Michelin PS3 vs Dunlop Sport BluResponse

[White16valver]

Right, so, I'm afraid it's another 'Vs' tyre thread...

I have a new (to me) RWD car. It has come with mix-and-match tyres on all four corners. I have zero drifting skillzzz as I've not had RWD before.

I cannot decide which would be the better option:
- 195/50/15 Dunlop Sport BluResponse @ £198.
- 195/50/15 Michelin Pilot Sport 3 @ £228.


Generally good user reviews exist for both:
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Dunlop/Sport-BluResponse.htm
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Michelin/Pilot-Sport-3-PS3_1.htm

One of the 'proper' tests says of the Dunlop:

The Dunlop Sport BluResponse has good braking performance on wet surfaces, but relatively weak lateral grip. The tyre resists aquaplaning, but in an emergency situation are a little nervous. In the dry they demonstrated rapid response to the steering and were well controlled during emergency manoeuvres. Very quiet and low rolling resistance

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2015-Test-World-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm

Another test says it is as sharp as the award winning ContiSportContact5 in the dry:

It was second around the handling course, where it had the sharpness of the ContiSportContact 5, but needed a touch more lock through the tighter turns. And while it was less effective in the aquaplaning assessments, it was firmly in the closely matched mid-pack.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/91860/dunlop-sport-bluresponse-review

Alternatively, several comments on the PS3 reviews link above mention "driving in the wet like it's dry", which is echoed by the AutoExpress test:

Standout performance is the remarkable superiority it showed in aquaplaning. The tests often have a wide spread of results, but the Pilot Sport was a clear victor on both – particularly the tricky curved test.

It was close to the front in the shallower-water tests, too, taking just over a second longer to lap the handling circuit. Turn-in was eager but it began to run wide mid-corner, sometimes triggering the stability control. It felt secure and tackled the final 90-degree turns without lifting. While it was two metres off the best in the braking, if you tot up its percentage scores in our wet road tests it was second only to Continental overall.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/91861/michelin-pilot-sport-3-review


I'd like to be able to explore the limits of RWD handling when safe to do so (perhaps damp, quiet roundabouts out of town) so I actually learn how to drive it properly, but I prefer rock-solid stability when there's standing water around and for when I make a mistake (which I am sure I will do at some point).

For the former, the "weak lateral [wet] grip" of the Dunlops sounds appealing, but its reduced ability during aquaplaning is a bit of a worry as I'm not sure I could rescue an unintentional 'moment'.

For the latter, the PS3s seem to be wet weather gods, but will they be so grippy as to stop me exploring the limits and learning how to drive properly?


If anyone has driven on either (or both?) and can offer any input, that would be smashing.

(And yes, track time will be on the agenda at some point as I don't want to be a loon on the road.)

 

[Chrisgti6]

What car? Tyre sizes lead me to think mx5 or similar?

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

A decent all rounder or an 'eco' tyre ?

Like comparing an Elise with a Prius.

Do you want an extra 0.8mpg or do you want grip ?

 

[car.crash]

I have the dunlops on my cmax.
Why would you run that kind of tyre on a hot hatch.

 

[Chrisgti6]

I have the dunlops on my cmax.
Why would you run that kind of tyre on a hot hatch.

I'm asuming it's not a hot hatch, but I do think the car type is quite a vital bit of info!

Out of the 2, i'd be picking PS3's.

 

[Advikaz]

PS3's over the BlueWaffles tbh.

Obviously depending on what it's going on..

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

PS3's over the BlueWaffles tbh.

Obviously depending on what it's going on..

If it was for a Micra, and it was £200 eco vs £400 ps3s .. I'd probably go cheaper.

For £30 extra, on a RWD car .. it's a no brainer to me.

 

[Amos91]

The Dunlop Bluresponse is a really good tyre but I would use it on your run of the mill hatchback.

If you are concerned about performance etc then the PS3, Eagle F1 AS or CS5 are the tyres to go for in that size.

 

[Advikaz]

I did see you mentioned something about drifting..

If that's the case just chuck on some nankang never grips or wanli ditch explorers etc

 

[R3k1355]

If you're driving an MX5 then having a full wheel alignment is just as important as the tyre choice, probably more so IMO.

If you've got s**t alignment then when you start mucking around in the wet you'll probably find yourself in a hedge.

 

[White16valver]

Excellent deductions, 'tis indeed an MX5! :smile:

I still fear the PS3s will be too 'unstickable' to 'play', but then I'll just have to get some 20-quid remoulds and get to some trackdays...

I think I'll go with the PS3s as they are only a little bit more, and spend some money on 4-wheel alignment. (Although that does of course open a can of worms as to what setup to go for!)

Thanks for the input, gentlemen. :up:

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Excellent deductions, 'tis indeed an MX5! :smile:

I still fear the PS3s will be too 'unstickable' to 'play', but then I'll just have to get some 20-quid remoulds and get to some trackdays...

I think I'll go with the PS3s as they are only a little bit more, and spend some money on 4-wheel alignment. (Although that does of course open a can of worms as to what setup to go for!)

Thanks for the input, gentlemen. :up:

The problem with that is for the 98% of the time when you're being responsible / normal driving.. you want the extra grip. Buy a pair of 5" wide steelies (Clio ones should fit) to glue to the back end with some WangDerpers on if you want to experience zero-G cornering.

50p says you'll be bored of that in about 20 minutes if you haven't inverted into a tree before then.

 

[R3k1355]

Problem is it's not that simple, drifting an MX5 is not simple, they don't want it.
It's short, light and the weight distribution is pretty much 50:50, so it's not naturally wanting to 'drift'

If you really want to drift it you'll want to take it to a proper drift day.

 

[imprezaworks]

Picking tyres to drift on public roads is bizarre. If you want to act fast and furious style go to a trackday with a spare set of wheels.

 

[White16valver]

To clarify, I'm not wanting to be circling industrial estate roundabouts on the lock-stops on a saturday evening, smoke pouring from the rear tyres :tonguewink:

I was just wondering about exploring that line that exists just on the boundary of grip and slip, the sort of place that evo magazine drivers inhabit, seemingly!

In the end I went for the PS3s - the garage I went to matched the lowest price I could find online and also performed laser alignment as well. Four tyres + alignment came in at around £330, which I didn't think was too bad. It was running -2.5/-2 degrees negative camber on the rear left/rear right tyres, so was good to get that corrected.

No sign of rain yet so I will see how they feel when it does rain. So far, in the dry, they have excellent grip but aren't that noisy and don't have too-stiff sidewalls, both of which I've seen reported elsewhere, so I'm happy with them. I think the alignment might need tweaking to my personal taste (and potentially I might remove the PAS to swap in a manual rack, as it has a weird alertness around the centre but a slight 'stodginess' once turning more than a few degrees) but I'll drive it for a while to get more used to it and see how I feel.

Cheers for the input, gents :up:

 

[imprezaworks]

Good choice mate