Does anyone have any information about any of these tires? Any help would be appreciated!

 

This was a TOUGH decision for me between these two tires -- but I went with the 960's based on reviews from TireRack.
The price on the Yoko's went-up recently as well, narrowing the gap between the more expensive tires and the V4s.

I've only put maybe 100 or so miles on them so far -- but I'm NOT impressed with Turn-in response or the handling characteristics of the sidewall (stiffness). They feel just plain rubbery to me even in moderate driving and cornering. These are supposed to be bridgestones HIGHEST performance A/S tire...and i just can't see how they can claim this with the sidewalls being as soft as they are!?!?
I'm running stock 17's 225/50/17 @ 38psi, OEM struts on H&R's in front -- OEM out back, with front + rear stab. bars.

I am going to give them a good thrashing, and also a good romp in the rain before I make-up my mind about them....and then I may go trade them up for either the Yoko's, or some Pirelli P-Zero Neros.

I'm in ATL, so snow is not really a concern for me --which kind of negates the all-season advantage these tires have, say over the yoko's or the Pirelli's.
But wet-traction is supposed to be bar-none in the category.

I'll keep you posted....do the same!

gr

 

I totally disagree. I also have the 960 A/S and love them. The sidewalls are not as stiff as the potenza RE92 stock tires, but what tires really have sidewalls that stiff, but I think the sidewalls are plenty stiff and they corner great. I am on stock suspension so maybe theres a difference. They are also the quietest tires I've owned. As much as the stock potenza 92 sucked they had very good sidewalls stiffness and pretty good dry grip.......

 

Thanks,

I had some 960's bought but I recently cancelled my order on tirerack. I'm really thinking about either getting the Yoko W4S or maybe the P Nero's...don't know yet though..the only thing that I have heard about the yoko's is that they could use a little more grip in the rain but other than that..everything else seems to check out pretty well...I will let you know once I put them on...

 

So would you recommend these over the yoko W4S or the P Nero's?

 

Okay - maybe I was a little harsh:

These tires ARE Quiet, Smooth, and seem to have ALOT of grip.
My complaint is that the steering response is "twitchy" and Vague -- very uninspired and disconnected from the road.

Like I said - i expected more from such an expensive tire, and the highest rated A/S bridgestone.

But I will continue to put some miles on them, to see how they break-in and I get used to them on my car.
These things are VERY subjective....

gr

 

Big time. I keep my tires psi at 35 and it's great. The high ratings speak for themselves........

 

WS4 are great tires, with my current half way done suspension setup I push my yokos in turns and they corner and grip extremely well, wet weather you don't have to slow down around turns but don't be aggressive behind the wheel either, I originally swapped my Goodyear RS-A out for the yoko cause the GY looked like slicks, on the highway I felt them hydroplaning, but at speeds around 75-90, the yokos track extremely well and the road feels dry, my only wet weather issue with them is pulling away from lights, they spin, if I take off hard they spin and then lock up but Im trying to not pre-maturely wear the tires or car out

I have 12000 on the yokos and except for the hard cornering they look new, still drive like new, I got 40k out of the Good years and I would expect the same out of the yokos

 

Thanks man, I think I will go with the yoko's!

 

Dang.
I REALLY want to like the 960's, but they just don't work for me.
The turn-in is so vague, and the softer sidewall has contributed to adding-in additional Understeer in the front, causing the rear end to step-out EVEN under moderate sweepers.
This (to me) unsettles the chassis, and saps my confidence in the hadnling -- it's just VAGUE and uninspired.
I paid ALOT of $$$ for these tires, and while they are VERY competent -- they just don't seem to work with my suspension, or my driving style.

I HOPE I'm not making a mistake, but I'm going to get them swapped to something else that is more "sport" oriented.
On PAPER it looks like the Yokohama Advan S4's should be a better performer for MY needs, with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S in tow, and perhaps Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S, and the Yoko V4S as the last choice.

I KNOW I'm being picky...but I should be able to get EXACTLY what I want for$1000!

gr

 

FWIW:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=106

I have had the 960's for about a month and have been loving them!

 

I am with you. I don't find them to have soft sidewalls at all.....At 35 psi they are really stiff and I think they stick very well........Like I said the reviews speak for themselves

 

Give 'em some time. At 100 miles, you're basically riding on the mold compound.

As for the P-Zero Nero's (M+S), stay away from them. They tramline pretty bad and aren't that great in the wet compared to, say, the .Org favorites such as Proxes 4 and the General Exclaim's. I've had all three as well.

 

Okay - just for arguments sake, what suspension mods are you running?!

I've got these inflated to 38psi, and they're STILL all over the place!
I'm going to try increasing the psi to 43, and see what that gets me.

I called tirerack the other day, and got some expert opinion: guy suggested that the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S PLUS was what I wanted, in terms of sidewall stiffness, and traction wear (500AA).
They said that the Yoko's (advan AND V4S), Pirelli m+s would all have the same sidewall characteristics as the 960's....so nothing to be gained.
So, I went to Tireplus, and OF COURSE - they can't get them YET, as they haven't (supposedly) been released to the market yet.
Michelin claims that they won't release it until the old A/S's have all been sold.
Ugh.
I may be stuck with the 960's.
I hate being so picky about this....but I KNOW how they feel to me -- and it's NOT confidence-inspiring.
I just don't see how Bridgestone can call this a Hi-preformance "Pole Position" tire, and have the sidewalls be THIS mushy?!?!
Can there be NO compromise?!

gr

 

Bear with me here as this is going to sound odd... have you tried lowering the tire pressure instead?

Too high of a pressure and you're riding on the center tread, any drastic change in direction and the shoulder blocks will be the first to flex, followed by the sidewalls. There's a sweet spot for any tire (or size), too much or too little pressure is a case of diminishing and sometimes negative returns.

 

Proxes 4 sidewalls are very soft. I 've got well over 100 miles on my 960 and the sidewalls are not soft at all. Proxes are sticky but there sidewalls are not stiff. I have the stock SE suspension and like I said I have mine at 35psi and I could probably put them down to 33 psi cause 35 is kinda a stiff ride. I use to have Nitto 450 and I had to pump them up to 40 psi and the sidewalls were still soft as hell.......The proxes are a very good tire for the price. 960 are kinda expensive, I paid 140 ea and now there up to 168.00 ea at the tirerack for 225/50 17, but you get what you pay for. I learned my lesson with the nittos

 

I don't have experience with the yokohama's but I have experience with the P zero nero's and RE960AS's. I had both of these tires on my previous car and I felt that the Pirelli's had better cornering abilities and reacted better in the rain than the RE960. The RE960s felt a little sluggish in turns and did not grip quite as well. This was in a 4cyl Camry so I did not have tons of power, but they still broke loose quite a bit. I will say that the RE960s are one of the quietest tires I have ridden on.

 

I ended-up keeping the 960's for lack of the availability of a better tire.
I think I've simply gotten USED to the handling characteristics of the 960's.
I still think the sidewalls are mush....but I can live with it.
The sidewalls have a strange rubbery "flex" when pushed into a turn or making sudden directional changes at speed....but they ARE predictable and don't get twitchy when banked into a turn, and grip is linear / tractable.

Noise is non-existent (as it should be) wet traction is commendable, and dry grip is certainly no issue.
I already had to re-balance at least one of my fronts -- but this was probably due to the fact that the shop that mounted them didn't have a Hunter Roadforce machine.
THAT oversight has now been corrected, but I still feel some vibes at speed...but I suspect my suspension now.
I do find braking force to be somewhat diminished. No scientific proof on that one...but it just seems like the tires feel "heavier" than my previous, and take more effort and runway to slow-down.

At only 1000 miles -- this is not much of a conclusive review, but more of an update. I can LIVE with these tires, but for the $$$ I shucked-out for these skins, I EXPECTED a WHOLE LOT more.

Time and Mileage will be the ultimate determinant of the value of these tires. From what I understand, the TRUE value in these tires is the consistency in performance over the LIFE of the tire.
gr

 

I have Yoko Avid V4s on all 4 corners, completely stock suspension, fact. 17" wheels, 225/50-17.

Been very satisfied for the most part, but I don't do crazy driving. I do like the rain performance of it. Will probably keep buying them as they wear out.

 

Looking over my first impressions of the B-Stone 960a/s's, I think I was pretty harsh.
But after paying nearly $1000 for a set of tires, I expected a "happy ending AND a bedtime story".

I've got a little over 10k miles on them now, and thought I'd share some more thoughts.

Daily Driving: Great Tire. Predictable, stable, even smooth on most surfaces. Quiet, handles very well in wet and dry conditions.

Tire Wear: Just had them rotated and balanced for the second time. I'm running about 38psi, and they are wearing slowly and evenly!
As with all tires on this car -- they will ONLY keep a balance for approx. 5k miles or less....and ONLY a Hunter ROADFORCE machine will set them right again. SOmething I hate, and just live with on the Max.


Snow and Ice: Have to say, big disappointment. Even in a few inches of fresh snow, these didn't do so well. I have a sloped gravel driveway, and even after shoveling it -- the 960's barely made it up and out.
Granted, I'd benefit tremendously from TCS, as I have a 6spd and NO LtdSD....silly me.
Competent yes, but no stunning performances here. But again, it's an A/S -- and I KNOW how that goes.
This will likely be my LAST set of A/S tires -- I'll opt for Summer/Winter Sets in the future.

Overall - I'm pleased with how these tires perform as an "all-around" tire.
Would I buy them again?
Probably not, unless they sold for approx. 1/2 of what I paid for them.

The tread-wear (or lack thereof) is VERY pleasing to me thusfar, and probably THE most important factor in my overall happiness with this tire (long-term).
No noise yet, to speak of (again - a bonus!) and overall, I'm satisfied with these tires, even if they weren't such a great "deal".

**Sidebar**
I just put a new set of General Altimax HP tires on my gf's 07 Accord v-6....and those things run CIRCLES around the 960's in the snow!!
Of course, the Accord is Auto with TCS - so, not really a fair comparo.
However -- for about $500, those Generals are a pretty nice tire!**

gr

 

You'd probably have been happier with the Potenza RE-050s (non run-flat version). Super responsive even as run flats and very sticky in dry. Pretty good in wet weather too but might not be all that suitable for snow or ice.

 

these are the two best tires for our cars ... i guess dependent on size.

If they were comparable price from a retailer id try the yokahama but we have the pole position here at costco for 90 apeice and yokohama from some rip off for 115.

So Im going for the pole position.

They were the best tires i ever experienced when they were on my g20. If the yokahamas are stiffer i dont doubt it. I think like 140$ michelins might be better but ive NEVER experienced good performance with a michelin just outstanding wear.

Ya honestly Ive never had tires better than bridgestone potenzas so what do i know. I can tell you bfgoodrich and michelin are worse.

Japanese make the best stuff.

Ive never owned them but I can speak for yokohama as probably being the most excellent tire in the world, because it has to compete in the toughest consumer market in the world which is japan.

Bridgestone is a hybrid so it can dump some stuff off in america.