S03's or GS-D3
#1
03-17-2006, 05:16 AM
Join Date: May 2005
Location: glendale (gay-dale)
Posts: 446
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
S03's or GS-D3
S03's have a treadwear of 220 and GS-D3's have a treadwear of 280. i'm going to get 245/45/18. i have a 05 6mt sedan. my stock tires have 10k miles on them and i only have 2-3k more miles left. i want something that will last probably 15-20k miles. i want the BETTER tire out of the two. i dont really care for wet/snow cause it rarely rains and it never snows. need really good handling tires. both were rated great on tirerack. i read the car and driver report of the 12 tires test. it still hasn't convinced me to get the GS-D3's. people have posted that the S0'3s were a great tire and some have posted that its such a bad tire. just reply 1 for S0'3's and 2 for GS-D3's.i would apprecaite any help. Thank You.
#3
03-17-2006, 10:12 AM
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Ottawa, ON, CAN
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here an uneducated opinion:
GS-D3 will most probably last longer if you don't go to the track and will melt away much faster on the track. Grip will be better for the SO-3 at any given temperature (from very cold to very hot).
I haven't had the chance to try those on the track but that's were I am at in my research. I too hesitate between the two of them (and the Pilot Sport 2).
Frank
GS-D3 will most probably last longer if you don't go to the track and will melt away much faster on the track. Grip will be better for the SO-3 at any given temperature (from very cold to very hot).
I haven't had the chance to try those on the track but that's were I am at in my research. I too hesitate between the two of them (and the Pilot Sport 2).
Frank
#4
03-17-2006, 11:38 AM
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 324
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As luck would have it....
I have tried both tires but not on the G. I had a Jetta GLI and they came with the GS-D3. I was really surprised by this tire. I have to admit that they were not even on my list of tires that I would consider buying but since they were on the car I figured I'l give them a try. They handled really well. Not quite as sticky as the SO3 but more predictable when you push them to the limit. Meaning that the car would slowly begin to understeer allowing you to correct accordingly. The SO3 on the other hand were sooooo sticky. BUT as you got to the limits of the tire (which I felt was more then the GS-D3) they would begin to understeer more quickly giving you less time to correct.
Now for the the things I didn't think about. The GS-D3 is a pretty quiet tire. You can hear the difference right away between the two. One of the factors that give the SO3 better handling is a STIFF sidewall BUT they also ride harder. Not quite as smooth as the GS-D3 around town. It's not a really big factor if you're more concerned about performance. I also have a little bit of trouble with the GS-D3 with the sidewalls bubbling. If you have rough roads in your area you will need to run more pressure in them. I had to replace 2 because of that problem. Keep in mind that they were BIG potholes that I hit going at a decent speed that caused the sidewalls to bubble. (thats what the tire dealer told me) I never had that problem with the SO3.
To me the GS-D3 is a better all around tire but I went with the SO3 because I was more concerned with performance. Having said that, I think my next set of tires will be Michelin PS2s. My friend just swaped his SO3s for PS2s and said "you can have your cake and eat it too". They grip like the SO3 but are more predictable when driving at the limit, they're more quiet, and they don't ride as hard as the SO3. But they're one of the most expensive tires you can buy. BAD since they wear out pretty quick and are asymetrical so you can't rotate them left to right and right to left to even out the camber wear.
sorry for the long reply. but i hope it helps.
B
I have tried both tires but not on the G. I had a Jetta GLI and they came with the GS-D3. I was really surprised by this tire. I have to admit that they were not even on my list of tires that I would consider buying but since they were on the car I figured I'l give them a try. They handled really well. Not quite as sticky as the SO3 but more predictable when you push them to the limit. Meaning that the car would slowly begin to understeer allowing you to correct accordingly. The SO3 on the other hand were sooooo sticky. BUT as you got to the limits of the tire (which I felt was more then the GS-D3) they would begin to understeer more quickly giving you less time to correct.
Now for the the things I didn't think about. The GS-D3 is a pretty quiet tire. You can hear the difference right away between the two. One of the factors that give the SO3 better handling is a STIFF sidewall BUT they also ride harder. Not quite as smooth as the GS-D3 around town. It's not a really big factor if you're more concerned about performance. I also have a little bit of trouble with the GS-D3 with the sidewalls bubbling. If you have rough roads in your area you will need to run more pressure in them. I had to replace 2 because of that problem. Keep in mind that they were BIG potholes that I hit going at a decent speed that caused the sidewalls to bubble. (thats what the tire dealer told me) I never had that problem with the SO3.
To me the GS-D3 is a better all around tire but I went with the SO3 because I was more concerned with performance. Having said that, I think my next set of tires will be Michelin PS2s. My friend just swaped his SO3s for PS2s and said "you can have your cake and eat it too". They grip like the SO3 but are more predictable when driving at the limit, they're more quiet, and they don't ride as hard as the SO3. But they're one of the most expensive tires you can buy. BAD since they wear out pretty quick and are asymetrical so you can't rotate them left to right and right to left to even out the camber wear.
sorry for the long reply. but i hope it helps.
B
#5
03-17-2006, 01:37 PM
i use S03's on this car and imho would be a better choice than the
GS-D3 based on the steering ratio and overall suspension design.
GS-D3's have softer sidewalls so cars with nimble response is
more appropriate for that tire to soften it up. I use GS-D3's on my
cooper-s.
both tires are my favorites.
GS-D3 based on the steering ratio and overall suspension design.
GS-D3's have softer sidewalls so cars with nimble response is
more appropriate for that tire to soften it up. I use GS-D3's on my
cooper-s.
both tires are my favorites.
#6
03-17-2006, 01:39 PM
first of all, you cant compare the treadwear rating between different brands. They have no significance to eachother whatsoever. I've never had the GS-D3's but they get good reviews. I have the S0-3's and love every bit of them except for the fact that if i ended up keeping them (getting new wheels so i need new tiers) i'd only get about 15K miles out of them (very agressive daily driving)
-GP-
-GP-
#7
03-17-2006, 02:53 PM
Trending Topics
#8
03-17-2006, 03:32 PM
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Dont go with the GS-D3
Forget what the manufacturer says about tread wear. On my coupe I got about 15K for both the original Pilots and the GS-D3s. The performance was almost identical but the pilots were WAY quieter and gave a better ride. I cant get over how LOUD the GS-D3s are! I have a Jeep with mud tires that sounds similar. The tread design is great for wet conditions but suck for a quiet ride. If you arent concerned with rain I would not consider the GS-D3s. I need to replace my GSs now and think I might try the new Pilot design. Good luck.
#9
03-17-2006, 03:55 PM
#10
03-17-2006, 03:59 PM
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: East Coast
Posts: 1,934
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by g356spd06
S03's have a treadwear of 220 and GS-D3's have a treadwear of 280. i'm going to get 245/45/18. i have a 05 6mt sedan. my stock tires have 10k miles on them and i only have 2-3k more miles left. i want something that will last probably 15-20k miles. i want the BETTER tire out of the two. i dont really care for wet/snow cause it rarely rains and it never snows. need really good handling tires. both were rated great on tirerack. i read the car and driver report of the 12 tires test. it still hasn't convinced me to get the GS-D3's. people have posted that the S0'3s were a great tire and some have posted that its such a bad tire. just reply 1 for S0'3's and 2 for GS-D3's.i would apprecaite any help. Thank You.
FYI, the S03s are being replaced with the new RE050As which is the next gen tire to compete against the GS-D3 and PS2. I also wanted to ask if anyone has had experience with the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx. It's currently rated #1 in Tirerack and prices are much lower than the GS-D3, RE050A, and PS2. They also have a $50 mail-in rebate special right now. Any thoughts on this tire choice for the G?
Thanks!
#12
03-17-2006, 04:45 PM
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Glen Rose, Texas
Posts: 6,417
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#15
03-17-2006, 11:08 PM
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: PDX
Posts: 379
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by bikesbikes
To me the GS-D3 is a better all around tire but I went with the SO3 because I was more concerned with performance. Having said that, I think my next set of tires will be Michelin PS2s. My friend just swaped his SO3s for PS2s and said "you can have your cake and eat it too". They grip like the SO3 but are more predictable when driving at the limit, they're more quiet, and they don't ride as hard as the SO3. But they're one of the most expensive tires you can buy. BAD since they wear out pretty quick and are asymetrical so you can't rotate them left to right and right to left to even out the camber wear.
This is in contrast to the original Pilot Sports, which were directional, but not asymmetrical.
Confused yet?
