At BRracing, we have a little different view on TIRES than most shops.  Most people buy their tires from direct Tire Shops….shops like Wheel Works, America’s Tire, Goodyear, Discount Tires, even Costco or Sears (the largest seller of tires in the US).  But, what most customers don’t know is that all tire shops are owned by a Tire Manufacturer or they have a direct relationship w a tire supplier.   Therefore, when you walk into a tire shop, and you ask, ” I need a tire for my BMW, I think it is a 235/40/18, what do you have or what should I get?”…..you just opened the perfect opportunity for that tire shop to maximize their profit, but not necessarily give you the best tire or the best price.  In fact, when they open up their computer system, most list the tires by profit margin first, and then what they have in inventory next.  WHAT HAS THAT to do w you wanting the best tire and value for your CAR???

But, at Independent shops like BRracing, we have no direct tie with any tire supplier, and are truly independent.  Therefore, when customers ask us what we like best, we truly have an independent view, and provide what we believe to be the best solution and value. Plus, we get direct customer feedback that we incorporate into our product suite, and we do our own direct testing of tires on a regular basis.

So what tires do we like a LOT?   We like the new Michelin Super Sport (bare none, the best tire you can buy) or the Continental DW (almost a clone of the Michelin, but at a far better price).

Here is some background on each of these tires.

Michelin Super Sport –

The Pilot Super Sport is Michelin’s Max Performance Summer tire initially introduced as Original Equipment on several of the world’s most sophisticated performance vehicles, including the exclusive limited edition Ferrari 599 GTO, Ferrari’s fastest road car ever. Developed for drivers who care about how tire technology enhances their vehicle’s performance and safety, Pilot Super Sport tires expand the Max Performance Summer tire performance envelope by delivering durability, handling and traction while increasing tread life.

While Pilot Super Sport tires are designed to allow sports cars, sporty coupes, performance sedans and supercars to achieve their full potential in dry and wet conditions, like all summer tires they are not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

The Pilot Super Sport features an ASSYMETRIC design molded of Michelin’s Bi-Compound tread rubber featuring a Le Mans-inspired dry compound outboard SIDE-BU-SIDE with their latest generation of wet compound inboard. The low-void outboard shoulder features a track-type compound to withstand the stresses of high performance cornering while the notched center ribs and inboard shoulder feature a compound designed for superior performance at very high speeds and in wet conditions.

The tire’s internal structure features twin steel belts reinforced by spirally wound Twaron cord. Twaron is a polyamide cord that offers a lightweight, high-strength reinforcement above the steel belts to enhance high-speed handling, wear and durability. Michelin FAZ Technology (Filament At Zero degrees) winds the Twaron cord around the tire circumference much the same way fishing line is wound onto fishing reels to allow Michelin engineers to tune tension and strength. The Pilot Super Sport features a polyester carcass to promote a comfortable ride and responsive handling.

Pilot Super Sport tires are comparatively light, with weight savings of up to 10% compared to other tires of similar dimensions. This reduces unsprung weight to improve handling.

This is what the recent TireRack testers had to say about this tire (Michelin SS) –

What We Liked: “Wow” handling and ultimate traction
What We’d Improve: Soften the ride just a little on big bumps to make everyday commuting more civilized
Conclusion: This is the new super star in the Max Performance Summer category
Latest Test Rank: 1st

Here is some background on the Continental DW –

The ExtremeContact DW (DW for Dry & Wet) is Continental Tire’s Max Performance Summer tire developed for the drivers of sports cars, sports coupes and performance sedans. The ExtremeContact DW is designed to deliver good ride quality and serious performance on both dry and wet roads. Like all summer tires, the ExtremeContact DW is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

ExtremeContact DW tires feature an asymmetric design with chamfered tread blocks and a continuous, outboard notched intermediate rib to enhance responsiveness and cornering stability. Continuous center ribs reduce noise and provide constant rubber-to-road contact to control the longitudinal forces experienced when braking. A high void-to-tread ratio with open outboard lateral grooves, wide circumferential tread grooves and notched shoulder blocks on the inboard intermediate rib and shoulder help disperse water to enhance hydroplaning resistance and wet weather traction.

The ExtremeContact DW features Tuned Performance Indicators – visible letters molded into the second rib from the outboard shoulder to alert drivers of the tire’s performance levels. A visible “DW” indicates the tire has sufficient tread depth for dry and most wet road conditions and after the “W” has worn away, the remaining “D” indicates the tire has appropriate tread depth for dry conditions only.

The tire’s internal structure includes twin steel belts that are reinforced with spirally wound jointless nylon cap plies to provide long-term integrity under high speed conditions while reducing weight and helping to provide more uniform ride quality.

This is what the recent TireRack testers had to say about this tire (Conti DW)  –

What We Liked: Comfortable road manners
What We’d Improve: Sharpen steering response and handling precision
Conclusion: Plenty of ultimate grip with very good ride quality
Latest Test Rank: 3rd

Here are some test results (latest test had the Michelin, Pirelli PZero, and Bridgestone S-04 (new version) –

Dry Cornering – g Force

Bridgestone = 1.00g

Conti DW – 1.01g

Michelin SS – 1.07g

Pirelli PZero – 1.03g

Wet Cornering – g Force

Bridgestone = 0.96g

Conti DW – 0.93g

Michelin SS – 0.97g

Pirelli PZero – 0.94g

What they (TireRack) didn’t include though was the price comparison.  Here is an example of the prices of the tires –

Size = 235/40/18

Michelin SuperSport – $ 242 each

Continental DW – $172 each

If you want the best tire….go w Michelin.  If you want the best value, go w the Continental DW.

BRracing – let us know how we can provide you the best value…….and, both of these tires can be bought from BRracing directly, and we do our own mount and balance on our state of the art tire mounter and Road Force balancer.