I'd give the Dunlops the edge for one reason only. That's treadwear. I am sure they will last longer then the potenzas, but which tire is better performance wise is all speculation and opinion. Since I have the potenzas I'll say they are better then the dunlops in performance. I'd like to have had the dunlops for longer tire life though definitely.

 

Thanks Gordon, that's certainly what I'll follow unless there is any evidence to the contrary re the 8090's performance. I suspect you are correct though. This is the first vehicle I've ever had with "ultrahigh performance summer-only tires" so I'm still wary of the concept. Truthfully I will seriously consider some type of all-season tire as a replacement even if it does mean sacrifice in ultimate grip. I must say the handling is superb though so by the time I'm ready for new tires perhaps I'll have changed my mind!

 

Personally, since both tires are "high performance summer tires," I'd prefer the tire that has the best treadwear rating. Maybe, just maybe, the Bridgestones perform a bit better, who knows? But that's a compromise I'm willing to make, considering I don't drive "on the edge" all that much to where it would really make a difference which of those tires was on the car.

I've got the Potenzas, and I will be getting tires with a higher treadwear rating when these wear out. Which should be shortly.

 

i think i would prefer the dunlops over the potenzas but i am also thinking of all purpose tread styles because i sell dunlops and michelens which IMO are the best 2 tire brands when it comes to all around performance and road noise. toyota and lexus customers expect the best and the queitest ride and thats what the dunlop and michellens offer

 

That's fine for boring luxury sedan owners - sports car customers expect the best handling, screw the ride!

Regards,
Gordon

 

hm..i was at the dealership today and the salesperson told me that the dunlop tires were all seasons....i didn't pay much attention to the model # or the tread design

this is in Vancouver, Canada

 

Well obviously theyre smoking crack lol

the SP8090s are summer tires.


Maybe they were thinking about the SP5000s on the protege 5s which were all seasons.

once again... 9 out of 10 salesman dont know jack :p

 

Your salesperson is an idiot. They are NOT all-seasons, and you will wreck your RX-8 if you tried driving those tires in winter conditions (snow/ice). If you were lucky, you'd only get stuck and be unable to move. Never trust anything a dealer sales person tells you - always verify it independently.

(I don't know what the SP-8080 has to do with anything here - the RX-8 has SP-8090 Dunlops! )

Regards,
Gordon