e-man

Hey guys. I'm in a bit of a dilemma here. A little over 3 weeks ago, I purchased Turanza Serenity Plus tires for my 2006 GS 430 (with stock 18s). The honeymoon period is now over. The tires are fine, but just fine. While they are relatively quiet and comfortable, I'm not sure they are any more quiet or comfortable than the Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires that they replaced. This Friday will be 4 weeks, so per Bridgstone's 30-day buy and try warranty, I have until this weekend to replace them.

I researched the crap out of this purchase and read every single review I could find. The problem is that the AS3's were not yet out (in fact, I hadn't even heard of them until a few wees ago), and I wanted to get away from the ultra high performance all season catgory. Well, the Serenities were too much of a change in the other direction, and while the car definitely rides more comfortably and quietly with the new tires than it did with the old worn out Pilot Sport A/S Plus's, the car has lost its character as a performance sedan. Even the most mundane turns most be taken slowly as the car seems to want to lean/plow/dive into the corners much more than it did before.

Anyway, I am thinking of switching to the Pilot AS3's as long as I'm still within the 30-day return period. Does anyone have any real world experience with these tires? I've read a bunch of reviews so I know what they're capable of in the performance category, but I'm interested to know if they still ride relatively quietly and comfortably for their category.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

e

e-man

The title should read AS3, not AS. Mods -- can you please make the change? Thanks.

e

oldcajun

There is another tire that rated highly in Tire Rack's Grand Touring test. The Continental Pure Contact Eco Plus was rated lower than the Serenity Plus in ride and noise by a small amount but better for handling and response. It is also a bit cheaper.
Steve

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

What about the Bridgestone RE970A/S ???

All high end tires are going to be similar, so much that it is hard to differentiate except when back to back.

I got a chance to test drive them back to back vs the Pilot Sport A/S plus, and IMO, the Serenity held its own performance wise, while being a bit quieter and they should be longer lasting. The RE970's destroyed both though in terms of performance, especially wet performance, with no detriment to ride quality...

zig@tr

I've driven on both and I wouldn't say the Serenity Plus is lacking at all in the performance area but it is a grand touring tire so if you're looking for a more sporty feel the Pilot A/S 3 is definitely the way to go. You'll give up some ride comfort when compared to the Serenity Plus but gain steering response and handling. It just depends on what is more important to you more a sporty feel or a better ride? There's not a tire out there that will ride like the Serenity Plus yet handle like the Pilot A/S 3 you have to take from some areas to get gains in another.

e-man

Thanks. I appreciate the response. Here's the thing. The Serenity Plus's are only slightly more quiet and comfortable than the Pilot A/S Plus tires they replaced, but those tires were worn out with 50k miles, so I would expect that. Where the Serenities really lack is in the turns, and it's a significant difference. And mind you I'm not a race car driver. I'm just talking about making a turn from one street onto another street and maybe taking on a clover leaf once in a while. These tires squish/lean into the turns. It almost feels as if the tire is going to roll over itself. Maybe it's the W speed rating versus the higher speed rating on the A/S Plus (resulting in a softer side wall). While quiet and comfort is definitely important to me, there has to be a happy balance here, and I'm afraid that the Serenities have gone too far in the other direction. I think these would be a great tire for an LS, but they just don't seem to match up very well with a GS with 18s.

Mitsuguy -- I appreciate your advice regarding the RE970s, but I've heard such great things about the AS3s, I'm afraid I'll always wonder "what if" if I don't get those tires. My main concern at this point is that I don't want a tire that's going to beat my up on my morning/evening commutes. If the AS3s are equal or better than the worn out A/S plus's that I had in this category, they should be okay for my purposes.

I have an appointment tomorrow to swap out the Serenities and get the Pilot Sport A/S 3s installed. If anyone has any further thoughts/advice, please let me know.

e

e-man

Zig -- I just re-read your post. Maybe I'm missing something, but these Serenities feel totally squishy in the turns. They don't inspire confidence at all. Again, I don't consider myself a spirited driver, but maybe it's all what you get used to. I drove on the A/S Plus's for the past 18 months and I generally liked them but for the fact that they got very loud and firm towards the end of their life. For the first few days of having the Serenities, I noticed they were more quiet and comfortable, but now after a month has passed, they really don't feel any more quiet or comfortable than the Michelins. I drive the same 30 mile commute every day, and know where all the bad bumps are. At first, these Serenities seemed to absorb the bumps better than what I had, but now after a month, that seems to have worn off (if that's even possible). The Serenities are very numb feeling. As I'm driving down the highway, I feel very disconnected with the road (almost in an unsure, confidence lacking kind of way). The steering wheel has no feedback, is now very easy to turn, and I really I don't love driving my car anymore.

I don't want to compound one mistake by making another, but so far everything I've read about the AS3 seems to indicate that it's better in almost every respect than the AS Plus it's replacing.

Does any of this make sense?

e-man

Had the AS3's installed today. The difference between the AS3s and the Serenities is night and day. I think the Serenities are a great tire and would be perfectly matched with say an LS460 or an ES350, but on the GS, they just didn't match up right for me. The AS3's are relatively quiet and comfortable (not as much as the Serenities, but then again, it's in a completely different category), and the grip is excellent.

I'll report back as I put more miles on them. So far so good.

e

e-man

Oy. 3 days into the AS3's and I can already tell I'm not going to last very long with them. The performance is great, but the ride is definitely too firm for my liking (much more firm than the old worn out A/S Plus's I replaced). Had I known they were going to be this firm, I would have stuck it out with the Serenities and just dealt with the fact that my car lacked road feel and would not handle very well in the turns.

So I don't know what to do now. I already returned the Serenities under Bridgestone's "buy and try" warranty. I know Michelin has a similar warranty, but I don't know if I'm even eligible for that. I've heard great things about the Continental DWS's, but I'm definitely a little gun shy at this point about trying something new.

e

e-man

It's been a few more days with the tires, and I'm growing to like them.

The tires were definitely riding too firm for my liking. I had asked the dealer to fill them to 32. Well, I checked yesterday and they were filled to 38-39 cold. Not sure how that could happen. I took them down to 32 and now the ride is very compliant and the handling is excellent.

I'll report back after I put more miles on them.

e