Just spent the day at MIRA , went mainly to spectate the guys doing tyre and suspension comparisons.

My Sport has been running on 205/50x16 Bridgestone RE010's and the fronts were looking a bit 2nd hand on the edges( err hmm!).

As Mark from tyres northampton was there i thought it would be a good oportunity to do a back to back test with some new Bridgestone S02's in 205/50x16.

I did a quick few laps on the concentrics with the RE010 tyres fitted and then simon de sideways did some laps on the track to get a base feel to compair with.

Simons comments went something like "Christ, your a hero still being in one piece after driving on these tyres" oops

Mark then fitted some S02's for me and warned me that they will be pants untill i scrub of the releasing agent and get down to the rubber.

I took it for a spin on the concentrics again and was sliding it easier than the RE010's, all lovely and slippy. Not very grippy these SO2's i thought, then sudenly within half a lap of being totally pants and sliding for fun the buggers start to grip like mad and i make a complete fool of myself as i go flying towards the center of the circles and onto the grass. Talk about embarassed

The grip had become that massive that i thought i had a puncture or something as the car had changed totally, i drove of the circles to plenty of **** taking.

Simon then did another run in the car on the wet handling track and we were both astonished by the difference, there was that much grip the car was rolling right over at least twice as much as before and you were having to hang on to the door handle in the passenger seat, absolutely amazing.

I gave it a run on the concentrics for a final go and i had to do at least another 10MPH to get it to slide, this is on a surface that mimicks compacted snow, quite incredible.

I am well chuffed with the wet handling on these tyres. I was wondering how it would have changed in the dry, would it be as much of an improvement?

Well the answer is a resounding YES. All the tramlining i was suffering with has gone, the ride is softer and the cornering grip is quite frankly mind boggleing. I came home by a quiet A road i know really well and the number of times i just didnt bother braking for corners where i would previously have been scrubbing 15MPH off was stagering.

The cornering power is now that high that the mussles in my back are hurting from trying to stop me from sliding about in my seat, i am not bulling, these Bridgestone S02's are that good.

I wish i had these on the car for my trip to scotland, i recon i would have done it in 24 instead of 27 hours

Really looking forward to the outcome of the test's at MIRA, it should make fascinating reading.

 

I only got 11,000 miles out of the RE010's, think i need to slow down a bit

 

Welcome to the S-02 fan club, John! Just don't expect them to last like RE010s.

"Bridgestone S-02s - because you're worth it"

Paul