Well I will beg to differ, as new they were much worse than the SO2's in both wet and dry, half worn the dry grip has improved to be probably on a par but on my car they are still not good in the wet compared to the SO2's, car has a tendancy to let go with all four even on fairly light throttle and its easy to get it sideways. Sidewalls are stiffer which adds to stability ... the wet grip is the only complaint ... it does make for interest though !!

Thats on 215 40 17 sized rubber.

[Edited by Bob Rawle - 10/1/2002 6:19:01 PM]

So the story so far is (according to some), SO3's are the most bestest tyres in the world ever, especially in the wet:eek:.....(probably true if you have a business or linked to one that has excess stock of SO3's;))
&
for those of you that followed a certain brake thread a few weeks ago.....Tarox 10 pots are only equivalent to AP 1pots...just:eek:

eerrmmm...I don't think so....:D:D
good job I don't believe everything I read straight away.

shunty

[Edited by shunty - 10/4/2002 12:09:14 PM]

Are SO3's any good? compared with others.

Sam

Sam

In a 40 or 35 profile tyre, I think they are the best all round tyres you can get.

Nothing compares to them in the wet.

Disagree with Pete I'm afraid.

My SO3's were terrible on standard 16", but heard they are a bit better on 17"s.

BRrutal Tramlining. This was made slightly better by running the fronts at 36psi and rears at 32 but that made those wet days just a bit too much fun....!

Stick to Toyo or Goodyear F1s IMHO

Cheers

[Edited by SiPie - 9/26/2002 2:05:30 PM]

Listen to what Pete says, in 18" they are damn good, particularly in the rain (managed to keep Mr Croney behind me at Brands for two or three laps in a monsoon;);) ).

On 17s in 45 they are fabulous - I agree with Pete and Dave - nothing comes close in the wet - even my RE-01s (which are the suppposed grip meisters here in Japan). RE-01s are still very, very good, but the S-03 adds decent NVH to all that performance (I do believe my tyres are blushing ;) ).

i wish people would stop asking this! :D

it has been asked about 4 million times! [exageration mode off]

seriously though, for plenty of information on this, use the search facility and type S03!

prepare for a lot of reading. ;)

I have fitted two sets of SO3 now 17" 215 x 45 and believe they are the dogs bollocks. You will read a lot of negitive posts on these tyres. I get approx 8,000 to 10,000 mls per set and work them very hard, they have never surprised me even in difficuld situations. Dont go by the various test reports on the web the last one i read gave these tyres a bad report, were fitted on a front wheel drive car only. Take it from me they are a bloody good tyre on 17" rims

lesmess - I'm guessing youv'e never had SO2's or F1's on your scoob then:):D

shunty

Hi Shunty

Yes your right i have not tried either of the tyres you mention. In between my SO3 Pole Positions, I tried a set of Toyo's on the basis of posts on this site. They lasted on my Scooby about six weeks, lucky i found a buyer still lost £100 though. Tyre had to much side wall roll on fast tight corners (tried various pressures) Experienced a couple heart stopping moments driving in the wet on well known twisty country road. The SO3 give you plenty warning when they are about to lose grip they seem to suit my driving style, I hear they have been discontinued might try the new F1 for my next set. PS I paid £130 a shot for the SO3 only £87 for the Toyo's i believe you get what you pay.

Cheers

Les

I've had SO2's and SO3's both on 17" - they're both excellent, but on reflection I think I like the SO3's even more than the 2's...as said before, truely excellent in the wet :D Seem to be lasting really well too, we've done 5000 miles on them so far :)

Only thing is the tramlining, but I like a bit of excitment in my life ;):D

yeah, but Jen we all know girls can't throw cars about properly;) so you probably havn't used the tyes to 50% of their capability anyway:D:D

shunty

Ahh, Shunty - that's probably it! ;):D

Obviously the greatest attraction is they look very pretty and save the wheels from being chipped when I hit the curb ;):D lol!

Seriously - tyres are a personal thing, people like different characteristics, so it's best to try and match them up with whatever you demand from a tyre...good luck! :)

Jen

nice reply Jen....

ps - after telling the wife to be extremely careful not to curb my new alloys last year....3 weeks later I kurbed them twice:D:D
she spotted the marks a few weeks later, really rubbed it in & told me mates....lol

shunty

I went from REs to SO2s to SO3s on a standard MY00 Turbo. The SO2s were astounding after the REs, a different car. They just... stuck!

12K later I got the SO3s and I'm still a little disappointed 6K on. Lateral grip is great once the car is set up for the corner, but initial understeer is pretty awful unless you get into heavy trailbraking to load up the front wheels first. Not my style, but each to their own. The back end tends to break away more easily under power as well.

The SO2s were noticably better in the wet, but the SO2s get better (in the dry) as they wear - the compound becomes softer - so almost anything will feel like a downgrade after a beaten set of SO2s, including the SO2s.

The SO3s look like they will last longer, and both road noise and ride levels are marginally better than the SO2s.

Jamie

Don't know if it has already been posted :

-> http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testResultsModel.jsp?tireModel=Potenza+S-03+Pole+Position&tireMake=Bridgestone

Evo magazine tested the top eight manufacturers and the SO3s ended near the bottom overall, Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s came out tops (and I have these and agree with the article). I prefer the Eagle F1s to the SO2s I previously had as the Goodyears are more progressive near the limit and therefore more predictable. The wet performance of the F1s is also very very good compared with the SO2s (and SO3s are allegadle worse than SO2s).

Yer see that's the problem - cars are all about personal opinion...now which is the best colour? ;):D

silver as it happens.....:D with anthracite superleggeras & nice shiny silver tarox 10 pots staring at ya......don't know what they do though..but boy they look good;)

shunty