Bridgestone Potenza G3 - First Impression....

Shan2nu · 18th March 2005, 16:49

18th March 2005 : Finally!!! After riding those stock BS S322s for 48000 km, my car got a tyre upgrade today.

Got a call from the dealer at around 12 pm saying that the tyres had arrived. With no time to lose, i reached there ASAP!!

There they were, my freedom to performance, comfort and safety.

As most of yo'll know, i upgraded to 195/60 R14 from my OE 175/65 R14 tyres. Diff in overall circumference and diameter is negligible and the tyres don't touch any part of the car. Infact, there's enuf space between the side wall of the tyre and the suspenssion, for my finger to slide through.

Anybody thinking of 205s?? Be my guest!!!

Rolling Resistance : Reduced a lot. The car rolls freely now.

Tyre Noise : What's that?? I must have driven the car for around 20kms today and i heard nothing, absolutely nothing.

Comfort : Beyond expectations. The car feels completely diff now. Potholes or not, you just glide over everything.

Steering and Feedback : Ofcourse the steering does feel a wee bit hard but, the feedback is the same.

Lateral and straight line performance : Haven't checked the lateral performance as yet but the accelelration is the same (thanks to it's lower rolling resistance).

Weight : Yes, these tyres are slightly heavier than the stock ones. But hey, can't compare 175s with 195s, they're bound to be heavy. And they have a lot more rubber on them.

Contact Patch : I didn't see a significan't increase in contact patch. What they've done, is that they've utilised that extra 20 mm to space out the treads which helps push out water and air, very easily.

Compound : Much softer than the older ones.

Braking : Haven't tried as yet. But, i bet it has imroved, a lot!!

Valves : The G3's don't come with valves so, i had to buy 5 valves manufactured by Triton. I was happy for that, since Triton happens to be my aunt's company in B'lore.

Puncture Kit : I didn't get one. Do they come with the tyres or do you generally buy them seperately?

Price ; Each tyre cost me 3550 but, the dealer reduced that to 3500. So i paid 17500 for 5 tyres and around 170 for their respective valves.

The only draw back is that the cap that tightens the spare tyre (in the boot) was designed for 175mm tyres and now with the 195mm tyre, there's no contact so, until i get a longer tightning cap, i'll have to let the spare jump around in the boot. Lucky bugger!!!

Pictures :

1. Side profile check : As you can see in the pic, even thought both tyres are of 65 and 60 profile, a calculated upgrade will not change their side wall height.

2. 175mm vs 195mm : This pic shows you the diff between a 175mm tyre and a 195mm tyre.

3. Overall diameter : You can clearly see that the diff in diameter is hardly noticable.

4. Tyre and Suspenssion : This is the gap between the tyre wall and the suspenssion.

5. Side by side : Both tyres together.

Potenza G3

Potenza G3 (2)

19th March 2005 - First Drive

Took my car out for a spin this morning. I wasn't really pushing except for a few turns and here are my views.

Lateral Grip : More than enuf. I took 2 turns at full blast 120+ and no screeches, the old tyres used to give up at 100 on those same turns.

Hard Braking : Yup, there was a wheel lock for a fraction of a sec when i had to come down from 150kmph to 60kmph in a hurry. Atleast now i know that the brakes are in top condition. LOL

High speed stability : At 150kmph, these tyre gave me the same confidence as my older ones did at 70-80. That's good if you ask me. Considering that i was just 35-40kmph short of top speed.

Shan2nu

Shan2nu

aggressive_anush · 18th March 2005, 16:58

Hey.. Congrats on the new tyres!! So you finally got down to it.
But i really dont understand how the contact patch could be the same.

Also was just wondering whether these tyres have a softer compound than the ones i have on mine.

jesal · 18th March 2005, 17:01

congo man. i need some new rubber on my accent now as well. done 35000 kms. so are the tyres better than the GD d2 or the same im confused as well as to which to put the GD d2 the G3 or michi ones. pics please

shravan316 · 18th March 2005, 17:12

Congrats shan2nu!! Finally got some new rubber for your car!

Shan2nu · 18th March 2005, 17:16

Quote:

But i really dont understand how the contact patch could be the same

Ofcourse, it is slightly bigger but not as much as i thought it would be. I'll be clicking the pics maybe today or tom. You'll see what i mean when you see them. I'll keep the old one next to it for reference.

Quote:

Also was just wondering whether these tyres have a softer compound than the ones i have on mine.

Inside the tyre, there's a soft compound which starts from the middle and then spreads out as the tyre wears. It's got a mix of both i guess.

Shan2nu

iceman91 · 18th March 2005, 17:24

hey congrats!!!
i must say FINALLY you got your tires.

enjoy them dude but remember you need to drive around easy till the first layer wears off before putting it to its pace.

Shan2nu · 18th March 2005, 17:24

Quote:

congo man. i need some new rubber on my accent now as well. done 35000 kms. so are the tyres better than the GD d2 or the same im confused as well as to which to put the GD d2 the G3 or michi ones. pics please

Well, i dunno if they're better than the D2s cos i haven't driven any car with those tyres. Drive a similar car with all 3 tyres are you'll know better.

Shan2nu

Harrie · 18th March 2005, 17:26

hey shan congrats. how much were those? so how many tires did you get? 4 or 5?

Shan2nu · 18th March 2005, 17:29

Quote:

hey shan congrats. how much were those? so how many tires did you get? 4 or 5?

Well, i was told 3600 in Blore, got a deal for 3550 in Hubli but today the dealer decided to make that a round figure of 3500. So i ended up paying 17,500 for 5 tyres.

Shan2nu

drifter · 18th March 2005, 17:32

Hey congrats on the new tyres man. Waiting for a full report.

Drifter

Rtech · 18th March 2005, 17:42

It's about time! Or actually, long overdue! Now you can really experience the Vtec as its was meant to be experienced!

Shan2nu · 18th March 2005, 19:04

Quote:

hey congrats!!!
i must say FINALLY you got your tires.
enjoy them dude but remember you need to drive around easy till the first layer wears off before putting it to its pace.

Yup, i'm gonna take it easy for a while.

Quote:

It's about time! Or actually, long overdue! Now you can really experience the Vtec as its was meant to be experienced!

These tyres have really given my the confidence now. After all safety comes first.

Shan2nu

redrage · 18th March 2005, 21:10

congrats on the tyre....had potenza g3(185/r14) on my accent gtx but tyre was very noisy and dint handle well at high speeds...dealer changed it to turanzas

Shan2nu · 18th March 2005, 21:22

Quote:

congrats on the tyre....had potenza g3(185/r14) on my accent gtx but tyre was very noisy and dint handle well at high speeds...dealer changed it to turanzas

Funny coz my tyres are extra smooth and silent. Feels like the car is running on velvet or something.

If i could live with the S322 for 48K kms, no way the G3s are gonna trouble me.

Shan2nu

gamerno1 · 18th March 2005, 22:31

congrats shan2nu, the pics are a very good description of what u mean. an addon for the v-tec experience now

18th March 2005, 16:49	#1
Shan2nu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hubli - Karnata Posts: 5,533 Thanked: 125 Times View My Garage	Bridgestone Potenza G3 - First Impression.... 18th March 2005 : Finally!!! After riding those stock BS S322s for 48000 km, my car got a tyre upgrade today. Got a call from the dealer at around 12 pm saying that the tyres had arrived. With no time to lose, i reached there ASAP!! There they were, my freedom to performance, comfort and safety. As most of yo'll know, i upgraded to 195/60 R14 from my OE 175/65 R14 tyres. Diff in overall circumference and diameter is negligible and the tyres don't touch any part of the car. Infact, there's enuf space between the side wall of the tyre and the suspenssion, for my finger to slide through. Anybody thinking of 205s?? Be my guest!!! Rolling Resistance : Reduced a lot. The car rolls freely now. Tyre Noise : What's that?? I must have driven the car for around 20kms today and i heard nothing, absolutely nothing. Comfort : Beyond expectations. The car feels completely diff now. Potholes or not, you just glide over everything. Steering and Feedback : Ofcourse the steering does feel a wee bit hard but, the feedback is the same. Lateral and straight line performance : Haven't checked the lateral performance as yet but the accelelration is the same (thanks to it's lower rolling resistance). Weight : Yes, these tyres are slightly heavier than the stock ones. But hey, can't compare 175s with 195s, they're bound to be heavy. And they have a lot more rubber on them. Contact Patch : I didn't see a significan't increase in contact patch. What they've done, is that they've utilised that extra 20 mm to space out the treads which helps push out water and air, very easily. Compound : Much softer than the older ones. Braking : Haven't tried as yet. But, i bet it has imroved, a lot!! Valves : The G3's don't come with valves so, i had to buy 5 valves manufactured by Triton. I was happy for that, since Triton happens to be my aunt's company in B'lore. Puncture Kit : I didn't get one. Do they come with the tyres or do you generally buy them seperately? Price ; Each tyre cost me 3550 but, the dealer reduced that to 3500. So i paid 17500 for 5 tyres and around 170 for their respective valves. The only draw back is that the cap that tightens the spare tyre (in the boot) was designed for 175mm tyres and now with the 195mm tyre, there's no contact so, until i get a longer tightning cap, i'll have to let the spare jump around in the boot. Lucky bugger!!! Pictures : 1. Side profile check : As you can see in the pic, even thought both tyres are of 65 and 60 profile, a calculated upgrade will not change their side wall height. 2. 175mm vs 195mm : This pic shows you the diff between a 175mm tyre and a 195mm tyre. 3. Overall diameter : You can clearly see that the diff in diameter is hardly noticable. 4. Tyre and Suspenssion : This is the gap between the tyre wall and the suspenssion. 5. Side by side : Both tyres together. Potenza G3 Potenza G3 (2) 19th March 2005 - First Drive Took my car out for a spin this morning. I wasn't really pushing except for a few turns and here are my views. Lateral Grip : More than enuf. I took 2 turns at full blast 120+ and no screeches, the old tyres used to give up at 100 on those same turns. Hard Braking : Yup, there was a wheel lock for a fraction of a sec when i had to come down from 150kmph to 60kmph in a hurry. Atleast now i know that the brakes are in top condition. LOL High speed stability : At 150kmph, these tyre gave me the same confidence as my older ones did at 70-80. That's good if you ask me. Considering that i was just 35-40kmph short of top speed. Shan2nu Shan2nu Last edited by Shan2nu : 19th March 2005 at 08:45.
	() Thanks

18th March 2005, 16:58	#2
aggressive_anush BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 97 Thanked: Once	Hey.. Congrats on the new tyres!! So you finally got down to it. But i really dont understand how the contact patch could be the same. Also was just wondering whether these tyres have a softer compound than the ones i have on mine.
	() Thanks

18th March 2005, 17:01	#3
jesal BANNED Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 2,323 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	congo man. i need some new rubber on my accent now as well. done 35000 kms. so are the tyres better than the GD d2 or the same im confused as well as to which to put the GD d2 the G3 or michi ones. pics please
	() Thanks

18th March 2005, 17:12	#4
shravan316 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,029 Thanked: 9 Times	Congrats shan2nu!! Finally got some new rubber for your car!
	() Thanks

18th March 2005, 17:24	#6
iceman91 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: melbourne/banga Posts: 1,961 Thanked: 34 Times View My Garage	hey congrats!!! i must say FINALLY you got your tires. enjoy them dude but remember you need to drive around easy till the first layer wears off before putting it to its pace.
	() Thanks

18th March 2005, 17:26	#8
Harrie BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: KA 03, KL 12, TN 38 Posts: 701 Thanked: 36 Times View My Garage	hey shan congrats. how much were those? so how many tires did you get? 4 or 5?
	() Thanks

18th March 2005, 17:32	#10
drifter Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,488 Thanked: 75 Times View My Garage	Hey congrats on the new tyres man. Waiting for a full report. Drifter
	() Thanks

18th March 2005, 17:42	#11
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,770 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	It's about time! Or actually, long overdue! Now you can really experience the Vtec as its was meant to be experienced!
	() Thanks

18th March 2005, 21:10	#13
redrage BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 553 Thanked: 106 Times	congrats on the tyre....had potenza g3(185/r14) on my accent gtx but tyre was very noisy and dint handle well at high speeds...dealer changed it to turanzas
	() Thanks

18th March 2005, 22:31	#15
gamerno1 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Andheri (w), Mumbai Posts: 408 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	congrats shan2nu, the pics are a very good description of what u mean. an addon for the v-tec experience now
	() Thanks