From Michelin to Bridgestone

[azure111s]

Lots will have been written before, no doubt, but I have recently made the switch so thought I'd share my early thoughts....

2008 Gen1 2S Cab' had Michelin Pilot Sports from new. Replaced rears with the same, once, but fronts were half worn then. Have just replaced all 4 (second set of rears and original fronts). Made the decision on cost: Bridgestones were considerably less expensive! Opinion of the Michelins were that they were possibly the best all round tyres I've ever had on any car. Almost impossible to fault, wet or dry - they offered unbelievable levels of grip. But, I couldn't ignore the price differential, so Bridgestones have gone on this time. They're now nicely scrubbed in and the difference is quite marked. Firstly, how much quieter are they.....?! The difference is staggering. The ride is much more supple, but this may be due to fact that I'm now sitting on some tread blocks and The Michelins hadn't had any of those for a while! Have only driven in the dry so far, but it is clear that the level of grip (or the perception thereof) is seriously reduced. This is to such an extent that the Bridgestones feel like the Michelins did in wet (never mind damp) conditions.

I consciously avoided re-familiarising myself with comparison articles prior to the change, as the decision was based solely on cost. How different could they be....? The answer, IMO, is "significantly different!"

Anyone concur or disagree?

 

[clarkes]

I've not had Bridgestones on a Porsche, primarily because my experience of them on an Audi A8 4.2 quattro. I won't go into detail but I hope they are better on your car.

 

[garyw]

I ran bridgestones for a fair few years and sets on my Turbo.
I enjoyed the grip they offered and never really had any cause for concern in any conditions.
I enjoyed that they gave some excellent feedback to the driver with the firmer sidewall - which also offered excellent rim protection.

Considering how important tyres are to the handling and feel of a car and they are in fact the only 4 bits in contact with the road I have never replaced nor would consider tyres on cost alone.

 

[rob.kellock]

My Boxster Spyder was supplied new with Bridgestones.

Despite enthusiastic use including a couple of track days, the rears lasted 16k miles and the fronts still going strong when I sold the car at 22k miles. I never had an issue with grip or feel, I thought it drove well.

 

[Lancerlot]

I wouldn't disagree Michies are probably a better tyre and many of us have been waiting ever patiently for PSS's to be homologated. [8|]

But I have been using Bridgestones (several sets actually) exclusively for the last 3½ years and found their performance very acceptable.

You don't say how many miles you've covered on your new boots, but you do need to give them time to "bed in" - a thousand miles or so is typical.

Also, if you want to get the best from them, the vehicle geometry set-up needs revision to cope with their different characteristics. []

BTW I agree wholeheartedly with garyw, a decision on tyres is far too important to be based solely on cost.

Regards,

Clive.

 

[Alan Stamper]

Hmm have been happy with Bridgestone so far...interested on geo settings for different tyres, getting near to new tyres...this is my current geo....any thoughts on what changes need to be made for Michelin very welcome !!

 

[Lancerlot]

Alan,
I've no magic numbers for you.
Your best bet is to whistle the car up tp Chris Franklyn at Center Gravity once the new boots have been fitted and you've done a few miles to wear down the moulding marks and burn off the releasing agent.
He'll optimise the settings to suit your driving style and the way you want the car to handle.
Regards,
Clive.

 

[nickf]

I had Bridgestones on my GTS until last weekend when I dumped them for Michelin Pilot Sports. There was little or no tread on the rears but 4-5 mm still on the fronts. Cost wise there was little to choose between the two brands but I was keen to switch away from the "ditch finders" I was wearing. I can highly recommend OPC Chester for this.

Some months ago and well before the tyres at the rear became so slick I had a nasty moment on the way to Scotland in the rain. The car aquaplaned in the middle lane of the motorway, thankfully it was late and the motorway was clear, I managed to regain control of the car but since then I have been unhappy with its twitchiness in damp conditions.

I'm looking forward to testing my new boots at the Nurburgring this weekend

 

[flat6]

I guess those running Bridgestone exclusively for a few years are calibrated to them, with less view of whether an alternative could be better. Switching from one brand to another on the same car is a good test. Will be interested to read your comparison nickf.

Rob K, when we both had Spyders, yours on Bridgestones and mine on Michelins, you were faster than me on track and I went better on the low gear, heavy braking, twisty road work. Maybe the tyres made a difference to confidence under braking, how soon to get back on the power at the apex etc. But the fact that I am no good on track skews the comparison massively lol. My brake pad wear was massively different to yours. At almost identical mileage I needed new front pads when yours were like new, so I guess very different driving styles generally.

I noticed the tread patterns were so different on the outer edge. The Bridgestone looked like a winter tyre compared to the Michelin, making that look like a slick. So very different designs with no doubt very different attributes.

We should've had a go in each other's cars, but I would've been too precious about mine to think of that![]

 

[azure111s]

ORIGINAL:

Considering how important tyres are to the handling and feel of a car and they are in fact the only 4 bits in contact with the road I have never replaced nor would consider tyres on cost alone.

The choice was Michelin v Bridgestone though Gary, not remoulds! []

 

[flat6]

A comparison of Michelin, Bridgestone and Pirelli outer tread.

 

[azure111s]

Clive - good point. Probably not to up to 1k miles yet (but haven't checked). Pushing on this morning, I got the feeling that they have improved, or maybe I'm just getting used to them. They're much quieter though, for sure.

flat6 - noticed that too. They are much 'chunkier' than the Michelins and, dare I say it, don't look as good on the car the Michelins did.

 

[Lancerlot]

ORIGINAL: azure111s

ORIGINAL:

Considering how important tyres are to the handling and feel of a car and they are in fact the only 4 bits in contact with the road I have never replaced nor would consider tyres on cost alone.

The choice was Michelin v Bridgestone though Gary, not remoulds! []

The OP has stated his choice was made on cost.

Regards,

Clive

 

[azure111s]

flat 6 - good pics. Demonstrates my point exactly, IMO - Bridgestones appear almost agricultural in comparison with Michelins. Michelins surely 'look' the best of the lot, non?

 

[azure111s]

ORIGINAL: Lancerlot

ORIGINAL: azure111s

ORIGINAL:

Considering how important tyres are to the handling and feel of a car and they are in fact the only 4 bits in contact with the road I have never replaced nor would consider tyres on cost alone.

The choice was Michelin v Bridgestone though Gary, not remoulds! []

The OP has stated his choice was made on cost.

Regards,

Clive

Yes, he did []..... based on cost comparison between Michelin & Bridgestone as they were all that was available when i phoned around. The difference was seriously significant, although I can't remember exactly what it was. Both N spec, obviously. I didn't bother to enquire about the remoulds, honestly [] Had had the Michelins from new and had been impressed, but went for the Bridgestones based on cost (compared with Michelins) as well as a little curiosity.

OPC did the 4 wheel alignment at same time as replacing the tyres as rears had worn quite unevenly his time. Results showed that some correction was required to return to 'factory spec'.

 

[flat6]

ORIGINAL: azure111s

flat 6 - good pics. Demonstrates my point exactly, IMO - Bridgestones appear almost agricultural in comparison with Michelins. Michelins surely 'look' the best of the lot, non?

I am biased in that Michelin look the best[8D]

But I have no idea how they compare on performance as all 3 Porsche I've had happened to come on Michelins.
Keep posting as you clock up the miles[]

 

[vitesse]

I have just had new tyres on the BMW rear-have used Nexens for years-these latest ones are N-8's with totally different tread pattern particularly at the edge-Why?
My tyreman tells me that tyre manufacturers are abandoning unidirectional tyres which in many respects is a good thing as any tyre can fit anywhere (Except where fronts & rears are different sizes)

 

[garyw]

ORIGINAL: azure111s

ORIGINAL:

Considering how important tyres are to the handling and feel of a car and they are in fact the only 4 bits in contact with the road I have never replaced nor would consider tyres on cost alone.

The choice was Michelin v Bridgestone though Gary, not remoulds! []

Nick, I gave you much more credit than to even think you'd be looking at remoulds []
I think my point was fair, but then again were now looking at buying the prettier tyre [] []

Then I go onto read about Nickf 'ditch finders' but openly admitting they had no tread left on them and they aquaplane in wet weather!! I nearly wrote to the Daily Mail about that one [] (have a great trip to the Ring nick and be careful!)

The magazines have the Michelin ahead in overall terms and the two tyres do offer different feedback.
As far as wear goes, I used to get 10K from the rears and 20K from the fronts and agree with comments that different driving styles obviously create different wear rates.

I'm now on Pirelli and getting very similar mileage from these...
As far as grip goes, I'm shocked - even in the wet on how much grip they have in 'normal operating temperatures', however anything outside of that and they are a bit terrible! [&:]

enjoyable reading and making me smile []

 

[flat6]

ORIGINAL: VITESSE

I have just had new tyres on the BMW rear-have used Nexens for years-these latest ones are N-8's with totally different tread pattern particularly at the edge-

With regards to the Michelin, the outer section which you lean on more when cornering hard in the dry has shallower tread like a track focused tyre. I guess their design is not to have deep tread blocks moving around when you are leaning on that section of the tyre. It's also a different rubber compound to the inner section, so that shallow section does last as long as the deeper tread section. The inner section is more of an all weather tread and of a different compound. I don't know about the other brands.

 

[nickf]

ORIGINAL: garyw

ORIGINAL: azure111s

ORIGINAL:

Considering how important tyres are to the handling and feel of a car and they are in fact the only 4 bits in contact with the road I have never replaced nor would consider tyres on cost alone.

The choice was Michelin v Bridgestone though Gary, not remoulds! []

Nick, I gave you much more credit than to even think you'd be looking at remoulds []
I think my point was fair, but then again were now looking at buying the prettier tyre [] []

Then I go onto read about Nickf 'ditch finders' but openly admitting they had no tread left on them and they aquaplane in wet weather!! I nearly wrote to the Daily Mail about that one [] (have a great trip to the Ring nick and be careful!)

The magazines have the Michelin ahead in overall terms and the two tyres do offer different feedback.
As far as wear goes, I used to get 10K from the rears and 20K from the fronts and agree with comments that different driving styles obviously create different wear rates.

I'm now on Pirelli and getting very similar mileage from these...
As far as grip goes, I'm shocked - even in the wet on how much grip they have in 'normal operating temperatures', however anything outside of that and they are a bit terrible! [&:]

enjoyable reading and making me smile []

Gary, please re read my post, I clearly stated the aqua planing event occurred some months ago (September 2013 actually) and before the tyres became so worn as to require changing. I don't suppose the Daily Mail would be interested anyway unless they could link aqua planing to prostate cancer figures