Another tire replacement candidate - Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position
 

I just thought I'd share my thoughts on the new tires I put on my 2009 370Z Sport/Touring - the Bridgestone S-04 Pole Position. I managed to get 26,650 miles out of the factory RE050s and it was time for baby to get new shoes!

I considered the Michelin PSS (pretty expensive, great performance numbers but probably not very good treadlife), Continental DW (inexpensive, but I was questioning the grip these would have), Bridgestone RE11s (also fairly expensive and probably not very good treadlife), Bridgestone RE760 (least expensive, but probably not as good performance as the S-04), and the Bridgestone S-04.

I settled on the S-04 because of their good performance for street use, lower price, and other folks' positive reviews. I don't track the car, so the more extreme performance advantages that the PSS and RE11s offer really wouldn't be of use to me (especially considering their price). I did want good grip (since I do drive the car aggressively at times), better treadlife, and a bit better price (approx. $1,200+ balanced, mounted, and including CA's f'd up sales tax and environmental fees), so the S-04 really seemed to fit the bill.

I gotta' say, I'm lovin' 'em - I like them way better than the factory RE050s! Turning the factory RE050 front wheels side-to-side always felt "heavy" to me, the S-04s feel just right. Interior road noise is definitely less. And that dreaded "crunch" noise that I (and others) got when turning sharp left/right at low speed is gone (the S-04s probably have stiffer sidewalls).

In short, if you don't track your Z and want a set of relatively inexpensive but high performance street tires that should give you good treadwear, you should definitely give the S-04 Pole Positions consideration.

I agree. I just put a set of these on my Z today. Awesome! I know they are new and still have to run in some, but these are light years better than the stock tires.

Absolutely agree! They're great tires for the price, good wear factor, and very quiet. My ex had a 600SL and I put them on her car. Couldn't believe the difference.

Now, the bad. It's not really a performance tire. If you're looking at the tire wear factor, you're not looking for a performance tire. If you're concerned about tire wear, but Michelin. I love the Invo's. Sure, I only get 6K miles out of them, but I don't care.

It all depends on what you want. Performance or tread life.

i run S04's on my G. very good tires.

A friend of mine runs the 04's and loves them.
I am extremely happy with my Nankang NS2 's for $155 each. Much better than the stock 050's

Sure it is - it's just not an "extreme" performance tire for use at the track. IMO.

may i know the s-04 high speed difference with the oem tires?

also, their difference in the wet conditions?

They are quieter on the street than Oem.. And grip tons better in the wet. The water channels are huge so I've felt a noticeable difference in the wet.

What sizes did you go with?

these are dirt cheap right now because Bridgestone is trying to make up sales since the RE-11s aren't available right now (undergoing a revision)

i put a set on the back of my nismo. 285/35/19 and love them so far. once my front falkens are toast ill even out the set and get some for the front. this is the 4th or 5th different back tire ive run, and these have massive rim protectors. (ie the extra rubber that extends over the rim in case of a blow out) ive never seen another tire with such meaty side walls too.

Just bought a set of RE-11's yesterday 245/40 f 285/35 r for less than $1200. I've heard the S-04's are a better DD tire than stock though. For those interested in RE-11, just gotta call TireRack, or go to your local Firestone dealer and they even price-match Costco's prices.

that's good to hear :tup:

I just had these installed a couple of weeks ago and there is a significant decrease in road noise. The handling is outstanding for non R tire. I got mine in 265 f and 305 r. They look and handle great for a DD!

i was actually looking for another cheaper alternative and didn't notice the S-04 before on tirerack when looking at Survey Results. for $20 more per tire than the V12's at $227, i couldn't believe this tire isn't blowing all over the forums. i replaced the stock tires with v12's reluctantly mainly due to the poor Steering Response rating on them, and did end up regretting them despite a number of people telling me they are great tires.

i wanted to ask where did you hear the info on the s-04 price drop due to re-11's being short in supply? why the s-04 specifically? i noticed the other bridgestones are the same price, like our oem's. going by what someone else said in the forum, he paid $1350 shipped for a set which is pretty much around $330 a pop. On tirerack right now, it's down to $227 from $262. very surprising they would drop ~$100 on a tire that's rated so high on tirerack.