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[Garik]

No road noise here, and compare to the oem bridgestones - A/S3 are very quiet! (cant compare to pss) - and I only have a few hundred miles on them.

In heavy rain driving - A/S3 are amazing! (tested them yesterday in our heavy rains)

Great replacement for the OEM bridgestones; not to mention the car drives a million times better.

[scott135i]

Update.....

I originally purchased a set of 255/40/19 for my F10 550i. Had them on for 1500 miles, and they felt amazing but were the loudest tire I've had on any of my 8 cars, including OEM. They were awful between 30-60mph on all roads, and unbearable on any rough/uneven road. Car has 68 miles on it when I put them on, so no issues with alignment, wheels, hubs, ect.

Fast forward I get them replaced under Michelin 30 day guarantee and swap for a set of 245/40/19 Continental DWS The conti's are 10mm narrow and run narrower even in the same size, but I was willing to deal with that. 1300 miles later and the Conti's are the quietest tire ever, but also the softest and mushiest sidewall. In my 4500+ lb 550xi, with ARS, this was an awful combo. Steering response was the polar opposite of the OEM RFT whereas the A/S 3 Michelin's were 75% as good of a feel as the RFTs. Being an XI, I would have these tires on year round, and even knowing that the DWS were amazing in winter, I couldn't deal with the mush feeling. I've driven the DWS on an E90 (my friends) and had the summer Conti DW on my 335d, but on a 5 they were just too much for me.

Fast forward again, under the Continental 60 day guarantee I swap back to a set of Michelin A/S 3's, but this time in a smaller (factory) size of 245/40/19. Performance continues to be beyond impressive, in both the dry and wet (to early to tell for snow, but I'm assuming they'll be mediocre at best unlike the awesome DWS), HOWEVER, the noise emitted from the original set is 75-80% no longer present. My assumption is the original set, or at least 1 or more tires was defective somehow.

In the past I've driven on:

Continental DW
Continental DWS
Continental ContiSport Contact 2
Michelin Pilot Sport 2
Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Falken FK452
Hankook Ventus V12
BF Goodrich g-Force T/A KDW
Goodyear Eagle LS-2 RFT
Goodyear Eagle RS-A
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT


It's hard to make a true apples to apples comparison given that I drove all of those on different cars, in different sizes, but my general sentiment is that the Michelin Pilot A/S 3 are easily the best all around All Season, bar none, and are better than many summer tires in dry and wet grip, and obviously crush the summers in treadwear. I strongly recommend them....

[seatosky]

I've had the Michelin Pilot A/S 3 for about a month now. Great improvement over the Bridgestone run flats, way nicer ride. The grip seems really good in wet and dry.

[vivithemage]

Thanks scott135i, I was about to pick up some DWS for my 335 ... but because of that weaker sidewall, I might go with the AS3's..I LOOOVED my PS2's on my 135i, so hopefully the AS3's will give me a similar feel on my 335.

I remember doing some pretty high speed, stupid stuff on my PS2's and they were sooooolid at those speeds.

[scott135i]

Originally Posted by vivithemage

Thanks scott135i, I was about to pick up some DWS for my 335 ... but because of that weaker sidewall, I might go with the AS3's..I LOOOVED my PS2's on my 135i, so hopefully the AS3's will give me a similar feel on my 335.

I remember doing some pretty high speed, stupid stuff on my PS2's and they were sooooolid at those speeds.

Now that I've put 3k miles on the AS3, here is the deal.

They're the grippiest and best feeling a/s without any close competitor. The steering feel is equally ride, and ride comfort is overall very pleasant.

The A/S 3's are still noisier than most, and I think its a combo of tire compound and tread design. They're weird though. They're dead silent on perfectly tight paved roads, but as soon as you're on rough or uneven road AND at low speed, they're noisy.

In my opinion a great trade off, and I would've have it any other way in an A/S tire.

As for grip, they're way off the PSS, but feel better than other summers like Hankook V12's and Falken FK452 - no surprises here...

[e-man]

Hey guys. Just stopping in from over at the Lexus forums (please don't boo me -- I did own a 1999 323i from 99-02). I currently have a 2006 GS430 with 18s. For the past few years, I've been running Pilot Sport A/S Plus in 245/40/18 (93y load rating). I recently put on a set of Pilot Sport A/S 3 (same size, but 97y rating).

In short, I am experiencing many of the same things you guys are talking about. Most of my miles are highway miles, and the tires seem to be much noisier than the A/S Plus I replaced (and those tires were worn down to the bone when I got rid of them). I am also noticing that the ride is much more firm than it was before (feeling every little bump and imperfection in the road).

I called Michelin to get their thoughts, and it was almost as if they weren't surprised to hear my observations. They immediately told me that it was the higher load rating of 97y versus 93y that was causing the degradation in ride quality. They recommended that I switch back to the A/S Plus, which apparently is still in production in my size.

Anyway, I was hoping some of you could provide an update of your experience with the tires after having driven on them for several more weeks. I've only had the tires for about 10 days, so I'm still within the return period, but I'll need to make up my mind soon.

Thanks in advance for any input.

e

[cb474]

Originally Posted by asus389

How's the ride quality over bumps? Are you running the V rated version or the Y rated version?

I have somewhat the same question. How different are the V and Y rated version of the AS3? Both in terms of ride quality and in terms of handling and braking. And does anyone know what precisely is different about their construction? Thanks.

[romanonj]

Originally Posted by gmblack3

After living w the A/S 3s for a month and 700 miles, I now have PSS on my 335is. After 3 days and 200 miles, the PSS is quieter and has better response in the turns. No rain yet so I can't comment. I also highly prefer the sidewall looks of the PSS.

Do you have any pictures with Michelins on the car?

[Nossic]

Anyone driven these in the snow? Is it just me, or do I feel that they aren't very good...

[pits200]

Originally Posted by Nossic

Anyone driven these in the snow? Is it just me, or do I feel that they aren't very good...

I just started a thread about this two days ago, I had a terrible winter experience also.

[Gary@TireRack]

Initial feedback has been that these are good for an all-season tire in light snow. In deeper snow and on hard packed snow or ice they are not meeting the expectations of many drivers.

[scott135i]

Originally Posted by Gary@TireRack

Initial feedback has been that these are good for an all-season tire in light snow. In deeper snow and on hard packed snow or ice they are not meeting the expectations of many drivers.

Correct. Exactly as designed. Did anyone honestly think they'd be good in deeper snow considering how much they dominate in the dry and warm? If you wanted all seasons that are good in the snow the DWS conti's are the best, but they're dry weather performance and soft sidewall feel leave a ton to be desired. In light/medium snow with awd the a/s 3's are perfect. Deeper snow and rwd or even fwd they're better than summers at least for compound alone, let alone tread design.

[bbstoke]

Im had the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 on for a year now and they are far superior.
The grip/ride comfort are brilliant.
About to switch over to Michelin Alpin winters next week.. Got up hills with them last winter.
My garage keep them for me during the summer for a small fee then fit in winter for free.
Totally recommend Michelin... Yes I get them for free but they are the best by a country mile :-)

[AltF4]

I thought I'd report my findings so far. I had A/S 3s installed on the 335i a couple of weeks ago. They only have about 500 miles on them. I had PSSs before and wore them down in about a year. Simple put, these A/S 3s are amazing. I'm pleasantly surprised at the level of grip and responsiveness. In the rain they are glue. As far as the road noise I'm reading about, these tires are no louder than any other low profile tire I've ever run. They are relatively quite and definitely more comfortable than the PSSs.

[e-man]

Here's a quick update. As I posted above, I have a 2006 Lexus GS430 with 245 40 18. After a month of what I perceived to be a very loud and harsh ride, I returned the A/S 3s and went back to the A/S Plus. The difference between the two is night and day. The A/S Plus are quieter and more comfortable. However, here's a key factor to consider. The A/S Plus in my size are a 93y. The A/S 3 in my size are a 97y, and they are also XL tires (which stands for extra load). I'm telling you, these A/S 3s were one of the hardest riding tires I've ever had (and I've tested quite a few). Now, on the upside, the A/S 3 made my car handle like it was on rails. Truly outstanding performance. However, there was a price to pay for that performance, and it took the form of noise and comfort. I can't say whether other sizes will exhibit the same characteristics of the 97XL y speed rated tire, but at least for me, this was my experience. Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any questions.

[335TWNTURBO]

I am on the fence and cant decide between the Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS and the Michelin A/S 3's.

decisions decisions decisions.......

[e-man]

Originally Posted by 335TWNTURBO

I am on the fence and cant decide between the Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS and the Michelin A/S 3's.

decisions decisions decisions.......

Sorry to have to ask, but what size are you running? Also, what are the load rating for the Bridgestone versus the A/S 3. If the A/S 3 are XL in your size, you might want to reconsider (or at least know that you may be sacrificing some noise and ride comfort for excellent handling).

[bbstoke]

Originally Posted by 335TWNTURBO

I am on the fence and cant decide between the Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS and the Michelin A/S 3's.

decisions decisions decisions.......

Michelin all the way.. They actually work in the snow and amazing in the wet.
Plus they last forever... You only get what you pay for

[330iE90spt]

Here in Westchester NY we're getting a little snow... a few inches by the afternoon. The side roads were covered this morning and thank god I'm only a few miles from work.

I'm the OP of this thread and have had the AS3s since the summer. When I first had them I did hear the road noise. After about a 1k miles, that went away. In all honesty, I don't hear the road noise I first heard when I first got the tires. Didn't really bother me to begin with. Tires are great... great grip and will last forever! Now to this morning...

I wanted to replace my Potenza RF with an AS tire that I could get away with leaving on all year and be somewhat... safe in the snow. Well, those dreams came to an end this morning. I usually take a short cut to work which consists of going up and down a big hill. Side roads were just covered... been snowing for about an hour and a half at this point. Went maybe a quarter the way up a slight incline before the hill and was all over the place. Turned around and went the long way (extra mile) around that was flat. There was another guy who posted his snow experience and said it felt like he was on ice… my thoughts exactly. Didn’t feel safe with a coating of snow on the roads!! Damn…

I love these tires, but they should be advertised as all-season, but good luck in the snow!!

[scott135i]

Originally Posted by 330iE90spt

Here in Westchester NY we're getting a little snow... a few inches by the afternoon. The side roads were covered this morning and thank god I'm only a few miles from work.

I'm the OP of this thread and have had the AS3s since the summer. When I first had them I did hear the road noise. After about a 1k miles, that went away. In all honesty, I don't hear the road noise I first heard when I first got the tires. Didn't really bother me to begin with. Tires are great... great grip and will last forever! Now to this morning...

I wanted to replace my Potenza RF with an AS tire that I could get away with leaving on all year and be somewhat... safe in the snow. Well, those dreams came to an end this morning. I usually take a short cut to work which consists of going up and down a big hill. Side roads were just covered... been snowing for about an hour and a half at this point. Went maybe a quarter the way up a slight incline before the hill and was all over the place. Turned around and went the long way (extra mile) around that was flat. There was another guy who posted his snow experience and said it felt like he was on ice… my thoughts exactly. Didn’t feel safe with a coating of snow on the roads!! Damn…

I love these tires, but they should be advertised as all-season, but good luck in the snow!!

Do you have an 06 330i RWD? If so, that makes sense. RWD, especially without LSD should have proper snow tires in the snow. Any all-seasons will not be good, and these A/S 3's will be slightly worse than most as they are ultra high performance and outperform many summer tires in the summer.

However, I have these on my 550xi, and combined with AWD they're perfectly fine in this snow. No fear no worries in the 3-4".

If anyone thinks these are remotely close to proper snow tires, I'm sorry. They are not on the same side of the spectrum as tires like Continental DWS (where the 'S' stands for SNOW!) when it comes to snow performance.

[330iE90spt]

Originally Posted by scott135i

Do you have an 06 330i RWD? If so, that makes sense. RWD, especially without LSD should have proper snow tires in the snow. Any all-seasons will not be good, and these A/S 3's will be slightly worse than most as they are ultra high performance and outperform many summer tires in the summer.

However, I have these on my 550xi, and combined with AWD they're perfectly fine in this snow. No fear no worries in the 3-4".

If anyone thinks these are remotely close to proper snow tires, I'm sorry. They are not on the same side of the spectrum as tires like Continental DWS (where the 'S' stands for SNOW!) when it comes to snow performance.

Yep, '06 330i RWD. I really did not want to invest in an extra set of winter tires/rims for 3 months out of the year... that's another 1,500 I'll have to set aside. Just going to have to be careful this winter!!!

[e-man]

For what it's worth, I switched from the A/S 3 back to the A/S Plus, and we just received 3-4 inches in the northern suburbs of Chicago, and the A/S Plus were great on my RWD GS430. No issues at all. No, of course they were not as good as a dedicated snow tire, but they maintained good traction for both starts and stops.

e