Hi All,

Looking for a new set of rear tires. I'm based in So-Cal where rain is sparse.

I'm keeping my front tires (as I had to have them replaced for tire-feathering only 20,000 miles ago and they seem to have plenty of tread depth) but need to replace my rear tires (they are factory RE040's with 40k miles on them).

Deciding between the PS2 Michelin, GS D3 Goodyear and the RE040.

I read on these forums that the Goodyear tire has a wobbly feeling to them because of the softer sidewall whereas the PS2 Michelin's feel much better. I rather not have the RE040's again, since i hear the road noise is less with the others, but since my front tires will still be factory Bridgestones, I wanted to know if it makes sense to keep the rears the same.

Any thoughts from you guys would be appreciated!

 

The GS D3 Goodyear have very good ratings on tired rack. I had these tires on my M3 and I did not care for the initial turn in on that the tires had. If that tire had stiffer sidewalls they would be perfect.

 

Why not run the same set that you have on front? Those Michelin PS2 are ridiculously expensive it's crazy.

 

Before buying tires check these test results:https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....ighlight=tires.

 

I can give you my review of michelin ps2's. I'm running 265/30/19, 295/30/19 now. They are the best tires for sure, but the price is insane. They literally cost almost as much as a new set of volks.

Pros: 1.) insane grip. They hold the road like no other tire would because they are soft/sticky tires.

2.) super quiet and smooth. You'll feel it everytime you come to a stop - can't hear anything at all. They never squeal like other tires do, even when driving hard. If they start losing grip, they do so quietly!

3.) the steering response is unbelievable at high speeds. You touch the wheel slightly and the car reacts instantly unlike other tires i've had (toyo, falken, bridgestone potenza).

Hope this helps. The only downside is the price. I don't think i'll go with ps2's again only because of that reason. Just had to try them at least once in my life.

 

Just put more air in the GS D3. i have front 37psi, rear 38psi and i don't feel the sidewall is soft

 

I was in exactly your situation: Nissan replaced my OEM Bridgestone RE040 225/45-18” fronts because of the feathering issue, and at about 25K my OEM rears were worn out and I needed to replace these. So I had new OEM Bridgestone tires on the front and needed new rears.

I put Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 245/45-18" on my rear stock wheels. That isn’t a great combination with the much stiffer sidewall RE040’s on the front since the softer sidewall on the Eagle F1 GS-D3’s makes the handling feel a little “squiggly.” The Eagles are great tires (grip like glue on dry roadways, excellent grip on the wet, super comfortable, and very quiet). It’s just that teaming them with the stiff RE040’s makes the Eagles feel wiggly.

My fix was replacing the fronts with Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 245/40-18". That setup provides great handling and you don’t notice the softer sidewalls at all.

But… you have new RE040’s and probably want to run these and not want to waste perfectly good and new tires. With this in mind I would spend a little more $$ and go with the Michelin PS2’s for your rears. That provides a better match for sidewall flex.

If you decide to go with the Eagles, do what kennyl5123 recommends:
I’m running my Eagle’s at these PSI’s (that kennyl5123 suggests, which is just slightly over the 35-36 psi Nissan recommends) and I like the slightly stiffer feel. After doing this for 10K+ miles, I have not experienced any uneven wear on the Eagle tires.

And… crap … sorry for another long message that doesn’t provide a definite answer.

--Spike

 

Thank you everybody for your feedback. It looks like I'll be avoiding the GS D3s and will come down to making a decision between the PS2's and sticking with RE040s. I rather go with the PS2s and down the line, upgrade the fronts to the same, but the cost, like you all mentioned, is holding me back.

I'll let you know what I end up doing once I'm done and will provide feedback for others who may be in the same position.

 

yes, definitely avoid the goodyear gs d3's. i had them on my rear wheels, and they were very loud and didnt grip well.

IMO, the falken 452's are pretty good, very quiet, good grip, and not too pricey.

 

This the only evaluation I've read on the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 that mentions excessive noise and poor grip. In fact the Eagles I'm running grip exceptionally well (dry or wet) and run very quietly.

The Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 is uni-directional. Is it possible you had them running backwards? I've seen this error (it happens when the shop mounts the tire correctly, but reverses left and right wheels), and it results in a noisy tire that doesn't grip well.

--Spike

 

PS2's all the way!

 

I agree with all you've said but I also feel that the ride is way harsh on uneven paved roads.. I'm bouncing all over the cabin at times lol
Thats what we get for running wide *** tires i guess
Ive been driving on these for 3 weeks as of now
Im running PS2 F 255/40/18 R 285/35/19

 

I had GS D3's on my G35 and I know others who had them. They are awesome tires and do they ever grip well. Awesome in the rain, and dry and also very quiet.

 

I've run the Goodyear GS-D3's, Michelin PS2's & Falken FK452's (had to try a cheaper tire for the kicks - ha!). Anyway, the PS2's have insane grip for the first 15k miles, acceptable grip after that til 18k miles, stiffer sidewall. The GS-D3's have great dry & wet traction, softer sidewall (unless PSI was raised to 37-38 psi - that helped), but lost all that great grip around 12-15k miles as well. The GS-D3 also had a lot of rubber hardening by 18-20k miles & were like ice skates - no traction. Got around 22-23k miles out of both sets (rear). Prices on the PS2's are ridiculous now!!! & the GS-D3's seem to always be on backorder (in my size preference) when I want to buy tires.

 

I've been very happy with the GS-D3 the last 7 months or so. I've tried most of the high-perf tires out there, so I have some experience. Wouldn't be the best autox/track tire of course, b/c of the sidewalls, but it's a great street tire, and a great value when compared to the PS2.

 

Thank you everybody for your help picking out tires. I ended up getting a pair of PS2's for my rear tires and don't regret it. They run very quiet which is an added bonus.

 

PS2's all the way

 

If youve got the money to spend, PS2's are your best bet.

 

michelins if you can afford it

 

I must give my nod on the PS2s as well. I've tried dozens of tires, and PS2s are incredible. You can find Porsche take-offs for cheaper than new. They have the "N1" designation. 295-rears are abundant (from Vipers as well) - I ended up running 305/30/19 rear and 265/35/19 front, but would run a 275 front if I could find a good, used, set.