5.M0NSTER

A few months ago I got a set of 19x9.5 SVE wheels clad in Bridgestone Potenza S-04 tires. This is my track weekend set. I decided to go with a higher end street tire instead of slicks for cost reasons, and daily drive ability.

I got just about a 1000 miles on them now, and 1 track weekend, or ~150 road course miles on them now, so I thought I'd share my thoughts. They are 275/40-19.

Straight Line Traction:
Compared to 255 Pirellis PZeros it is much better off the line. I was able to "chirp" the Pirellis pretty easy in 1-2 and 2-3 upshifts. The S04's are a lot harder to make chirp, and that's because they GRIP. I eventually figured out that I can make them chirp, but it takes more throttle, less up-lift, and quick shifts. They are noticeably quicker under acceleration from standstill. Pretty impressive stuff.

Dry Cornering
I track my car, and I noticed sharper turn-in, and lots of cornering grip. Both are good. I did also notice that the sidewall was less stiff comprad with the factory Pirellis which is not so good. This means the car seems to roll a little more, but the grip is ultimately there. They seemed progressive at the limits, communicating loss of grip gradually when pushed past their limits and going into understeer. Overall I was happy to give up some stiffness for more grip though.

Braking
Same story as acceleration. More grip all around. It was harder to get these tires into ABS during hard braking at the track. Definitely had to push the brake pedal further to the floor to get resemblance of wheel lock. Of course they are larger and heavier, so that plays a part, but still.

Wear
I was very happy here. The tread wear is 280 compared with Pirelli's 220. And after 1000 street miles and ~150 track miles I used ~1mm of thread, and there wasn't any chunking or too much molten thread. Very happy with this result, as the stock Pirelli's were 30% gone after one track weekend.

Wet Traction
Wow. I thought the Pirellis were good. These are better. I can corner harder, brake harder and accelerate harder than on the Pirellis. Cornering is specially impressive in the wet.

Ride Quality
These are softer and less harsh than the Pirellis. I think the softer sidewall has a lot to do with this. They absorb bums and road cracks better. Smoother than I expected.

Side Notes
1) They are HEAVY. 33lbs VS 31LBS for PZero in the same size, and 27lbs for the 255 Pirelli
2) When cool they do not make noise. You do a clutch drop, and they slip, but don't squeal. Interesting side note.
3) Lets be honest, there are more grippy choices for track duty. Pilot SS, RE-11s or slicks would blow this tire away. But at this price point, ride comfort and wear rating, this tire is a Jack (or King in some instances) of all trades, and an Ace of none.

Price
These were $235 a pop at Discount Tire. Not cheap, but cheaper than Pirelli's and a lot cheaper than slicks or track tires in comparable sizes.

Bottom line, I like my choice. They are long wearing, better gripping, cheaper track option than the Pirellis. And that's what I was after.

And lastly here are a few pics.

dmichaels

Look like they are holding up great - did you have any data collection at the track to show what cornering and braking g's you were pulling? That's great they are showing no signs of "molten" rubber or chunking... that's the one issue with my Sumi's - although they have pulled as much as 1.18g's in a compression zone corner, and 1.06 on a flat or negative camber corner.

Have you looked at scrubs? I think that's what I'm going to mount up on my other set of 18's that I recently procured... do 2-3 sessions at a track event on the streets, then toss on the set of wheels with scrubs for a reminder of what a silly tire can do. And knock out some quick laps.

Good review though, thanks for that. I'll eventually have to replace my OEM P Zero's, might consider these as the pricing isn't THAT bad...

Stevedotmil

I was wondering about this tire. I am still going to shoot for the Pilot SS tires because I can get them here pretty cheap versus having TireRack send them to me. Great review and very helpful.

5.M0NSTER

Thanks guys.

Dmichaels, no I have no data. Actually if I did it would be artificially low due to how slippery the sealer was on the track. I think I need to go back to Gingerman to get a good Apples to apples comparison. Gratan surface is much different than at Gingrman. The latter has almost like a sand paper type of finish, and provides great grip.

Scrubs? Do you mean slicks?

Steve, the SS would certainly be stickier and I know their sidewalls are also stiffer. If you can get them for a good price that's probably a good way to go . I considered them as well, but at ~$300 each they were too pricey.

Stevedotmil

That's what I paid for the Pilot AS+ that I have on there now. Great all around tire but I am going to have a summer set of wheels with the SS tires.

dmichaels

Yes, take off slicks (used). So hard to resist buying a set... but I'm thinking I'll find some good deals come October timeframe...

5.M0NSTER

Few more pics of these wheels/tires by request

dmichaels

Very nice looking! Need some slicks on next

5.M0NSTER

Thanks!

I wish. Maybe eventually, but it's hard to find slicks in the sizes I want (275/40-19 or 285/35-19). After S04's wear out I'll likely got to G-Force Rival or Potenza RE-11. I've gotten very good feedback regarding both from Mustang owners at the track.

But first I'm getting some new baking plates, car cover and brake lines from Santa

What goodies do you have planned for when the track car comes out of storage?

dmichaels

Are you going with those SS lines I sent you a link for?

I'm planning:
Watson roll bar
6-pt harnesses
New wheel studs
HANS device
New helmet
Muffler deletes as a 2nd exhaust option
Gauges for oil pressure and temp at a minimum

Going to mess around with fiberglass too. I am planning to attempt a hood, rear wing, and maybe trunk...

So a few plans. Glad I got promoted yesterday

5.M0NSTER

Congrats on the promotion! Sounds like you found a good cause for the extra $$ Your mods sound awesome!!

I am going with the Boss low expansion lines. I have very mixed feelings about SS lines from working in chassis brake modulation. Just a personal bias I suppose.

I'm looking to firm up the pedal just a bit, and with better fluid and GT500 shields I think that will get me to where I want to be.

dmichaels

Sounds like your upgrades will do the job for you. I'm hoping my budget actually allows all my plans... at a minimum, the cage and harnesses are going in.

Car comes back tomorrow with the new axle shaft. Interested to see if the brake feel is better since the rear caliper should no longer be subjected to vibration due to the significant runout caused by the bent axle

5.M0NSTER

Some more pics:

f1-cobra

I got these tires about 2 months ago and your review is spot on. A lot more grip and they are great in wet conditions. I do see that the ride is softer with these. I got them from Tire Rack for $164.09 each with $82.44 for shipping and had them mounted locally for $100.

Here they are after I just had them put on.

COYOTEHP

I wonder how these compare to the MPSS that a lot of people brag about.

5.M0NSTER

Thanks! Yeah, I'm still quite happy with mine as well a year later. Yours look great with those Billet wheels.

The reason I chose this tire was because it was rated just behind MPSS in Tire Rack testing. For $70 less/tire I thought it may be a great performance bargain, and I'm still happy with my choice.

Since these are my track tires when I replace them I'm going to go with BFG Rival or one of the other extreme performance tires instead. I'm getting suspension work next spring, so I'll be ready for more grip soon after.

MRGTX

5.Monster,
Excellent write-up...very helpful stuff.

Great to hear that you're putting down more grip but how much of that do you suppose is due to the Bridgestones being brand new versus heatcycled Pirellis that you took off?

These sound like a solid perfomance tire and your car looks awesome. Please keep us posted as you pile on the miles.

5.M0NSTER

Thanks, and good point about heat cycling.

I got these when the Pirellis had ~7000 miles and 2 track days on them. At this point I have ~3000 miles and 3 track days on the S04s, and my initial review is still valid. I will be adding 2 ore track days and ~1000 miles to the S04s in the next 2 weeks. I'll report back any changes I notice. I like the compound, and I think the biggest difference in grip level is caused by 275 vs 255 size. Extra 20mm of contact patch goes a long way.

Oh, one note about tire pressures. I had them overinflated for majority of my last track day (36psi cold, 43psi warm) and they felt very greasy and skiddish. Half way through the day I dropped the cold pressure to 32psi (39 hot) and it made a HUGE difference. They just hooked right up and my lap times dropped. These tires don't like to be overinflated.

This is what they looked like half way through that track day

5.M0NSTER

Quick update. Finished a day at Waterford raceway Sunday, which was tough on tires. I kept the pressures at 32~33psi cold, and they had good grip after warming up. They held well all day and didn't get greasy. Starting to look more beat up though. Still no chunking though!

One more track day in 2 weeks

karman

255/45/18
Like them so far.
Put them on the same type wheels I had except they are CHROME!!!