable as the General G-Max AS-03 tires. It hasn't snowed yet in Northern New Jersey, so I can't comment on that, yet.



I've put about 700 miles on the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 and previously put on about 5,000 miles on the Bridgestones (I bought the car used). Below is my list of observations about the A/S 3 tires vs. the O.E. Bridgestone Potenza RE050A.


1. Road Feel: The Michelin tires communicate much more road feel to the driver. From mild turns to extremely tight circles, the Michelins are communicative at every step of the way and I drive more precisely now. As the temperature drops, the Michelin tires behave pretty much as they do in warmer weather. The Bridestones were a little vague and when the temperature drops the tires get even less communicative and the "Slip" light comes on more frequently.


2. Steering Response: The Bridestones had a slightly lighter steering feel which I initially missed when driving on the Michelins. I quickly got used to applying a tiny bit more input. To be fair, the Michelins are slightly wider, and that might have caused the difference in feel?


3. Traction: The Michelins outclass the Bridestones in every way. The Bridestones had decent traction, but the "slip" light would come on with any hard cornering even in warm weather and constantly in the cold. Driving on the Michelins, I really have to drive like a lunatic to get the "slip" light to come on, and it doesn't change as the temperature drops. The traction is so good and along with the improved road feel the car's handling has really reached a new level. Another observation is that the chassis flex has been reduced to near zero as well. I may be wrong on the chassis flex, but it feels to me like the car is more solid.


4. Comfort: The Michelins are slightly less noisy and vibration on rough roads has been reduced a bit. The Michelins don't change when the temperature drops. This is one area where I was hoping for a more significant improvement. The Bridgstones get way noisier and louder as the temperature drops and drone almost constantly. The Michelins are a bit less bouncy as well.


5. Rain: The Michelins are so good that I don't really change how I drive in the rain. Maybe a little less aggressive cornering, but that's about it. No hydroplaning, no jittery feel, nothing changes! The Bridestones required a granny style of driving in the rain, and were sloppy and imprecise.


6. Snow: I only drove the Bridestones in 1 inch of snow, and had little or no control of the car. It began to snow while I was on the road and only drove 1 mile in the snow. It was one of the scariest driving experiences I ever had; I drove with the hazard lights on at 10 miles an hour and saw my life pass before my eyes more than once. I will report back after the first snow.

Black Betty

iTrader: (60)

First of all, thanks for your review. It's great when members do detailed reviews so that the rest of us can get an impression of how something will work on our cars. We should all do more if it.

Not to criticize because your observations of your experience on the tires is certainly valid, but there's a few things that drivers should keep in mind when considering your experience.

1) You're comparing a summer tire to a A/S tire. Apples-oranges.
2) Your experience on the tires you are replacing is at the end of their life, the AS 3 are brand new. Worn tires have less grip in the rain, more noise, etc. so the difference is more dramatic when putting on brand new rubber.
3) You're comparing different widths and aspect ratios. The new tires are wider and lower profile which will have an appreciable effect on ride and handling.

But as I said, thanks for your thoughts. I personally use summer tires year round here in Texas so the PSS are my choice. But on my wife's G sedan, she doesn't like the feel of the PSS or their limited tread life. She has the Michelin Primacy MXM4 on it now but the AS3 looks like it's probably a better all season option when those wear out.

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the review! Keep us posted.

jmbladen

a few days ago I finally replaced the tires on my 2011 G37S-C as the OEM Bringestones were down to 4/32.

It turns out that Michelin actually does make their Pilot Sport A/S 3 in the correct OEM size for both the front and back wheels. All the online systems don't recognize this tire option because the 225/45/19s are W speed rated while the 245/40/19s are Y speed rated. Normally you'd like to avoid mixing speed ratings, but Michelin says on their web site it should not be an issue if the higher speed rating is on the back. And both sizes are higher speed/load rating vs. the OEM Bridgestones. I spoke to my mechanic and he was absolutely sure it would be fine.

So far after just a couple days I am super satisfied with both the performance/handling and the ride. I can't say for sure, but I think these smooth out some of the harshness without compromising any of the performance I've been used to.

That's my two cents.

zdubin

I'm still glad I opted for the larger size. The traction and handling improvement is absolutely astounding!

zdubin

Ice: Today was the first icy day of the season. I drove at 10 MPH below the speed limit and had no slippage or skidding with the Pilot Sport A/S 3 tires, whatsoever. The car's total weight and 52/48% weight distribution may have helped keep the car very much under control. The previous OEM Potenzas skidded and slipped almost constantly, under the same conditions.

newusernamerequired

...I"m thinking about running something either the same or really close for my next wheel set up. But do you seem any major difference with the speed ratings, the front being a Z rated tired and the back being a R rated tire?

zdubin

The front and back are both ZR rated:

245/40ZR19 front
275/35ZR19 rear

rhdh104

iTrader: (2)

I know this is an old post but,

I installed Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's.

All around a GREAT tire. 225/45/19 & 245/40/19

I do wish i had gone with a wider set up. Also to protect the Sport wheels, which get scuffed really easy.

Winter / in the snow... They don't do very well at all. But as the PO said... 3 seasons out of the year and on wet raods i drive the same speed as on dry. A great tire!!

btw: my car is the awd model - G37x Coupe.

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the info! Yeah, I really like them as well but snow traction leaves a lot to be desired.

new35

I have Michelin pilot sports with about 15000 on them beautiful ride till you go over 60 mph
Nasty growl sound from right front tire , dealer checked out suspension an front end components , leaving the tire as the culprit ... Car has had a 4 wheel alignment as it's an AWD tires actually look good but the noise is horrendous , still at dealer. Anybody else have noisy tires at a specific speed ....
Kind regards. Rich barry